Vandas & Thrips

[Joe Geoffroy]

Is there a way to completely rid my vandas of THRIPS?? I spray, they die and there's more the next day......Help

[Stelios]

Originally Posted by Joe Geoffroy

Is there a way to completely rid my vandas of THRIPS?? I spray, they die and there's more the next day......Help

Plants and flowers can be sprayed with a pesticide like or Safer Soap, sprayed in accordance with instructions on the maker's label. Repeat applications will be required because thrips hide on the plant. Also they can be reintroduced to the plant from surrounding, do you keep your Vandas out side? Is it possible that more of your plants are infected and re infect your vandas?

[Zsophia]

There is a secret bath mix for orchids, I do not know the thread, it has been used by me and many geeks. It includes water, soap, rubbing alcohol, and cinnamon. You have to soak your plant and guaranteed, bugs will die and stay away.
Can please someone direct him to this thread?

[Dendian]

Is this the one you were talking about?

The Best Stuff Ever!!!

[digitalgate]

try something systemic that would help. Imidacloprid, Dimethoate, furadan, Diazonone of course all these are extremely toxic.

[Brooke]

Big box stores should carry an insecticide with the ingredient Spinsosad, a very effective organic insecticide.

Spinosad - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

spinosad - Google Product Search

We used it when our garden was going to be on tours to keep the little %#%@(* from sucking the blooms of the daylilies.

Brooke

[rcb]

Brooke, is it systemic or just contact? Leaving NC, seems like I left my slug problem, but now have a caterpiller problem. I've been using the imidicloprid, and it works, but I don't want to have to use a systemic all the time.

[tansyflower]

I don't usually use chemicals insecticides, but I did use a product called Confidor on my vegie garden to get rid of thrips (they are thirsty little guys).

I'm not sure of the active ingredient, but it only needed one application and was pretty cheap (a few drops from the little bottle in a couple of litres of water)

[digitalgate]

Originally Posted by tansyflower

I don't usually use chemicals insecticides, but I did use a product called Confidor on my vegie garden to get rid of thrips (they are thirsty little guys).

I'm not sure of the active ingredient, but it only needed one application and was pretty cheap (a few drops from the little bottle in a couple of litres of water)

the active ingredient in confidor is Imidacloprid.

[PhalNewbie89]

I am so glad you posted the link to that. I have heard several times of Brookn's recipe but never seen the actual recipe. I will have to use that if I happen to find more bugs in my medium.

[Brooke]

Renee I don't know if it is systemic or contact but we would only have to use it once a summer and did not have to repeat it. I'm sure the labels will tell the mode of destruction

You'll have slugs in FL too

Brooke

[jerrymeola]

Spinosad kills susceptible species by causing rapid excitation of the insect nervous system.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


This makes it a contact killer and not systemic. So is Brookn's formula which is not usually used for insects. Only the alcohol has any insecticide value, the cinnamon is fungal and the soap is a wetting agent to apply the others.

The reason you are not riding your Vanda of Thrips is that they are hatching faster than you kill the. You must treat with a contact killer at least 3-4 times a week. Otherwise the eggs just keep hatching. Thrips have a 28 day life span so they reproduce rapidly. They hatch on about a 3 day cycle.

To rid with less spraying you need to use a systemic.

Water soluble Orthene, not the powder, works well but hard for a hobbyist to find. beta-cyflutrin (b-cyflutrin) is easier to get. It is the active ingredient in Bayer Ant Killer but Bayer uses similar names for other chemicals so be sure to get the correct one. Ace Hardware carries it. Both are systemic.

beta-cyflutrin is available in liquid and granular. For Vanda use the liquid and you can use either for potted plants. I like the granular for pots since it acts like a slow release.

Poisons are dangerous and I like to avoid them. Thrips are easy to kill and I use Vermi-liquid with repeat applications, it is much safer.

[mehitabel]

I want to comment on a couple of points made here:

1. The killers in the Cinnamon recipe are alcohol and *also* the soap. I don't know what the Cinnamon extract itself does. But I do know the soap in the magic Cinnamon recipe is not merely a "wetting agent". It is indeed a wetting agent, but soap also kills insects. It softens or dissolves the exoskeletons and they drown. Or, I guess you could say, as a "wetting agent" it wets the protective covering of insects so they drown.

In fact, in Safer's Insecticidal *Soap*, at least one of the killers is the soap.

I have used dishwasher detergent/water on aphids, scale, mealie bugs, flies, spiders and even wasps, and they die. Fast, too. It's usually safe on flowers if just dabbed on with a Q tip instead of sprayed.

I'm not claiming it as a corrective for thrips or that it's as good as a systemic, but it is a contact killer for a variety of insect pests. Period. I didn't believe it either, til I tried it.

2. A question was asked about caterpillars. These are terribly destructive. They're often well hidden, but the tiny black balls (of caterpillar poop) on the leaves are a dead giveaway. I have occasionally found them on orchids, tho not often. A safe killer for caterpillars is Bacillus Thuringensis, or BT, the active ingredient in mosquito dunks that kills mosquito larvae. Caterpillars are the larvae of moths.

[Brooke]

From Wikipedia on Spinosad's Mode of Action

Spinosad kills susceptible species by causing rapid excitation of the insect nervous system. Due to this unique mode of action, Spinosad is valued in resistance management programs. Spinosad must be ingested by the insect, therefore it has little effect on sucking insects and non-target predatory insects. Spinosad is relatively fast acting. The insect dies within 1 to 2 days after ingesting the active ingredient and there appears to be no recovery.


The best part for me is the organic component - it can be used safely on a food crop and is very safe for my pets.

Brooke

[Joe Geoffroy]

I would like to thank all of you who have responded.

My question now is....Do I spray the entire plant ,roots & flowers? when I spray the flowers they don't seem to last as long . The problem I think is occuring also when using the Isopropyl alcohol mixture is that my spikes seem to turn brown and then die off, like they have dried up.

I like Vandas the most and those are the only orchids that have those bloody thrips.

Thanks again everyone

joe

[Brooke]

Joe I've never used the spinosad on orchid blooms but you do spray daylily buds, blooms and foliage and there is no damage to the blooms.

Brooke

[rodbender]

Since I dont like to use chemicals I have found Brookn's recipie and worm tea keep insect problems down most of the time. But since my collection is rather large (aprox. 1000 plants) most of which are Vandas we do have to declare war on occasion, for those time I use Cygon 2E made by Southern Ag products it is a systemic pesticide and it will kill the thrips, tho as Jerry has stated their eggs hatch every three days so it will take a couple applications to kill them off completly. It doesn't seem to hurt the flowers.

[Joe Geoffroy]

Thanks rodbender............. I appreciate the advise, the thrips just seem to keep coming back,I have not heard from anyone if I should spray the entire plant including the root system or just the flowers.

Do you ever have anyone come to visit your greenhouse?, because I live in Estero and would really like to see your Vandas.They are my favorite

Thanks again
joe

[rodbender]

When we treat our plants for any kind of bug I always treat the whole thing ( plant, roots, and flowers or buds). We always welcome visitors but make sure you contact me first as we are at a lot of shows and arent always home.

[Joe Geoffroy]

Thanks rodbender, and I will definetly contact you first.

[Hobby Orchidist]

Thrips can severely damage the flowers of Vanda's. They will start their work even before you can see the flower spike coming out. They will also damage the roots of your vandaceous orchids. If you see indented rings around the roots of your Vanda's, that is the result of Thrips.

I grow Vanda's outdoors in Miami, Florida. Thrips are a constant problem in this environment. In this environment, I have found nothing that works except Orthene.

However, be careful. You must decide for yourself if you want to use a chemical like this.

Pros:

1. It is very good at controlling thrips. I use it once a month and I have no problems with thrips in an environment that is full of them.

Cons:
1. A toxic chemical.
2. It STINKS BAD.
3. Breathing and skin protection required to apply.
4. No entry into the sprayed area for ONE DAY after spraying.
5. You must READ and UNDERSTAND the directiongs for safe use.

[frostychic]

Thank you HobbyO.

Do you or anyone else have a picture of a thrip or what it does

I have a Rhy retusa that has developed some sort of scale on the ends of it's newer roots... although, it's not scale in the real sense... it looks like dandruff flakes yet they are hard. I can rub them off if I rub the root a bit (not hard, but more than lightly).

I will have to go look for these rings now...

I don't see any distress in this Vanda but I've owned it almost year & when I brought it in from it's outside location (about a month ago) is approx. when I started seeing this scaley-stuff on the newer portions of the roots.

[Hobby Orchidist]

Do a google search on "thrips photo" and you will find many pictures. But realize that there are over 5,000 species of thrips. Many of them are so small that they are hard to see without a magnifying glass. The best reference I know about Vanda's is a book by Martin Motes, Vandas, Their history, botany, and culture. Some of this book is technical and may not be interesting to a hobby grower, but the information about culture is invaluable. It also has picture of thrips damage to Vanda roots (Plate 9-8) The thrips cause Vanda roots to cease growth, which results in easily discernible rings in the roots.

[NancyG]

I use the Bayer Advanced 3 in 1 that you can buy at Home Depot or Lowes. It has really helped in controlling thrips. I now have Vandas that are blooming again.