On 21/8/05 19:10, in article ,
"Colin" wrote:

On Sun, 21 Aug 2005 18:16:00 +0100, "Rod Craddock"
wrote:


"Chris Hogg" wrote in message
...
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


Thrips? If so your biocontrols supplier will advise and provide you
with predators.

see http://www.defenders.co.uk/thrips_control.htm

Good site.


In the greenhouse we call the 'small double', we grow P. mollissima,
antioquensis, exoniensis and two or three others. In ALL our greenhouses we
use biological control. They really do work. My husband has had this
nursery for 24 years but he was one of the pioneers of biological control
back in the 50s in Essex, growing tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuces and selling
the plants of those.
Do try to use this. But you have to have a steady nerve! You must NOT
spray before (or after) introducing them, and you must allow them to do
their work, getting new supplies and adding them as necessary. Ours come
every two weeks or so from Kopperts and are either in little paper sacks
that they eat their way out of or in small plastic bottles that we open and
leave lying around, here and there. This site gives information but I think
Kopperts supplies only to the horticultural industry - I may be wrong.
http://www.koppert.nl/e002.shtml
The glass houses are open to the skies on every half-way clement day and
birds swoop in and out and even best in them and help to reduce the pest
population. We encourage them by putting balls of fat/seed and peanuts all
over the place and our customers really do love the bird population they see
and hear in this place.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)