Gee, that looks like what I get out of some of my iris rhizomes here in NJ during certain times of the year. Also, something similar gets in the stalks of my asiatic and oriental lilies. Appears to be some sort of a borer. Will be interesting to see what develops. Well, looks like you're going to have lots of that one particular hippi in time. Good luck! Kitty

I'm attaching a photo of the bulb fly larvae that were in my papillio bulbs this spring. They were large, I believe they may actually be pupae already at this stage. One hatched from a bulb and I caught it, looked like a brown furry bee, even buzzed like one when it flew.
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And some of the damage that was done to the dissected bulb, as you can see the damage forced the bulb to split before I even chipped.
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HTH
Chaz

Hi Chaz and all....the pests that I've caught look like itty bitty flies. I don't know if that's what the larvae will turn into, so will cultivate them with TLC and see. I did look all over the web for larvae of bulb pests and many are fat and brown like your narcissus fly (still on the lookout for bee-like winged things) and some are really tapered on one end. This one looks like a little maggot...so I am stumped. I just really think the area was overwatered by the sprinkler (being it was a pot it couldn't drain as well) and the rot attracted something that found my bulb fat and yummy. Hope I can save it.

I wouldn't mind getting lots of babies....then I would be happy to share this genuine antique with those who asked earlier this year. Maybe this was just fate's way of stepping in "suggesting" that I be more generous!
K

Kristi,

When I first read your description of the maggots, I thought it sounded like the maggots of what I call house flies. You see, I grew up as the daughter of shrimper/fishermen, and obviously, we cleaned and dealt with a lot of fish and shrimp.

House flies are attracted to anything that smells strongly, and Amaryllis bulbs that are rotting have a very similar horrible smell. That will attract those flies. They will feed on the rotted material and deposit their 'eggs', thus resulting in maggots that you describe.

Speaking of bulb rot, I purchased some of the 3 for the price of one bulbs last year. One of those, Mambo, had a rotten spot on it. I am the world's worst, I know, about being curious and wanted to try something different.

I decided not to complain about the bulb. I cut away the rot and noted some bulbils growing inside. I let the bulb air dry rather than using Captan. In fact, I sort of lost track of the bulb for awhile and just recently found it again. The bulb was still in fine shape, so I put the bulb in a little clear cup with an inch or two of soil mix in it and watered it to see what happend.

Sure enough, there is a new bulb forming beside the mother bulb. I want to plant the whole bulb but I am simply too curious about the little growths inside the bulb. It's too hard to explain without a picture, so as soon as my camera battery is charged, I will take some and upload them for you to see.

In short, after over 6 months of not being planted and hidden away (lost), the mother bulb looks fantastic and I await to see what happens to all those little things that look like bulbils that are forming inside.

I thought about cutting the bulb, but I decided not to do so because I wanted to see what was happening inside the damaged bulb.

Pictures later...

I hope this helps...

Where the Mambo is now!

Location now...

Roots forming...

New Bulblet...

Those things...

Healthy bulb...

Now...

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Curiosity...

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Wow Elizabeth. Could it be calluses?? Looks like it's trying to wall itself off from the inside out! Keep us posted.

I think my mini-maggots aren't from a house fly, as they are smaller. There are some smaller flies buzzing around where I removed the bulbs, and I am thinking that they may be the culprits. Makes me feel somewhat better that the bulbs will make it (at least the ones where the necks didn't rot)...so there is HOPE!! And Kitty commented that I'll have lots of these bulbs...I SURE HOPE SO! I am in zone 8 and they are hardy, so would love to have bed of them!

I'm just stupid (kick kick kick...me kicking myself) for not watching the water that this pot got!
Kristi

Kristi,

I suspect that each one of those 'thingies' that look so wierd will develop into new bulblets/bulbils. At first, I wondered if they were blooms forming, but now, I think not.

Yes! You should be able to grow them in the ground. I think the ground is more safe for them. Still, most of mine are in pots. I plan to put the majority in the ground and keep only new ones in pots in the future.

Yes, I may lose a few varieties, but more and more varieties are becoming available. In years past, the only source was Walmart, etc., so I treasured each and every one. Now, I am not so worried because I know that most (not all) are replaceable.

I understand your wanting to save this one. It reminds me of a single form of Promise. Quite pretty!

I will keep you posted as best I can...

Very interesting thread... very informative, photos and all. I hope this spreads a bit of awareness through the ranks of bulb lovers, as to what can happen, insect-wise, and what can be done to salvage the bulb.

Good luck, Kristi... I hope your chipping is a success!

Actually, Kristi, the globs of growth were visible when I removed the bruised/rotting portion of the bulb. I suspect, but do not know for sure, that the growths are new bulbils forming. At least one of them is growing what appears to be a leaf.

I have noted that with some of my hippies that new bulblets/bulbils tend to form repeatedly at the same portion of the base of the bulb. I often wonder if this is due to some some sort of damage to that portion of the basal plate which triggers the mother bulb to try to reproduce.

I have a Chico and an Amourette that are doing the same thing, but I cannot see any visible sign of damage to cause them to 'piggy back' bulblets.

Curious and still learning...

What was the systemic fungicide that you used during your chipping?

1-(4-chlorophenoxy)-3,3-dimethyl-1-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)-2-butanone
AKA Green Light Fung-Away Systemic Fungicide

I am sticking to my peaking every 3 days....so I opened the box tonight and carefully took out the baggies (I think there are 6)....and guess what????!!! After only 6 DAYS, there are roots! The largest was about 1/2 inch long! I take this to be a very good sign. The really big chips looked dry and so I daringly gave them a quick spritz of water, as the vermiculite seemed dry too. I know that I used the right ratio of vermiculite to water, but it didn't indicate if it was a wt:wt ration or vol:vol. THIS IS ALL AN experiment. The 2 bulbs that I treated with captan and let dry for a week already have new growth!! WHOOO HOOO, and the heated bulbs look pretty happy too. I think I look happiest of them all!!! Now, as long as Ike doesn't come along and spoil the fun!

Thanks for the continued encouragment!! The chipping, while a little nerve-racking may end up just fine, and I'll have lots of bulbs to share!!
:-)
Kristi (Spring, TX)

Kristi,

This is a very informative post with a wonderful outcome!!! I'm going to bump this because it is that time of year where our bulbs could be showing signs of damage!