5583e313_rol_Plant_Pests_on_Your_Garden__escription_and_damage_symptoms
[Management] Healthy woody plants usually tolerate thrips damage; however, high infestations on certain herbaceous ornamentals and developing fruits or vegetables may justify control. If control is necessary, use an integrated program of control strategies that combines the use of good cultural practices and conservation of natural enemies with the use of least toxic insecticides, such as narrow range oils. Greenhouse thrips biology differs some from that of most other pest thrips. Although thrips damage to leaves is unsightly, thrips activity does not usually warrant the use of insecticide sprays. For instance, while thrips damage on citrus or avocado fruit may look unpleasant, it does not harm trees or affect the internal fruit quality. Also, by the time damage is noticed on ripening fruit, the thrips that caused the injury are usually gone. While viruses vectored by thrips may cause plant loss, insecticide sprays are not recommended to prevent viruses because thrips are not killed fast enough to prevent the transfer of the virus to new plants. Furthermore, most thrips are difficult to control effectively with insecticides because they are protected within plant parts that surround them as they feed. If insecticides are used, they will only be partially effective and must be combined with appropriate cultural practices and conservation of natural enemies. Narrow-range oil, neem oil, and other low-toxicity insecticides such as insecticidal soaps or pyrethrins can be somewhat effective for temporary reduction of thrips populations if applied when thrips and damage first appear. These materials have the benefit of allowing at least a portion of the natural enemy populations to survive because they don't leave toxic residues. Sprays must be applied to thoroughly cover susceptible plant tissue, such as new leaf growth and buds. On plants with a history of severe, unacceptable damage, begin treatment early when thrips or their damage is first observed. Repeat applications (usually 5 to 10 days apart, depending on temperature) are usually required because these insecticides only kill newly hatched thrips and recently emerged adults. With most thrips species, eggs are protected within plant tissue and prepupae and pupae are in the soil and will not be killed. No pesticide treatment will restore the appearance of injured tissue; plants will remain damaged until leaves drop or injury is pruned off. For ornamental nonfood plants, several applications of a systemic insecticide such as the organophosphate acephate (Orthene) can provide temporary control of thrips, but this product can be highly toxic to natural enemies. Another systemic insecticide, imidacloprid (Bayer Advanced Garden, Marathon, and Merit), is also available.
Thrips Thrips are tiny, slender insects with fringed wings. They feed by puncturing their host plant or animal prey and sucking up exuding contents. Certain thrips species are beneficial predators that feed only on other insects and mites. Beneficial species include black hunter thrips and the sixspotted thrips. Pest species are plant feeders that scar leaf, flower, or fruit surfaces or distort plant parts. Other species of thrips simply feed on fungal spores and pollen. Feeding by thrips causes tiny scars on leaves and fruit, called stippling, and can stunt growth. Damaged leaves may become papery and distorted. Infested terminals may discolor, become rolled , and drop leaves prematurely. Petals may exhibit "color break," which is pale or dark discoloring of petal tissue that was killed by thrips feeding before buds opened. See more info on trips
Plants & Garden: The Ways to Control Plant Pests on Your Garden
Name, description and damage symptoms