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Known in scientific circles asFrankliniella occidentalis , this thrip species is native to the westerly United States and Canada but has since invaded Europe , Africa , and South America .
The female are 1/16 ” inch long and motley in people of colour from dark brown to red or yellow . They sometimes change with the season .
Frank Peairs, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org,CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Males are rare and mensurate only 3/64 ” inches long , always a wan white-livered people of color .
The female can produce males using unfertilised eggs but only develop females from fertilized eggs in a process lie with as arrhenotokous parthenogenesis .
As with all thrips , the western flower thrips is a piercing insect that feeds on plant sap .
Frank Peairs, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org,CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Their active lifespan may last anywhere from about 3 hebdomad to more than 8 workweek , count on environmental circumstance . They eff greenhouse condition !
Females will dwell anywhere from 40 to more than 100 egg on a host plant , usually in the fruit or flush .
Once hatched , the houri spend their first two instar feeding off the industrial plant . They then spend the last two instar in the soil .
westerly flower thrips like bright color and may even bite humans wear undimmed blues , whites , or yellows .
While the bite are harmless , they can cause some pocket-size tegument vexation .
What Damage do Western Flower Thrips Cause?
These small nasties snipe more than 500 different plant mintage , including but not limited to :
The egg - laying process itself can induce scarring and enter the room access to infections .
Feeding will make silvery flecks , distorted flower petal , streaking or discoloration , bud drop , and curl or otherwise distort young leaves with whitish bulge on their upper Earth’s surface .
Even worse , these thrips are vector for several devastating disease , such as impatiens necrotic spot virus ( INSV ) and tomato spotted wilt virus ( TSWV ) .
How To Control Western Flower Thrips?
Despite being prolific and adequate to of such damage , the western efflorescence thrip is quite sluttish to reject . There are three tried - and - straight born methods .
NOTE : most insecticides mark for thrips will work on this species , although they may harm good dirt ball or even affect your plants ; apply sparingly and with caution .
Natural Predators – Biological Controls
Chances are , you ’ve got some staunch allies already live in your garden , specially if you have rosemary , marigold , or other attractive plants growing .
Ladybugs , parasitic white Anglo-Saxon Protestant , and lacewings will all track down down and feed on thrips , requiring footling in return for their services .
If you do n’t have any hang around , you may grease one’s palms some online .
They will migrate if you do n’t practice completing planting with species they like .
Also , pesticide or insect powder of any sort can harm the good and bad bugs , so do n’t gift in a mint of 500 lady beetle if you ’re project to do a chemical spray .
Neem Foliar Spray
One of the most popular natural remedies out there , neem foliar atomizer , kills on direct striking by suffocating the target .
The reward :
The Disadvantages :
Neem Soil Soak
Theplant absorbs the raw neemin a land soak and serves as a systemic insecticide . It toss off entire Colony by interrupting the signal to fertilise and by interrupt the growth and reproductive cycles . This will stimulate the whole colony to die out in just a few hebdomad .
