Tiny round black bugs,like snail eggs?

The last couple of months i have noticed tiny black shiney balls that i thought were moss snail eggs.I went in tonight inthe dark as i have just fitted a light and noticed that on a mounted plant they were moving on the bark.Any idea what they are.Too big and shiney for mites,seen nothing like them before. thanks keith

Reply to
keith kent
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Keith,

Yup, I see them all the time on the wood vanda baskets. There are usually a lot of them and they hid when I water. In 2 or 3 years since I noticed them they don't seem to do any damage but I'm sure they are eating something.

I don't notice them on the vandas outside but I didn't really look.

Good growing, Gene

Reply to
Gene Schurg

Hi Gene,yes i notice them more on the baskets.They are black,tiny,shiney,but i havent seen any damage yet.But you do not see mite damage until the leaves mottle. thanks keith

Reply to
keith kent

I am sure they are too small to see, but mouth part design (insects have several different ones) might help you decide if they are eating plants or something else. Mites have piercing/sucking mouth parts.

I am thinking beetle, but you may also be seeing something from the Crustacea class of arthropod like a type of sowbug or pillbug.

Also, they might not be a danger to plants if you never see them ON the plants but only on the wood or bark. They may be feeding on the bark or feeding on things that are eating the bark. "Decomposers" are a large category of critters and very few of them are a threat to living plants: they feed on decaying and dead stuff.

One good way to kill or contain most very tiny critters is to let their environment get very dry. Most orchids can take the occasional dry spell, but dried potting media/soil/baskets kills most decomposers.

In comparison to the number of insects one is likely to encounter (zillions), there are only an handful of insects that are likely to cause any damage to or problems for orchids, and most of them are well known and easily recognized either by sight or by their damage to the plant. These shiny black balls are not among them. Not on this planet anyway.

Reply to
Al

Keith,

I noticed them several years ago. I figure I probably brought them home with me when I bought plants from Kensington Orchids when they went out of business 5 years ago.

In 5 years no damage I can attribute to them.

Gene

Reply to
Gene Schurg

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