Sticky spots on my Catt

[mycologist]

There are far nastier things possibly contained in the nectar droplets than orchid virus. Pesticide poisoning, Lyme disease, etc.
Worst case scenario with an orchid virus is that your immune system cannot handle the virus and you become a permanent carrier, forever infecting any other plants that you lick in the future.

I find this very curious. I'm not trying to be a jerk, I'm just a very curious type of person. If you have a source for this information that I could investigate further I would be most interested.

I.e. can you really get lyme disease from sap? Why is this not a problem when you eat raw vegtables from the garden? Can lyme be absorbed in the digestive system? I guess honey may be processed by the bees as I know it stays very sterile, but that is just nectar right? I eat nasturtium flowers all the time for their spicy nectar but I don't feel this in any way jepordizes my orchids.

Also about the viruses - if you smoke and handle tobacco you are contacting, injesting, and inhaling tobacco mosaic virus, but yet you will not infect tomatoes that you grow unless you don't wash your hands. I have never heard of a person becoming a carrier for life. I did find that aphids can be carriers though.

The pesticide thing I totally agree, but my orchids only get organic pesticides (mostly for my benefit, not theirs).