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| Thrips | Common name; Thunder flies |
These minute, elongated insects are often abundant in flowers and on leaves.
Thrips feed inside developing flower buds and in the newly expanding leaves of plants.
The damage is not seen until deformed flowers and leaves are fully open.
Different species infest different plants e.g. chrysanthemum, gladioli, impatiens, pea, privet, tomato are particularly susceptible to attacks.
They feed by piercing and then sucking from plant tissue, which can result in silver mottling of affected leaves and petals, and severe infestations prevent normal flowering.
During the feeding process, it is quite common for viruses to be transmitted to host plants
They are easily trapped on yellow sticky cards this also gives a visual record of their presence
They can also be controlled with insecticide, if applied as soon as the first symptoms are seen.
It has been found that garlic plants placed strategically around the greenhouse are an effective way to repel thrips.
Biological control can be achieved by using the predatory mite amblyseius cucumeris.
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