Thripps... again

[Gardeneer]

Question:
Where do you buy the sticky tapes ( all colors )

Gardeneer

[BigVanVader]

Amazon has the blue and yellow ones from seabright labs.

[OzoneNY]

Thats where I got mine. Amazon

[Gardeneer]

Thanks, guys .

Gardeneer

[imp]

Dumb question- are thrips the same as those white flies?

I never had to deal with white flies until last fall and the ruined some of my squash plants; bad enough to fight with the lousy squash bugs, now something else!

I'll use what ever I have to, I fully intend to have my dam squash this year and lots of it if I have to steal a nuke! Maybe a nuke would be good...glow in the dark squash means that zuke never does hide and turn into the baseball bat thing!

[OzoneNY]

Originally Posted by imp

Dumb question- are thrips the same as those white flies?

I never had to deal with white flies until last fall and the ruined some of my squash plants; bad enough to fight with the lousy squash bugs, now something else!

I'll use what ever I have to, I fully intend to have my dam squash this year and lots of it if I have to steal a nuke! Maybe a nuke would be good...glow in the dark squash means that zuke never does hide and turn into the baseball bat thing!

Not the same. Thrips are pure evil from the depth of the most evil place. Thrips are tiny insects that feed on the plant and seem to enjoy the destruction of the tomato blossom. Their life cycle has them between the soil and the plant and they can be hard to kill and control. The white flies are no joke either but with abundant sticky traps I find them easier to control, though not eliminate.

[OzoneNY]

One week since nematodes went to work and no sign on any new thrips activity. I will do a second application on Friday (one week apart) as a follow up and then two more two weeks apart. Plants look healthy and I am pleased with the results

[heirloomtomaguy]

Woohoo! Glad the beneficial nematodes are working for you. Go get em!

[Dewayne mater]

The best way to find thrips is to inspect blossoms carefully. If you have a large population, they will be moving around and easy to spot there in spite of their tiny size. They definitely will destroy blossoms and carry TSVW, so they must be dealt with. So far, they haven't appeared here, just aphids. But, if they are in Frisco, it won't be long. Arg.

[clkeiper]

Originally Posted by imp

Dumb question- are thrips the same as those white flies?

I never had to deal with white flies until last fall and the ruined some of my squash plants; bad enough to fight with the lousy squash bugs, now something else!

I'll use what ever I have to, I fully intend to have my dam squash this year and lots of it if I have to steal a nuke! Maybe a nuke would be good...glow in the dark squash means that zuke never does hide and turn into the baseball bat thing!

Thrips are so tiny you need a magnifying glass to see them. get a piece of dark paper and tap the blossoms over the paper and see if any specks fall on the paper. They destroy the blossom and the fruit is deformed and ugly if it develops at all. White flies... well, they fly and you can see them but as soon as you disturb the plant they fly off and it is hard to get a glimpse at them. sometimes you will find sooty mold growing in a heavy infestation of them, too. get lady bugs or some kind of beneficials into your garden if you can. they will destroy both pests.

I read an article from rodale (publish a few years ago I am sure) that someone had no squash bugs after she planted mint along side each squash plant. Worth a try, thats for sure. I know I am going to try it.

[Dewayne mater]

Ozone - how is your nematode thrip plan working? Do you know the specific type of beneficial nematode you used?

As anticipated, I start noticing thrips a week or two after you. I've even seen some that were a yellow color instead of brown, so I'm guessing two varieties of thrips, but, I guess these also could have been like the thrip equivalent of Chevy Chase in Modern Problems https://66.media.tumblr.com/3771dd7d...o2_r1_1280.png.

I treated about a week ago with an organic bacteria spray and need to hit them again with all this rain having washed off everything.

Nematodes are an option for my soil tomatoes, but, not in earthtainers, so, a experiment is possible to see what works best.

I'm getting concerned fungal problems are going to show up soon with the wet warm weather, but, so far, so good. Good luck everyone.

Dewayne

[Gardeneer]

I don't have thrips issue, but I like the sticky tape idea. It can be used on many other small insects
too. You can make your own at a fraction of cost . Here is how:

Let some corn syrup get real thick. I will do it n a double boiler, not to burn it.
Once it is really thick, apply a thin layer on any color Cardboard (from craft store) using a small potty knife. Voilla ! You've got your own home brand sticky tape.

[OzoneNY]

Originally Posted by Dewayne mater

Ozone - how is your nematode thrip plan working? Do you know the specific type of beneficial nematode you used?

As anticipated, I start noticing thrips a week or two after you. I've even seen some that were a yellow color instead of brown, so I'm guessing two varieties of thrips, but, I guess these also could have been like the thrip equivalent of Chevy Chase in Modern Problems https://66.media.tumblr.com/3771dd7d...o2_r1_1280.png.

I treated about a week ago with an organic bacteria spray and need to hit them again with all this rain having washed off everything.

Nematodes are an option for my soil tomatoes, but, not in earthtainers, so, a experiment is possible to see what works best.

I'm getting concerned fungal problems are going to show up soon with the wet warm weather, but, so far, so good. Good luck everyone.

Dewayne

The predatory nematodes are seriously effective. I will use them every time I detect thrips in the future. I think thrips come in on these storms from the west. Every rain brings more it seems! Anyway, nematodes come on a small sponge that I cut with a scissor into 3rds. I soak one third sponge in a 2 gallon watering can, wait 15 minutes then drench the plants and soil after the sun goes down but still some daylight. I got mine from these guys http://www.naturescontrol.com/thrip.html but I suspect other sources too. I was told that Calloway in Plano carries thrips control nematodes but I have not made a visit yet to see.

[Dewayne mater]

Thank you! I agree with your theory because I noticed them shortly after a strong windy storms blew in from the West. It sounds like you bought the 1 Million count and used 1/3 of that?

How long did it take for them to get the population of thrips under control?

[OzoneNY]

Originally Posted by Dewayne mater

Thank you! I agree with your theory because I noticed them shortly after a strong windy storms blew in from the West. It sounds like you bought the 1 Million count and used 1/3 of that?

How long did it take for them to get the population of thrips under control?

Correct, 1/3 of the one million count.
I notice a huge difference in 24 hrs and in 3 days I saw no new evidence of thrips.
I purchased (2) one million applications for a total of 6 applications. I apply them immediately after a rain storm or once a week. I lose a blossom here and there but nothing like the heavy loss of blossoms of last year.