It could be narcissus bulb fly larva. There are several people on the list who have had problems with them, especially with bulbs planted outside. Do a search on this forum for NBF. They eat a hole in the bulb at or just above the basal plate and lay a single egg. The larval form typically eats the bulbs from the inside out, leaving you with mush. Donna has had luck with these stricken bulbs putting out offsets.
K

Oh yeah...that's the dreaded NBF!!!! I had a few bulbs that were hollowed out by these dang little buggers. What's interesting is that this year as I brought them for their nap, I treated them with Bayer Tree & Shrub because they here also munched on by mealies. I have a feeling this treatment may have killed the larva because when I took them out of the bulb, they were't moving. Unfortunately, the damage was done so I carefully cut away the decayed material, dusted it with sulpher and rooting hormone on the basal plate. Let's see what happens.

Warm Regards,
Fred

Hi,

There is much information on this forum about the dreaded NFB, much of it written by me as I seem to have the exact conditions to breed them!!

In earlier years, I would just throw the bulb away, probably about 10 ended up thrown out until one time my Aphrodite was devoured. I scoured it out and wasn't sure whether or not to throw it away so I put it under a coffee table to dry and forgot it. To make a long story short, several months later I discovered it and it had set several offsets from the remainder of the basal plate. This bulb had been laying naked to the world with no water and today, my 3 blooming Aphrodites are offsets from this poor bulb, which eventually did die.

Subsequent bulbs that have had the misfortune to be eaten alive by these larvae I have left potted up and scoured the larvae and rotten tissue out with a spoon or stick and more often than not (depending on the degree of damage) they set several offsets. I have probably 6 or so successes where I did loose the mother bulb but her babies lived to bloom!

I apologize to those who have heard this tale of my poor Aphrodite before, I'm just repeating it for you!!

I will admit that your bulb looks pretty awful but I do see a green leaf trying to grow, I hope you can save it!!

Good Luck,

Donnaâºâº

This was my poor Aphrodite that gave birth to 3 bulbs before she died..

Thank you all for the NFB information. Searched this forum and Donna your story is the first I read. :)

I have 5 bulbs in the pot. and every single one has at least one lavae in the bulb. They are the regular ones can be find in big box store. The one on the picture is the biggest bulb and its offset. I throw others out into the cold (hope cold will kill the lavae, if not I have to physically destroy them. )

I kept this one since it has a green tip, but I did not do anything with the brown area, I do not have captan on hand. I simply potted it up and let it fight for its life for now.

So I guess the best option is do not move Ameryllis outside in summer? (I might get some new ones to try again)

Thanks

If you've only got a few pots then you could keep them inside for the summer, possibly in your sunniest windows. I have lots of special bulbs that never go outdoors and they do OK, some get sun through a screen but most don't, the sun through the window is fine. I've been finding these last few years that with the bulbs I put outside for the summer if the NBF doesn't get them they will come in with mealybugs which presents a whole new set of problems!

Donnaâºâº

I read on another forum that NBF, while destructive, excrete something in their saliva that actually prevents the bulb from rotting away. If the little bugger is caught before it devours the bulb entirely, there is a very good chance the the bulb will survive. Like Donna, I have been experimenting on this with some of my "chomped on" bulbs and time will tell if my efforts were successful.

Warm Regards,
Fred

Fred,

Well, if there's something in their saliva that helps the bulb not rot away then there must be something in their poop too! Maybe that why I've been so lucky with offsets setting on many of these bulbs. I'm sure you'll have some success too saving some of these bulbs!!

Donnaâºâº