DualWieldRake Posted November 8, 2017 I found out what these miniscule elongated white bugs are, that are running around on all my plants. Thrips! Will these do significant damage to cacti you reckon? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kykeion Posted November 10, 2017 Potentially. Similar looking damage as spider mites cause. They seem to love the new tip growth. At least that is what i have experienced in my GH. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Halcyon Daze Posted November 11, 2017 Yellow sticky-paper traps work well for some bugs, but I don't know about thrips. It would be worth a try. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bogfrog Posted November 11, 2017 (edited) I'm having issues with them this year... haven't quite established what takes them out, I've used neem a few times but I think you need to be really systematic as they reproduce quickly. They have been thriving on my pereskiopsis grafts... not appearing on much else but I've kept them away from the rest of the collection. Damage looks brown and murky.. takes a few weeks to show. Also I'm pretty sure the white/yellow bugs are the juveniles, the adults are black with a white patch in my garden, although I'm aware that they come in a few different colours. Edited November 11, 2017 by bogfrog Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waterboy 2.0 Posted November 12, 2017 Yellow traps work for monitoring of most thrips species(a couple attracted to blue as adults) , but not much good for control. Mites and/or Chem control if doing carnage, as always sanitation helps a lot. Important vectors of viruses, their damage causes a flecked pattern, silvery on a lot of plants. They can leave a heap of frass if feeding heavily and it can compound the damage heaps. I haven't had cacti damage I am aware of, but have had other things hammered, and hammered badly over the years. If they get to large numbers they smash their targets hard and fast. They can also develop resistance real quick to things, like other short life cycle sap sucking pests. So if waging Chem war need to cycle through products to win. Adults don't fly too far, but it don't take long for them to spread in a ghouse or spread on clothes/tools. They fly more in the arvo. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites