I have 2 dls that have these bumps on their buds. One plant has severely deformed flowers and immature buds that are turning brown and dropping. The second plant with these bumps has not had any buds turn brown and drop. Both plants, however, have had very short scapes. I have never had any problems in the 10+ years I've had daylilies. I have just planted and enjoyed their beauty.

Thrip damage.

Thrips are minute insects.

Thanks for your quick answer.
Is there something I can do to get rid of them and keep them from spreading to my other plants?
Do they survive over the winter? I'm in zone 5.

I had the very first blooms on some DLs which bloomed for the first time this year doing that. First flowers were a bit odd but no damage. Didn't think about insects!

Good to know. I have had the same bumps, but the flowers opened and looked fine to me. Could those bumps also be something else?

Yes, some of the flowers look okay, but not great, on one of the plants. The other one is pretty sad. Trying to find out what to do about this. Is it too late, or would it be better to do something now? Am a bit confused.

Let's see if we can get the attention of some folks that might know ...

@sooby , @char , or @admmad please help us identify what the bumps are in this thread.

Those "bud bumps" (aka enations) are very common but the cause has never been proven. Years ago an author, I forget the name and would have to look it up, attributed it to aphids but it cannot be aphids as the bumps happen where there are no aphids on daylilies in a garden.

Usually these days the bumps are attributed to thrips but, as I say, that's not been proven. Another possible suspect I see here is the tarnished plant bug, or it may be something else entirely that we haven't thought of. I don't think anyone has suspected any cause other than a pest of some kind, though. I keep meaning to try some exclusion method, like mesh bags, to try and narrow down the possibilities but never seem to remember in time - it would have to be put on a cultivar known to typically get the bumps, and very early in the development of the scape plus be very tight around the stem. I think the majority of daylilies in my garden have the bumps, will try and check that later when the thunderstorms have finished. Other than curiosity as to the cause, I don't worry about them.

If it's thrips, I've had good luck planting Alyssum amongst the daylilies to reduce thrip damage.

Alyssum attracts pirate beetle - their favorite food? Thrips

thanks for the responses
when I deadheaded just now, I opened a bumpy bud and what did I see
a tiny bug that I believe is a thrip
dark color, maybe 1/16" long
daylilies are almost done blooming
should I do anything about these little buggers now or wait until spring

I have always associated those bumps with thrips. The daylily buds that have those bumps also have thrips 99 percent of the time in my garden.

Kathy - THAT is VERY interesting about Alyssum. I hope that is true because in my seedling 3-tiered bed, the small top bed is where I planted alyssum! That would be awesome!!! Thank you for sharing that info. I guess I shall find out if that works!

This thread is almost 5 years old. Does anyone have an update on this issue? If it is thrips damage, how is it that the thrips only attack certain varieties and leave others untouched? In the same bed, I found Shards of Krypton daylily buds with these bumps but Blue on Blue no bumps eventhough they are only 1 ft apart.

For some reason, certain daylilies are more prone to thrips. I know dark colored blooms are often affected. Especially deep red and dark purple.

A variety of wasps and other insects will drill into buds here in North Carolina so I routinely spray buds with a systemic insecticide to prevent malformed blooms. This is a dead one....caught in the act!

kousa said:This thread is almost 5 years old. Does anyone have an update on this issue? If it is thrips damage, how is it that the thrips only attack certain varieties and leave others untouched?

No there is no update, they will likely be put down to thrips until proven otherwise but there's never been any proof either that it is caused by thrips. But yes, thrips damage does vary by cultivar.

Davi, your bug looks like it could be a soldier beetle (good guy)?

https://bugguide.net/node/view...

I'm glad I'm not alone in this. I think I've noticed the bumps in previous years, but not to the extent or duration as this year.

Most of my flowers are opening normally now, even ones that had bud bumps.

Some buds are still turning yellow and/or opening while still nascent.
They then drop off at the lightest touch.

I know it's different from the bud bumps, but is the bloom splotchiness caused by thrips? By rain damage?

Mainly, I'm curious if I should treat the plants for thrips. Is there a systemic pesticide good at bumping them off?