Insects on Caapi

[Shamanistic]

I've noticed that there is some insects on my young caapi vine and I'm not sure what they are. I'm not too bothered by them being there as long as they're not negatively effecting my vine. They don't seem to be eating the leaves but could they be sucking sap but then they could be performing some symbiotic function that I am unaware of though so I didn't want to go in and exterminate them willy nilly. They seem to leave a white dust like substance on the vine. I have had them on my vine before and growth did seemed to retard but it was also getting colder so that is another factor which could explain the retarded growth. Anyway here are some pictures of the critters.

http://s22.postimg.org/tlsgt1ti9/DSC_0129.jpg

http://s22.postimg.org/lubquhpcx/DSC_0131.jpg

http://s22.postimg.org/xn9jyplsx/DSC_0132.jpg

http://s22.postimg.org/jzywcr2ch/DSC_0134.jpg

Any advice would be very much appreciated!

[Sallubrious]

Thrips.

Hose the bastards off and keep the plant damp for a while.

[Shamanistic]

I'll go do it right now, thanks heaps Sally!

Edit: Correction, they were thrips

Edited September 3, 2013 by Shamanistic

[Sallubrious]

You can also get predatory mites to control them. It's most likely just this extended dry spell we've had creating favourable conditions for them.

Cappi is a tough plant so it should be able to recover.

[Shamanistic]

Growth had actually seemed to be picking up lately which is why I thought they mightn't have been doing anything bad so I am sure it'll recover just fine. It's starting to climb around the supports for the roof of the undercover area in my backyard which it hasn't done before so I'm pretty happy since that was why I planted it there. Usually I just wet the base of the plant and not bother so much with the foliage, so to avoid thrips I should water all of the plant if it is dry?

I'll look into the predatory mites, I love the idea of designing ecosystems in my backyard

[Sallubrious]

Yeah it's been a weird season, we didn't really get the normal transition from winter to spring. Maybe the thrips have responded quicker to the change in weather and become active faster than their natural predators - active thrips, maybe we could make a brew with them

They normally are a spring pest that sorts itself out as summer comes, but they can do a bit of damage.

Some people spray them with all sorts of crap, but I'd just hose them off each day and they should be gone in a few weeks.

Keep an eye on the problem though if the problem is getting worse and the plant is suffering you might have to try something else that's a bit more heavy duty

[Sallubrious]

Another thing you could try is hydrogen peroxide. After you've hosed the plant and it is dry, get a bottle of 3% H202 from the supermarket or chemist and mix it 50/50 with water and spray it where you noticed the thrips. You can mix it stronger but 3 % could burn some plants. It should kill the larval stage of the bastards and really slow their progress. It should also get rid of a lot of the sooty mould that is often associated with thrips.

I've never done it to a caapi vine though so if you do try it try it on a small test patch and check for damage to the leaves. You shouldn't do it the plant is in full mid day sun either. Late afternoon would be good time to do it.

Edited September 3, 2013 by SallyD

[Weirdo]

Hi, I get those little white hopping sap suckers here in S.E. Qld. as well. They're not hard to squash and are never a real problem as you don't get large infestations.

Hose 'em off or spray them with some nicotine. They feed on a large variety of plants as well.