Outdoor Orchid Pests
What Eats Orchids?

If you have orchids growing outside you may have wondered.... what eats orchids? The pests that eat orchids are just the common critters that will invade any garden if not kept in check. The solutions to pest control are also the same.

If you have orchids planted in the ground, you may need to protect them from slugs, snails, and caterpillars. There are four ways to do this. Each is organic and will not harm your orchid.

Method One - Sprinkle Diamataceous Earth around the orchid plant. This will kill the soft bodied creatures by piercing their flesh, causing them to lose vital fluid. Diamataceous Earth will need to be reapplied periodically, and definitely after a good rain. It is inexpensive and easy to find at any garden store.

Method Two - Set out a shallow pan or pie plate with old beer in it. This will attract slugs and snails, and then drown them when they go into the pan.

Method Three - Pick off the pests by hand. This is especially useful for controlling caterpillars, which will generally be on the orchid in the daytime. To pick off slugs and snails, you may need to do it at night with the help of a flashlight.

Method Four - Buy some copper wire or tape and place it on top of the ground, around the orchid. Make sure there are no orchid leaves trailing outside the copper that will make a bug-bridge for the pests.

Diligently attending to "what eats orchids" early on, will eventually diminish the pest population to zero.

For information on Orchid Pests for Indoor plants, and Diseases and Funguses, check out the links below.