Insect ID please

[el48tel]

2024-01-28 17-21-03 (C,S4).jpg (201.52 KiB) Viewed 631 times

I was taking a sequence of images of Titanopsis calcarea v fullerii (below) and this little creature crept cautiously across a few frames, not sufficiently to be in clear focus for focus stacking of the 73 frames, but enough to annoy me. Its ID would be appreciated. It has since been sprayed with BugClear

[SimonT]

Looks like a thrip of some kind?
The larval stages look like the adults but without wings.

[Diane]

Agree with Thrips - they love yellow mesemb flowers, and can run very fast. Unfortunately there are no current insecticides which will eliminate them, alas. The life cycle is that eggs are laid in the soil, and the young nymphs which are usually yellow, hatch out and feed on young growth, resulting in stunted and silvery growing points. Adults are dark and more easily seen.

A real pain in the you-know-what!

[esp]

Wft !?

As in Western Flower Thrip?

[el48tel]

Thanks guys
Although I'm not happy to see the beast at least I can curse it properly.

[Ali Baba]

As mentioned this is a thrips (singular thrips not thrip). Although they are very resistant to insecticides there are predatory mites available which do give a degree of control. There are also nematodes which will kill the pupae which are found in the soil. Unfortunately the eggs are laid inside the epidermis so escape contact insecticides easily.

[SimonT]

Sorry thrip is just too tempting a false singular.