Boron Elgar wrote:
On Wed, 24 Jun 2015 12:29:12 -0500, "Terry Coombs"
wrote:

Finally figured out - with the help of a couple of knowledgeable
local folks - that my tomatoes have tomato spotted wilt virus .
Nasty little bugs called thrips are the vector , and the key is to
control them . There are many solutions presented , most of which
call for insecticides ... which ain't gonna happen here . The least
toxic solutions however involve using a soap solution , and this is
my first choice . I have a mixture of Ivory soap , water , and some
red pepper extract that I used last year for some bugs on some
plants , and that is what I will be using . I have already wetted
about half of my tomatoes with this , will do the rest tomorrow
before the dew evaporates . The only drawback to soap is that it's
not at all persistent , you have to spray the little buggers and wet
them to be effective . I guess it'll mean spraying a couple of times
a week for a couple of weeks , but worth the effort if it makes the
difference between getting a crop and not ...


Are you seeing thrips?

I'm seeing something , small bugs the right size , around 1-2 mm . Also
seeing what might be a predator bug that preys on them , but there were only
a couple of them on one or two plants . I've been told the problems get a
lot better when we get into the hotter drier part of summer . Plants are
pretty puny for this late in June though , hopefully they'll do better .
Seems like it's something different every year .
--
Snag