First... I'm so sorry to hear about your damaged bulbs. I hope you can salvage parts of them, at least, so you have a chance of getting them to grow... I'm going to be extra careful with my bulbs, and if the greenhouse isn't up in time to use, I'll be building a screen cold-frame to protect them with! I'll also be using an insecticide!

Second... Your Zombies are beyond gorgeous! I just melt every time I see a photo of Zombie! Between the petal shape and the ultra double flower, and the spectacular colors of coral and cream fading into the green... it's just the most beautiful flower I've ever seen!! I wish doubles had the reproductive parts necessary to breed... I could see breeding Zombie to several other hippis, and the possibilities that might result... wow!

Thanks for sharing, Chaz!

MY SYMPATHIES Chaz! I lost about that many to the darned things last summer and did not even know what they were until too late! I Am wondering what my narcissus patch will produce this year since they were buzzing heavily over it last summer.I do see a lot of buds coming up but I am sure they must have invaded them also. I heard that a neighboring Daffodil farm closed out 20 years ago because of the infestation.

I lost all my Fairy tale and Other miniatures to them and will not know what else until what I did save blooms. I Am pretty sure I still have my Papillio bulbs safe.

Yes, I gotta get on with building my amaryllis summer cottage. I went up an aditional 60 bulbs this year and that is an investment worth protecting!

Chaz,

Thank you very much for the words of warning.

So sorry about your damaged bulbs. I hope that some of them will survive.

My hippis summer outside without protection here in northern California, and I have never seen this type of damage.

Does anyone know if the Narcissus Fly is doing damage throughout the US, or just in some areas?

Chaz,

I am so sorry. I know from your posts how much the bulbs (especially your special Aphrodite means to you). Thank you for taking the time to warm the rest of us. Do you think that you would be able to propogate them by cutting the bulb (scaling)?

Blanca, from what I read they are anywhere that narcissus are now. I'm sure someone local or at least closer than Massachusetts can give you a better answer!

jstropic, I'm thinking that I'll actually be able to save the bulbs, I've cut away all that is damaged and will probably wind up with multiples from the scaling. It's just a bummer that I'll have to wait a couple of years before I get blooms off them. Oh well, Live and Learn I guess.

Jodi, I'm saving the pollen from the zombie not sure what to breed it with though. I'm completey in the dark regarding tets/species etc. My piccolo self and piccolo/minerva did not take.

Chaz - The Ploidy issue has me confused, as well... I just pollinate and hope for the best! Sometimes I get lucky, and sometimes I don't... and sometimes I think I got lucky, and then the pods abort!

I've been slowly making lists of which varieties are Diploid and which are Tetraploid (or is it Triploid?), but I admit that I haven't done my research on that part of Hippi reproduction yet. Most of my successful pollinations have been selfs, and I've found that the cybister varieties are the more difficult ones to get seed pods from.

This is something I plan on studying more closely when I get the time... but for now, I'm happy to have gotten a lot of my hybrids to set seeds, and even more happy that those seeds are turning out to be viable!

I had planned on keeping very detailed notes and information right from the start, but it sort of got away from me during the course of enjoying so many new bulbs and their flowers! And so, I have promised myself that next fall I will begin a strict regimen of record keeping!

I found a lot of helpful information in past posts regarding pollination and Ploidy, but haven't had the time or inclination to read it all and write down notes. I've just been in such awe of all these wonderful blooms, and I've been busy caring for them and and caring for my dogs and doing all the other things day to day life demands... ok, I got lazy! But I promise that next fall I shall begin professional record keeping so that I have good notes to share!

Oh great - now that I've decided to take my army of amaryllis outside this summer (my rebloom stats are very poor), I may subject them to death by narcissus bulb fly? What to do???
[sigh]

Anna

Anna, I do not know what space you have outside for your hippis but I plan to build a cement block bed and then make a bamboo framework over it, and cover it with Insect Protection fabric. I found what I want but only in 4' widths. It needs to be the very thin kind, so it does not hold too much heat or cut down too much on light transmission. I figure for a bed about 3' wide I Need atleast 8' width across. I Am still looking.10' would give me more to make sure the sides are secure. My bed will probably be about 30' long (If we get the stump out of the way where I intend to build it!), and be part of my enclosed vegetable garden made in cement block beds.

I was thinking of a similar design... I have raised beds, and I've got an empty one that hasn't been filled with soil for planting yet. I'll use that one to place all my pots in, and I'm thinking of constructing a screen cold-frame type enclosure for over the top.

I doubt that our greenhouse will be constructed by the time my pots are all brought outdoors, and I don't want to risk losing any to narcissus fly. I'm thinking that a screened enclosure and a good insecticide regimen should keep any critters, flying or otherwise, at bay.

I have rolls of screening, but I have to check and make sure it will allow passage of sunlight and not hold too much heat under it, as Lizalily says... I want it to allow decent air flow, as well.

The things we do for our bulbs!

A good regular spraying schedule of insecticide/miticide(systemic) would help a lot in prevention of infestation.

Chaz...You have one "Big Healthy Momma Minerva" that arrived today. :-)

Chaz, sorry for your losses! :/ Beautiful Zombie though. =) Best of luck with saving the salvageable bulbs.