what has caused this

[msh1]

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hi all
what has eaten my vanda spike i cant see anything living on any of my orchids
mark

[pikevi]

It is not very clear. I tried to enlarge your photo . It is hard to say what caused it. Have you checked for the presence of earwigs?

[msh1]

hi checked every plant cant find anything lurking in there will the spike still flower its damaged underneath as well as top of spike i did find what looked like a tiny brown chrysalis about 6mm long right down inside leaf joint i suppose this could be culprit
mark

[articuno75]

Did you check for mites?

[msh1]

hi there how do i check for mites what am i looking for
mark

[digitalgate]

anything from snail to insect. Soak the media in water see if the snail float to the top.(They
need air). otherwise, anything that float to the top. sorry about the lost of the spike.
What did you use to water the plant? Did you recycle water from somewhere else?

[kmarch]

I suspect snail or slug. Have you seen any silvery trails around?

[Ellen]

I'm with K-March. Slugs love to eat orchid spikes (and root tips). You can treat with slug pellets, or try a slug spray that contains metaldehyde.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Metaldehyde does not actually kill the snails/slugs, just stuns them for a while, so some of the other ideas would be better. Do a search on snails to see what has been suggested before.

[msh1]

hi all
think i found the culprit a tiny black snail 5mm across living underneath another orchid pot its now a late snail
mark

[articuno75]

There might be more you know. I'd dunk the pots and see if any comes to the surface. Those things can be really, really, tiny little boogers.

[Vivienne]

I agree with Jenny... dunk all your plants and see what floats up.