What's eating my pleione bulbocodioides?

Pleione bulbocodioides is a hardy cool-growing orchid cultivated outdoors or in an alpine house, making slugs and vine weevil its primary threats. Slugs shred new shoots as they emerge in spring. Vine weevil grubs destroy pseudobulbs and roots in pots. Aphids may appear on soft new growth.

Chewed new shoots, notched leaf margins, and damaged flower buds with telltale slime trails Scatter ferric phosphate pellets around pots from late winter; use copper tape on containers; hand-pick after dark

Grubs hollow out pseudobulbs underground; plants wilt and die without obvious above-ground cause Drench pots with Steinernema kraussei nematodes in early autumn; remove and destroy any grubs found during repotting

Clusters on tender new growth and flower stems; honeydew residue and possible sooty mold Knock off with a water jet or treat with insecticidal soap; inspect weekly during the growing season