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klyde_gw

Thrips?!?

klyde
13 years ago

Oh dear, I think some of my hoyas have what I suspect is thrips. Long crawly beigey things, like an elongated aphid? I've never, ever run into this brand 'o bug before. What does one do with those little creeps?

Kelly

Comments (11)

  • mdahms1979
    13 years ago

    Thrips are serious and you need to deal with them right away. I had an outbreak in my collection and there can be serious damage done, that and thrips carry and spread a very serious plant virus that is causing huge problems for growers.
    I did not have much luck with most attempts from soapy water, neem or alcohol. All of these methods worked but I did not see the thrips disappear until I used a systemic insecticide.

    I would try the first controls I mentioned and keep a close eye on the spread of the young insects. Blue sticky cards in your grow area will let you know if thrips are present but you have to watch closely and count the adults that are trapped on the cards to know if you are having an impact. If all else fails you may need to resort to a systemic insecticide.

    Mike

    Here is a link that might be useful: Tomatoe spotted wilt virus and thrips

  • klyde
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Crap, crap, triple crap. Heavy sigh. Arrgghhhh. Deep breath. Okay.

    So, isolation, or dispose of infested plants? I got a very nice variegated bella last summer that took a serious turn for the worse. Now I see that it is due to the suspected thrips. I sprayed with Safer's End All (before I knew what they were), which is pyrethrin-based. That set them back, but the problem may be larger than I know at the moment. Hopefully not.

    Which sytemic takes them on?

    Kelly
    Thanks for you help btw.

  • mdahms1979
    13 years ago

    Thrips are very mobile so isolation will only do so much. I have a lot of plants in a relatively small space so there was no way I could stop the spread and the fact that adults fly does not help.
    Try a soap and neem spray once every week for two weeks and spot treat any affected plants with an alcohol spray to kill the young insects. I used Bayer rose and flower but Bayer tree and shrub works very well. I had not used chemicals for a long time but between the thrips and mealies I decided it was time to act before I started loosing my plants. Thrips are terrible for hitching a ride on your clothes when you visit a greenhouse or floral department in a store. I recently heard that some large orchid production greenhouses will not let anyone inside for fear that they might be transporting these pests. The adults like to feed on flowers so they come home with you when you buy plants and because they hide inside the flowers you will not even know it until they already have a population in your collection.

    Mike

  • greedygh0st
    13 years ago

    That's interesting about orchid production greenhouses not allowing anyone in, Mike. Now that you mention it, I'm surprised it isn't a more wide-spread policy, the way you have to shower in and wear regulation garb at, say, a barn in the meat industry.

  • klyde
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Well that answers some of my questions about where they may have come from. I do isolate my plants when purchased for long periods of time. I have not seen anything materialize on new purchases...until suddenly...this problem. I had a bad feeling when I looked at them. Funny, I've been growing plants since I was a wee girlie, and I've not encountered thrips before. Go figure, a thrip virgin.

    Well, looks like BATS is the answer. I've put the offending plant in a ziploc bad until I can further treat it. I've seen the odd wee bug flying around. Now that might be a errant fruit fly, or outdoor bug. I do live on the coast and on a warm day the bugs are a flyin'.

    Hopefully we'll have a warmish day this weekend and I can spray...

    Funny thing. I just (month or so ago) purchased my first African Violet in years. Checked it over well and isolated. Started to read up and have heard about these thrip beasts. Now look what I've got. Have heard they go after the flowers and buds, and disbudding is necessary as part of treatment. I do believe my problem predated this however...

    May I just say I find these guys particularly creepy? I loathe mealies, shudder at scale, but these bad boys...ick.

  • greedygh0st
    13 years ago

    Ah yes, the lesser-known thrip virgin. It's a good thing the thrips found you otherwise you would doubtless be sacrificed on an altar at some point.

  • mdahms1979
    13 years ago

    LOL You may have to throw that African Violet into the nearest volcano to appease the gods!

    Thrips love flowers but they are just as happy with leaves. The good thing about violets is that they have hairy leaves, plants with hairy leaves have extra protection from insect pests but Hoyas are sitting ducks unless they have really hard leaves.

    I doubt you noticed the thrips flying around as they only seem to move to find mates. I bet what you saw was just a gnat or something simiar. Thrips also jump to try and escape, boy do I hate those bugs. My newest trick is the bubble bath, completly emerse the plant and pot in warm soapy water for an hour or so and drown the bugs.

    Mike

  • klyde
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Ahhh yes, the soapy bubble bath. These dang hoyas are spending more time in the tub than I am. Could probably rent a hot tub and do the whole dang lot of them. I'm reading a book at the moment that questions how we choose to spend our time. What value we place on time and how we spend it. Do you see where I'm going with this?

    Kelly

  • greedygh0st
    13 years ago

    lol I prefer to read the books that tell me I should try to be in the moment when I'm cleaning the house. You just need to find the joy in drowning thrips.

    Okay Mike, you are going to have to explain this to me. How do hairy leaves impact bugs. My personal experiences with bugs make it seem like they are magick wizards. Tiny, tiny Hermiones.

  • mdahms1979
    13 years ago

    Plants use pubescent surfaces to help survive harsh conditions like intense sunlight or extremes in temperature. I have not seen any articles stating that pubescent leafed plants experience less insect pests but I have noticed that with my own plants. Cuticle thickness is another factor and plants with soft leaves are much more prone to attack than plants with thick hard leaves. My Hoya micrantha has never had a bug on it and it has very hard leaf surfaces, other plants that are on the same rack will have insect problems but never the micrantha.

    Mike

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