I have a pest disfiguring the leaves of my Passiflora molissima.
Inspection with a hand lens reveals tiny sausage-shaped creatures,
about 0.5 - 1 mm long, greenish and translucent, with legs at one end
(i.e. not all along the body) that move fairly quickly. I also think
I've seen the adults, slightly longer and faster moving, looking
rather like a minute earwig but without the tail pincers.

They are nibbling the undersides of the leaves, resulting in a mottled
scarring not dissimilar to that produced by red spider mite but less
widespread. I know it's not RSM, as I have also discovered that and
know what it looks like, and I'm controlling it very effectively with
Phytoseiulus persimilis. I don't know what white fly grubs look like,
but I don't really think it's white fly as I don't get the
characteristic cloud of flies when the foliage is disturbed.

Because of the presence of the Phytoseiulus, I'm reluctant to use an
insecticide on this pest, and ATM the leaf disfigurement is not
serious, but can anyone suggest what the little bug***s might be?


--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net