Thrips measures to combat them. Flower thrips: description of the pest, harm to the plant, control methods

Every gardener should know that caring for indoor plants comes down not only to watering and fertilizing, but also involves protection from pests. One of them is thrips, which, if left unchecked, can cause serious damage to plants, so at the first sign of their appearance it is necessary to take immediate action.

Description

Recognizing thrips is not that difficult. They look like small insects with an elongated body up to 2 mm long, light yellow, black or dark brown. In adults they are usually found two pairs of wings with long hairs. The larvae of the pest have a light yellow body and do not exceed 1 mm in length.

An additional clue about the presence of thrips can be the nature of their movement: adult individuals move very quickly, often making sharp jumps using their belly. The difference between males and females is that the former have a slimmer, but not so long body. They are also painted in different colors.

Thrips can also be distinguished by their wings: in some species they can be quite short, in others they may not be at all.

Thrips are one of the many groups of pests that include more than 2000 varieties. There are approximately 200 species in our country. Their main habitats are leaves, flowers and buds of indoor plants. They feed on nectar and sap from leaf tissue.

Thrips are dangerous because they reproduce very quickly. Leaf tissue or flowers are used as a site for laying eggs. After just 10 days, new offspring emerge from the eggs. However, in order for the larvae to develop into adult insects, it takes one month. At this moment, a great threat appears for plants, since as a result of the activity of pests they lose their attractiveness and begin to be affected by viral diseases. Over time, when the insects drink all the juices from one plant, they move on to others located nearby.

How to detect thrips on indoor plants?

If, during the inspection of indoor plants, you find that some leaves have become discolored, as well as there are many points caused by punctures, then this is a clear sign that thrips have appeared in your apartment.

If you pay attention to the lower part of the leaves, you can find brownish or brownish spots there. Damaged areas often turn silvery, which can be explained by air entering the cells.

If prompt treatment measures are not taken at the first signs of thrips activity, subsequently foliage is dying off, deformation of flowers and buds. Insects cause additional harm by depositing sticky secretions, which provide a favorable environment for the development of sooty fungus. Although thrips are not picky about their food, their most preferred indoor plants are violets, begonias, roses, citrus fruits, orchids and ficus.

Most violets suffer from thrips larvae, because they destroy the anther of the flower. At the first signs of their appearance, it is necessary to pick off all flowers and buds over the next 1.5 months, combining this with treatment with suitable preparations.

Common types of thrips

The first information about the existence of thrips was received back in 1744, when these pests were discovered by Karl de Geer. Today, people have become more aware of the species diversity of these pests, including highlight special types, affecting ornamental plants more often than others:

How to get rid of thrips on indoor plants?

Having realized that your indoor flowers are already affected by thrips, you urgent action must be taken:

How to fight thrips on indoor plants using folk remedies?

If you notice only a few thrips larvae and the plants are not yet completely affected, then you can choose softer ways of fighting with this pest, what folk remedies can help you with:

Preventive measures

In order not to have to deal with thrips on the very first day after purchasing a plant, it must be chosen very carefully. Arriving home, it should be placed in a separate room and for two to three weeks monitor his condition. To prevent pests from spreading to other plants in your home, you must regularly carry out the following activities:

It is not always possible to completely destroy triops the first time. The fact is that after the measures taken, the larvae of this pest can, within a certain period of time, stay outside the plant, and later they may return again. Therefore, it is recommended from the very first day, when a houseplant appears in your home, to begin taking preventive measures, so that later you do not spend a lot of time and effort fighting these pests.

Conclusion

The joy of growing indoor plants at home can be overshadowed by pests. This is especially true for thrips, whose larvae can cause serious damage to flowers. Therefore, the first thing every gardener should know is what signs these pests can be identified by. It is equally important to know what control methods can be used to destroy them. Although today there is enough many effective drugs, however, this process can be quite lengthy. Therefore, it is best to start growing indoor plants with prevention, which will avoid such difficulties and save a lot of time.

Thrips on indoor plants

Thrips are small insects that damage various plant crops. The greatest damage to cereals is caused by wheat, rye and oat thrips. Wheat thrips. An adult insect is brown or black, with two pairs of wings,...

Thrips are small insects that damage various plant crops. The greatest damage to cereals is caused by wheat, rye and oat thrips.

Wheat thrips.
The adult insect is brown or black in color, with two pairs of wings, darkened at the base. The body length of wheat thrips is from one and a half to two mm. Thrips have sucking mouthparts. Their eggs are white and very small. Thrips larvae are dark red in color, with two setae on the last segment.

Thrips damage spring and winter wheat, and less commonly rye. They suck juices from wheat grains (less often from grains of other plants) and spikelet scales, which leads to underdevelopment of the ear, as a result of which the scales become discolored and the grain becomes puny and light.

Thrips are widespread in forest-steppe and steppe zones. These pests produce one generation per year. Thrips overwinter in the larval phase in the upper layers of the soil and partially in the root zone. In spring, thrips larvae emerge to the surface and turn into pronymphs. This phase lasts from one week to three and a half. Adult wheat thrips appear during the period when cereals are heading.

After mating, female thrips lay eggs on the stem of the ear behind the spikelet scales, in groups of several pieces each. Oviposition in thrips is extended and can last more than a month. Egg development takes about a week or less. The thrips larvae emerging from the eggs move onto the grain. At the end of summer - during the harvesting period, thrips larvae go to winter.

An effective measure to combat wheat thrips is deep plowing of a plot of land after harvesting and in the spring before sowing. This method of combating thrips kills up to 90% of thrips overwintering in the ground. There are also various chemicals, but most of them are toxic.

Rye thrips.
Rye thrips are black-brown insects, about 1.5 mm long. The males of these insects are without wings. Female thrips lay white, very small eggs. The larvae are pale yellow in color, about 2 mm long. Thrips damage rye by sucking out the juices, which causes the tops of the ears to die. From the sucking of the larvae, the upper part of the leaf becomes discolored (white) or red.

Measures to combat rye thrips: deep plowing of the soil at the edges of the site, as well as ditches on the roadsides, complete destruction of the weeds on which these thrips overwinter.

Oat thrips.
Adult oat thrips are up to 0.9 mm long, yellowish-gray or gray-brown in color. Their fore wings have two, and their hind wings have one longitudinal vein. Thrips eggs are white and small. Thrips larvae are yellowish-gray in color. The last abdominal segment on the upper side has awl-shaped projections. Both adult oat thrips and larvae are harmful.

Adult thrips feed on spikelet glumes and floral films of oats and wild oats, and the larvae also damage grain. As a result of thrips larvae sucking, the spikelet scales turn brown, the grain becomes sluggish and resembles ripened grain.

It is found throughout central Russia and the CIS countries, almost everywhere where oats are grown. In oat thrips, only one generation develops during the year. In spring, thrips appear in the field 14-20 days before the oats begin to head.

Females lay 3-4 eggs per day in the glume tissue, inside the folded leaf before throwing out the panicle. The female's fertility is about a hundred eggs. The duration of development of oat thrips larvae is from 7 to 10 days.

Mature larvae go into the soil to a depth of 50 cm, where they transform into pronymphs and then into adult insects. Adult thrips with wings do not emerge to the soil surface in the fall; on the contrary, they descend even deeper into the soil, where they remain until the end of spring next year.

Most adult thrips overwinter in the ground at a depth of up to 750 mm.

Measures to combat oat thrips are the same as with the first two species. And the most effective way to combat oat thrips is early sowing. Sowing must be done before thrips return from wintering.

Thrips or vesicular-legged small insects have settled across all continents. There are more than 6 thousand species in nature. Insects specialize in feeding on plants, in most cases choosing agricultural crops. Western flower thrips is a quarantine species. This is a harmful organism whose spread must be limited. Insects damage 300 species of plants: vegetables, flowers, and other ornamental crops in open ground and greenhouses.

The abdomen consists of 10 segments, on the eighth tergite there is a ridge of denticles. The legs are shortened, running, and there is a bubble-shaped sucker at the end of the paw. Insects have a pair of narrow, long wings, pointed at the tips. Along the edge they are framed by eyelashes. The special structure of the wings allows thrips to fly from one plant to another in search of food and while laying eggs.

Insects exhibit sexual dimorphism; the photo shows a large female Western flower thrips and a smaller male.

Distribution area

The pest’s homeland is North America (California), and its name was chosen from the place where flower thrips was first recorded. Along with imported plants, insects spread throughout the world. Now they are found in Europe, Australia, Africa, and have been spotted across a vast territory of Asia. The pest appeared in Europe in 1983 and spread throughout all countries in record time. In the early 90s, Western flower thrips were spotted in Russian greenhouses. The quarantine object is registered in several regions of the Russian Federation: Kursk, Ulyanovsk, Moscow, Kaliningrad and others.

Lifestyle

Detection of the pest makes a secretive lifestyle difficult. Western flower thrips is a typical polyphagous plant; it feeds on 250 plant species. Insects feed on peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, peaches, and lettuce. Often found on various flowers - roses, cyclamens, gerberas, carnations. Adults suck juice from various plant organs: leaves, stems, flowers and fruits.

The heat-loving species in the southern regions overwinters in open ground, but the insects cannot withstand Russian frosts. Pests wait in greenhouses during the cold season. Adults hide in plant debris, and larvae burrow into the soil.

The spread of Western flower thrips occurs through the import of infected seedlings of flower and vegetable crops, with fruits and ornamental plants. It can fly directly into the greenhouse from a neighboring area or be carried on a person’s clothing. Females often lay eggs in plant tissue. They cannot be identified externally. By cutting off infected plants, you can bring pests into your home or greenhouse. In the summer, thrips leave greenhouses, spreading throughout the area.

Maliciousness

How harmful are Western California thrips to humans? Spending their entire life cycle on plants, insects damage cells by feeding on sap. Infected plants grow slower, lose leaves and flowers, and fruits become deformed. Crop yields are decreasing. The main sign of the presence of a pest on plants is the appearance of dry light spots and black dots on green leaves (accumulation of thrips excrement).

Thrips are carriers of various viral diseases. Crops weakened by the activity of a pest colony are defenseless against the spotted wilt virus. Despite its name, the disease affects 1,000 plant species, causing enormous economic damage.

Reproduction

The Western California flower thrips is an incompletely metamorphosed insect. The following stages occur in development: egg, larva, nymph, pronymph, imago. After mating, females lay up to 100 eggs on stems, petals and leaves. The eggs are light, 0.2 mm in size, and shaped like a bean. Ripening time depends on temperature. At +25°, the embryo is formed in 2-3 days; at +15°, development is delayed by 11 days.

Information. Offspring are also born from unfertilized eggs. In this case, all larvae are male.

The larva is light yellow, similar in appearance to adults. The offspring usually hatch in groups; in one area, many small pests begin to drink the sap of the plant. The larvae go through two instars, by the end of the second they stop feeding and turn into a pronymph, then a nymph. At this stage they descend into the soil. After 1-3, the imago appears. Under favorable conditions, complete generation development takes 12 days.

Information. During the year, 12-15 generations of western flower thrips change in the greenhouse.

Ways to fight

It is quite difficult to destroy a small pest. In his homeland, he received stable immunity to many chemicals. Adults and larvae prefer to hide in the buds, buds, and scales of plants, which makes it difficult for insecticides to influence them. Blue glue traps help detect California flower thrips. They are especially effective in flower growing complexes. Cutting often occurs here; disturbed insects fly out and fall into traps.

A set of methods is used to combat the quarantine organism:

1. Biological. In closed ground, predatory mites Oriuslaevigatus and Neuseiuluscucumeris help destroy pests. Plants are treated with biological preparations that are effective against phytophages.
2. Chemical. The most effective remedy against pests was a mixture of Akarin and Aktara in a ratio of 0.4%:0.06%. You can apply insecticides one at a time. Maximum effectiveness appears 7 days after treatment. Spraying with Actellik and Confidor is recommended.
3. Agrotechnical. The pest appears in greenhouses where vegetable and flower crops are grown all year round. For successful control, you should stop sowing green crops in winter for one season. Good results are obtained by destroying plant residues in the off-season, disinfecting the soil and premises.

Advice. Avoid placing cut flowers near potted plants. Flowers can bring pests into your home.

Preventive measures:

• A ban has been introduced on the import and export of flowers and other plants without inspection and approval by the quarantine service.
• Timely inspection of crops grown in greenhouses. Hanging traps near doors, vents, and on plants.
• When a pest is detected, the plants are burned.
• The soil and working tools need to be disinfected.
• Weeds in and around greenhouses should be pulled up and removed before winter sets in.

Western or Californian flower thrips is a very dangerous pest that is distributed over a large territory of Russia, from the western border to the Siberian and Caucasian regions.

It poses a danger not only because it is practically omnivorous and destroys flower and ornamental plants, fruit-bearing trees, and vegetable plantings, but it can also act as a carrier of many dangerous diseases.

At this stage, California thrips have been spotted on more than 250 plants.

Description of the pest

California thrips is on the list of pests that employees of the Plant Quarantine and Phytosanitary Monitoring Department most often have to deal with. Its larvae are often found in shipments of food and flowers for sale.

Appearance

The western flower thrips is considered to be native to North and Central America, where it is widespread throughout the continent from Mexico And to Alaska. It was first identified in California, which is how it got its name. However, they suggest that it was originally brought with flower products from one of the countries in South America.

In European countries this pest was for the first time recorded in 1983, and has since spread throughout the European part. In Russia he was noticed in the early 90s of the 20th century when it was brought along with flowers.

An adult has a length 1.4-2.0 mm. Body narrow, color may vary from light yellow, to dark brown. The head is yellow. The wings are fringed, slightly darkened. The larvae are similar in appearance to the adults, however, they are much smaller in size and lighter in color.

REFERENCE! The main differences between the Californian and other types of thrips are the different coloring of some parts of the body and a different structure (different structure of antennae and bristles, different lengths). Due to its small size, species determination can be made in the laboratory under a microscope.

California thrips spend the winter warm inside the greenhouse- adults take cover in plant debris, larvae - in the ground. In warm areas, wintering may occur in open soil. In the spring, after seedlings are planted, insects attack them.

Females place eggs at the top of the stem and create holes in the leaves. Within a month, while eating the plant, thrips can lay up to 300 eggs. This amount can be increased if the insect feeds on pollen.

The hatched larvae spend two stages of development on the plant, eating it, and then move into the soil. In total, it takes 15-21 days for one California thrips colony to fully develop. Under ideal conditions, it can appear in one year from 12 to 15 generations.

Photo of Western California Flower Thrips:









What plants does it eat?

Western flower thrips is a generalist pest. It amazes cotton, onion, cucumber, pepper, tomato, strawberries, peach, grape And other types of fruit and vegetable plants. In addition, flowers are also attacked: roses, cyclamens, chrysanthemums, gerberas etc.

REFERENCE! Insects in their initial and adult forms extract juice from plant crops.

Why is the pest dangerous for plants?

In the first stages yellow spots form, roughness. Over time, such spots join together. After the damaged shoots die, they fall off.

During a mass infestation of Californian thrips, destroyed areas are clearly visible, curvature of the stems of infected plants, delay and deformation of the growth of young shoots are observed.

Feeding on flower buds leads to disruption and curling of flowers. Buds damaged by California thrips do not open and dry out. Eating pollen does not allow the plant to form full-fledged flowers.

IMPORTANT! Infestation by the pest leads to a significant decrease in yield, a drop in the market value of plants grown for sale (for example, decorative flowers), and a large colony of insects can cause the death of the entire plant.

Characteristic damage is also observed in fruit crops. So, silvery stripes appear on sweet peppers, strawberries change color, the shape of the cucumbers changes and the vegetables become deformed, holes appear on the surface of tomatoes.

In addition to destroying shoots, the pest is a carrier of viral diseases, to which many plant species are susceptible. The most common is tomato spotted wilt.

The main symptoms of infection are the appearance of bright yellow spots on the foliage, stem fragments acquire a dark shade. To transmit the infection, thrips need to feed on the plant for 30 minutes.

Features of pest control

Destruction using chemicals is difficult due to a number of factors. Firstly, this is a very small and secretive insect, and, as a rule, hides in buds, buds, flowers, under various kinds of scales. This makes it difficult to ensure direct exposure to chemicals.

Secondly, in America, where it comes from, Californian thrips has become immune to a large number of insecticides. In greenhouses, where this insect is most active, chemicals against it are not compatible with those against other insects.

Now the destruction of flower thrips can be done in various ways:

• Mechanical- plants that may experience pest invasion should be covered with a thin mesh with small cells. It is also blocked by window and door openings;
• Agrotechnical- visual control and rapid elimination of infected shoots, thorough removal of weeds and plant debris. Special insect traps are hung in greenhouses, which can prevent the infestation of thrips or, by analyzing the collected insects, determine the degree of infestation;
• Biological- the fight against Californian thrips is carried out by releasing special types of mites and bugs in an infected greenhouse. They are capable of greatly reducing the size of the colony, however, it is impossible to completely destroy the pest in this way. In addition, it must be taken into account that insect predators attack only larvae and do not feed on adults;
• Chemical- several insecticides have been developed that can combat the pest as effectively as possible. Basically, these are highly toxic products that need to be used at 3-5 day intervals 2-3 times.

California thrips (western flower)- a very small pest that affects a wide range of vegetables and fruit trees, and ornamental flowers. In addition to destroying the plant itself, this insect can transmit a number of dangerous viral infections. The fight against it is difficult because thrips often hides in buds, flowers, and under scales.

In conclusion, we present to your attention a video about the invasion of Californian flower thrips:

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For an amateur gardener, thrips on indoor plants are a real disaster. These insects reproduce at high speed. Adults move quickly, fly and can easily move from one plant to another, laying eggs and carrying viral and bacterial infections.

Insects are difficult to see with the naked eye, they are so small. The photo allows you to get an idea of ​​the appearance of thrips. The size of the elongated body is gray, brown or black, does not exceed 1.5 mm. The head resembles a cone with the apex pointing downwards.

The short antennae consist of several segments. The mouth has three bristles, with which the insect pierces the plant tissue and sucks in the juice. Having a pair of long, narrow wings allows thrips to flit between plants.

Insects move quickly on the ground and leaves and can jump, pushing off with their abdomen. They move with the help of three pairs of legs, consisting of segments, claws and bubble-shaped suckers, which help fix the body on the surface. Thrips on a plant (photo):

Females are usually larger than males and may differ in color. Reproduction occurs by eggs. They have a thin transparent shell.

The larvae that hatch from them are smaller than adults, do not have wings, can be white, yellow or red, and also feed on sap.

The larva goes through the stages: pronymph, nymph, after which it turns into an adult. The development cycle is short. The eggs last no more than 2 weeks. The larval phase lasts from 1 to 4 weeks. The insect remains in the form of a pronymph for several days. The nymph period is the longest - up to 8 weeks. Several generations appear per year.

Symptoms of infection

Small insects cause significant harm to the plant. By feeding on the ovaries of indoor flowers, they inhibit their development. Some species suck juice from stems and leaf blades. In bulbous plants, in addition to the leaves, the bulbs may suffer.

You can recognize the infection in the early stages, but to do this you need to regularly inspect the flowers. The first unpleasant warning sign about the appearance of thrips on a plant may be pollen that has spilled onto the flower petals.

You need to lay a sheet of dark-colored paper and shake the plucked flower over it, hitting it with your finger. If the flower is infected, the pests will fall out and can be examined with a magnifying glass.

• The degree of damage depends on the type of insect. When buying a new flower, you can bring it to your apartment
• Californian thrips (greenhouse)
• tobacco

decorative

These species feed on the sap of flowers and leaves, leaving behind colorless or yellow trails of sucked cells. The waste product of the insect is a sticky secretion.

It is clearly visible on the underside of the leaf. You can use it to find out about the appearance of pests. If control is not carried out in a timely manner, the plant loses its attractiveness: the flowers wither and lose their shape, their surface and the underside of the leaves become covered with black and white dots. Damage caused by thrips is clearly visible in the photo.

Ways to fight

Most often, palm trees, ficus, violets, roses, dracaenas, and lemons suffer from thrips, but other plants can also become victims of these small insects and their larvae. With a large number of indoor plants, it is quite difficult to fight them.

Chemical preparations are effective against this type of insect. Plant treatment should be carried out in the morning during the period of greatest pest activity. It is necessary not only to spray the plant, but also to water the soil with the product. It can be infected by larvae and eggs that have entered it. Thrips on indoor plants, photo before chemical treatment.

We use folk recipes

Folk remedies should be used in the initial stages of infection, when pest colonies have not yet grown to enormous proportions. One treatment is not enough. The effect is obtained by processing four times. The interval between them is 3 days.

Prevention

Preventing disease is easier than treating diseased plants. You need to know how thrips can get into your apartment. It is easy to bring an exotic species of insect into your home along with a bouquet of purchased flowers or a purchased potted plant.

The soil may also be contaminated with pest larvae or eggs. This also applies to soil brought from your own garden and store-bought flower soils. Before use, treat the soil with phytoverm. The instructions describe the method of use.

Quarantine a new indoor plant in a room where there are no other flowers. If after a week no insects appear on it, you can move it to a permanent place.

Also watch the video