Pesticide for killing thrips

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Geoff Lovell
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Re: Pesticide for killing thrips

Post by Geoff Lovell »

"Our Optiroll blue rolls for example are specifically attractive to the western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis, but will not attract whiteflies. If you want to catch a wider range of pests with one trap, including whiteflies and thrips, then yellow is the best option. White rolls are favoured by some Columbian growers whose flowers are attacked by several species of thrips. As white rolls can also attract some natural enemies, they are less suited to crops where biological pest control is the main method of control”.
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Re: Pesticide for killing thrips

Post by KathyM »

We ordered some yellow sticky traps off the internet, but it seems there are scam listings for yellow sticky traps. Who knew?
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Re: Pesticide for killing thrips

Post by KathyM »

This is the Lepismium stem with the spotty pattern I thought could be thrips, although I haven't actually seen anything.
Lepismium stem
Lepismium stem
It's scabby at the base of the plant but not near the ends, so I may take some cuttings and try and start again with a better looking plant. The plant has had this for a while, whatever caused it, so if it s thrips they wouldn't have been caught from the Begonias I was worried had a virus.

This was the pattern the Begonias had that I thought was a virus. I've never been able to figure out what it was. This plant also had deformed leaves, so something was seriously wrong with it.

ImageBegonia plant bought from Harrogate autumn flower show with deformed and discoloured leaves – virus? by Kathy__, on Flickr

It was more subtle on some of the others.

ImageBegonia plant bought from Harrogate autumn flower show with ring shapes on leaves – virus? by Kathy__, on Flickr
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Ali Baba
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Re: Pesticide for killing thrips

Post by Ali Baba »

The Begonia certainly looks like virus infection, there are viruses that cause ring spots like that. Ring spotting fungi end up with necrosis at the centre with fungal fruiting bodies, so I think virus the most likely cause.
The Lepismium could be thrips, the shoots are usually damaged when young and tender, the damage appears as the shoot matures by which time the thrips have moved on. Thrips transmit all sorts of viruses so you should get rid of your Begonias if you haven’t already
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Re: Pesticide for killing thrips

Post by jhb »

I`ve just been reading the Sept edition of the Essex Succulent Review. There`s an article on this very subject. It is suggested that dropping 2 or 3 cigarettes in half a bottle of meths & leaving for a couple of days & then using it might be an option.
Has anyone tried this ?
I`m fairly sure that some of my Lithops have this problem & maybe a couple of Ario`s.
Jayne H.B.
Growing Mamms, Turbs, Ario`s & a bit of most genera in darkest North Devon. Love Lithops too.Now getting hooked on Haworthia`s & Cono`s.
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Re: Pesticide for killing thrips

Post by KathyM »

Funnily enough I once saw an article that suggested smokers should wash their hands between handling tobacco and their plants as this could potentially be a way to spread viruses. It seemed like quite a random method.

I have thrown the Begonias away, but they had been on my windowsills surrounded by other plants for about a week before I noticed there was anything wrong with them so I'm concerned I could have already spread something. I feel like I'm obsessively checking my plants for something being wrong now.

The virus that seems to be most likely to infect Begonias is Impatiens necrotic spot virus, and it can infect a huge range of plants.

I've thrown away the Lepismium and kept a few small cuttings because it was so scabby looking. They're not looking great so I might get rid of them too.
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Re: Pesticide for killing thrips

Post by KathyM »

Ali Baba wrote: Thu Nov 08, 2018 6:35 pm The Begonia certainly looks like virus infection, there are viruses that cause ring spots like that. Ring spotting fungi end up with necrosis at the centre with fungal fruiting bodies, so I think virus the most likely cause.
The Lepismium could be thrips, the shoots are usually damaged when young and tender, the damage appears as the shoot matures by which time the thrips have moved on. Thrips transmit all sorts of viruses so you should get rid of your Begonias if you haven’t already
Should I still be able to see the pest on the Lepismium if I look closely? The lifecycle of thrips seems quite complicated.
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Re: Pesticide for killing thrips

Post by el48tel »

Thinking about the REAL moral of this story ...... "caveat emptor" .... as collectors we "trust" the vendors at shows and our cactus (& any other plant) growing friends who give/exchange/sell us plants that those purchases/gifts/swaps are "sound" and pestilence free. A once seeming amazing plant could soon decimate a lifetime's work. This is a well-known and documented hazard of mono-culture, as the beasties have unlimited access to a food source and become rampant. One can rightly understand the strict bio-regimes imposed by many states throughout the world.
Endeavouring to grow Aylostera, Echinocereus, Echinopsis, Gymnocalycium, Matucana, Rebutia, and Sulcorebutia. Fallen out of love with Lithops and aggravated by Aeoniums.
Currently being wooed by Haworthia, attempting hybridisation, and enticed by Mesembs.
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Ali Baba
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Re: Pesticide for killing thrips

Post by Ali Baba »

Hi Kathy you may well not be able to see any thrips, they tend to move around to plants that are seasonally tasty! e.g mesemb flowers in the autumn and opuntia flowers in the spring!

It is theoretically possible to spread tobacco mosaic virus from your hands to plants if you are for instance taking cuttings and are a smoker. Whether that’s ever been demonstrated in an experiment I don’t know. Fortunately I don’t smoke 😀 see: https://www.apsnet.org/edcenter/intropp ... osaic.aspx
If you read the above it will give you some idea of how easily viruses can be spread in cultivation
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Re: Pesticide for killing thrips

Post by ralphrmartin »

Kathy

I wonder if the problem with the Lepismium might be low temperatures? It seems a bit more cold sensitive than some other epiphytes, in my experience.

Ralph
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