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

"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

--
Rod

My real address is rodtheweedygardeneratmyweedyisp
Just remove the weedy bits
and transplant the appropriate symbol at.

On Sun, 21 Aug 2005 17:57:50 +0100, Chris Hogg wrote:

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.

Is this the beast?

http://tinyurl.com/dmaq3

Chris Hogg wrote:
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?


Can I suggest that you go to google, click on the images tap and enter
"thrips" in the search box. Lots of pictures of the little blighters
there - is that what your visitors look like?

On Sun, 21 Aug 2005 18:29:38 +0100, John wrote:

On Sun, 21 Aug 2005 17:57:50 +0100, Chris Hogg wrote:

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.

Is this the beast?

http://tinyurl.com/dmaq3

LOL bet thats the critter.

That looks like them. Thank you both.

Now to find out about their habits and how to deal with them.



--
Chris

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

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.

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)

On Sun, 21 Aug 2005 22:50:42 +0100, Sacha
wrote:



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.

I was forced down the 'green' route, not altogether unwillingly I
might add, but because I found I had red spider mite and nothing
seemed to control it. So I got some Phytoseiulus, and they saw to them
really effectively. Now I've got thrips, which AIUI are amenable to
conventional insecticide. But having seen how effective the Phyto were
on the RSM, and not wishing to kill them off anyway, I'm going to try
Amblyseius to control the.

The nice thing about using bugs to eat bugs is that you just sprinkle
them on and let them get on with it; no preparing pump-up containers
of insecticide and spraying every few weeks. Really appeals to my lazy
streak!


--
Chris

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

In article ,
Chris Hogg wrote:

I was forced down the 'green' route, not altogether unwillingly I
might add, but because I found I had red spider mite and nothing
seemed to control it. So I got some Phytoseiulus, and they saw to them
really effectively. Now I've got thrips, which AIUI are amenable to
conventional insecticide. But having seen how effective the Phyto were
on the RSM, and not wishing to kill them off anyway, I'm going to try
Amblyseius to control the.

Unfortunately, I am preparing to do the opposite, to see if I can
get rid of mealybug with Imidacloprid. It's pretty nasty stuff,
but there doesn't seem to be another systemic I can buy. In my
experience, the biological controls for mealybug are a complete
waste of time.

In the light of a Web search, I shall NOT be using it as a soil
drench, because that seems persistent over a period of a year
or more.

I wish I could think of another approach - it would help a great
deal if I could get some decent information on how it is likely
to overwinter, but so far every reference has been pretty useless
on the matter.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Chris Hogg wrote:

I was forced down the 'green' route, not altogether unwillingly I
might add, but because I found I had red spider mite and nothing
seemed to control it. So I got some Phytoseiulus, and they saw to them
really effectively. Now I've got thrips, which AIUI are amenable to
conventional insecticide. But having seen how effective the Phyto were
on the RSM, and not wishing to kill them off anyway, I'm going to try
Amblyseius to control the.

Unfortunately, I am preparing to do the opposite, to see if I can
get rid of mealybug with Imidacloprid. It's pretty nasty stuff,
but there doesn't seem to be another systemic I can buy. In my
experience, the biological controls for mealybug are a complete
waste of time.

In the light of a Web search, I shall NOT be using it as a soil
drench, because that seems persistent over a period of a year
or more.

I wish I could think of another approach - it would help a great
deal if I could get some decent information on how it is likely
to overwinter, but so far every reference has been pretty useless
on the matter.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.
Its what we spot treat mealy bug with, never eradicates it but so long as we
do a good autumn and spring clean and tidy which gets rid of most
overwintering eggs it keeps the lid on things (I too have found in small
structures the BC simply escapes!)

--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collection of Clematis viticella (cvs)

In article ,
"Charlie Pridham" writes:
|
| Its what we spot treat mealy bug with, never eradicates it but so long as we
| do a good autumn and spring clean and tidy which gets rid of most
| overwintering eggs it keeps the lid on things (I too have found in small
| structures the BC simply escapes!)

Thanks. I am hoping to eliminate it, by hitting the main plant
hard and cleaning up well in the winter and spring. But that
relies on its eggs not being viable for more than about 6 months.

You don't know any of the details of how and where it overwinters
(except in crevices), how long eggs remain viable and so on?
I have tried to find decent references to this and failed dismally.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article , Charlie
Pridham writes

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

Unfortunately, I am preparing to do the opposite, to see if I can
get rid of mealybug with Imidacloprid. It's pretty nasty stuff,
but there doesn't seem to be another systemic I can buy. In my
experience, the biological controls for mealybug are a complete
waste of time.

In the light of a Web search, I shall NOT be using it as a soil
drench, because that seems persistent over a period of a year
or more.

I wish I could think of another approach - it would help a great
deal if I could get some decent information on how it is likely
to overwinter, but so far every reference has been pretty useless
on the matter.

Its what we spot treat mealy bug with, never eradicates it but so long as we
do a good autumn and spring clean and tidy which gets rid of most
overwintering eggs it keeps the lid on things (I too have found in small
structures the BC simply escapes!)

Same here with the BC - good to know it's not that I'm uniquely inept! I
did find a few of the BC larvae around, but nowhere near enough to be
effective.
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

In article ,
"Charlie Pridham" writes:
|
| Its what we spot treat mealy bug with, never eradicates it but so long
as we
| do a good autumn and spring clean and tidy which gets rid of most
| overwintering eggs it keeps the lid on things (I too have found in
small
| structures the BC simply escapes!)

Thanks. I am hoping to eliminate it, by hitting the main plant
hard and cleaning up well in the winter and spring. But that
relies on its eggs not being viable for more than about 6 months.

You don't know any of the details of how and where it overwinters
(except in crevices), how long eggs remain viable and so on?
I have tried to find decent references to this and failed dismally.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.
We find the egg sacks in dead or dieing leaves, behind labels, tucked under
the rims of pots, under loose bark, any places where stems converge or
touch, plus any nearby cracks and crevices. I noticed this year one plant,
out all winter has live adults this summer so even the cold treatment seems
not to be completely effective. Net curtains over the doors and windows with
the BC did work but was a complete pain to live with. so now its a tooth
brush and water and about 3 sprays per year of Intercept. There are also
some plants like Araujia which can be clear felled after flowering which
certainly curbs the pest problems.
Its certainly easier to live with than either white fly or red spider (and
at least with RS the BC does work well)

--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collection of Clematis viticella (cvs)
Be interesting to put some eggs in a jar and wait and see when they hatch,
as to how long they would be viable, no idea I am afraid.

In article ,
"Charlie Pridham" writes:
|
| We find the egg sacks in dead or dieing leaves, behind labels, tucked under
| the rims of pots, under loose bark, any places where stems converge or
| touch, plus any nearby cracks and crevices.

So not in the soil? I think that we have the same species.

| I noticed this year one plant,
| out all winter has live adults this summer so even the cold treatment seems
| not to be completely effective.

'Tis with me - and I find that it doesn't thrive outside even in
what passes for summer.

| Net curtains over the doors and windows with
| the BC did work but was a complete pain to live with. so now its a tooth
| brush and water and about 3 sprays per year of Intercept.

Yes, I do that until the Ipomoea indica gets out of hand. But
doesn't the insecticide interfere with your RSM control?

| There are also
| some plants like Araujia which can be clear felled after flowering which
| certainly curbs the pest problems.

Yes, I do that with my Ipomoea indica, and it is the only

| Its certainly easier to live with than either white fly or red spider (and
| at least with RS the BC does work well).

I find it harder to live with than whitefly :-(

| Be interesting to put some eggs in a jar and wait and see when they hatch,
| as to how long they would be viable, no idea I am afraid.

Bother. Thanks.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.