Like tiny pieces of bright blue sky dropped into your garden, forget-me-nots are one of the few true-blue flowers available to gardeners.These plants are steeped in history and symbolism, and are eas
06.06.2023 - 19:41 / gardenerspath.com / Sylvia Dekker
How to Identify and Control Thrips ThysanopteraOne, two, 1,000 hungry, sap-sucking thrips.
The result: scarred flowers, deformed leaves, and discolored fruit. Not exactly what you had in mind when you planted your garden this year, is it?
If you’re growing flowers, vegetables, or fruits, you’ll want to know a few things about Thysanoptera pests. That way, if they do appear, you’ll understand what they are and how to deal with them.
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We’ve got you covered. Everything you need to know about these guys is below!
Here’s what we’ll talk about:
What Are Thrips?Thrips are in their own order, Thysanoptera, which includes over 5,000 species.
Some are beneficial predators, such as the six-spotted thrips which prey on pest mites. Some feed on fungal spores and pollen.
And then there are the plant pests, which are common, damaging, and polyphagous, meaning each species feeds on a variety of unrelated plants.
Pest species affect over 500 species of plants from temperate climates to the tropics.
And yes, it’s one thrips, two thrips. The singular and plural forms of the name are the same! (And it might as well always be plural, because where there’s one, there are usually a lot more, thanks to a quick reproductive process…).
They have rasping, sucking mouthparts which scrub and puncture the surface of plant tissues and sip the exuding sap. Some even inject digestive enzymes as they feed.
Feeding results in stippling, discoloration, and scarring on fruits, leaves, flowers, and buds; tissue distortion; and stunted growth.
Egg laying results in scars and yellow halos. If they inject enzymes, silver or bronze speckles will appear.
As if that
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