Thrips...Ech!

[sandra]

Just lost a huge Dend. to thrips! I managed to save 2 other Dends. that were attacked and are making a come back but it's 'iffy' how sucessful I was...time will tell.

The person tending to my orchids while I was gone did a little over-watering and my Miltassia Shelob and a Brassidium suffered major bulb rot. On the plus side, I have some extra room for more....

Anyone know of a good line of defense in treating and preventing thrips? Organocide? Bayers 3 in 1 systemic? I'm having a confusing time in recognizing whether I've caught and eliminated the problem as the damage already done and unsightly doesn't reverse (cosmetically) so, how do I recognize when the problem's been eliminated?

Thrips....the worst!!!!!

[kmarch]

I had an infestation of thrips on some cattleyas a few years back and it took a systemic insecticide to eradicate them. I did not have good success with the gentler remedies like Safer's Soap.

[articuno75]

Bayer 3 in 1 would be your best bet.

My last line of defense, but if the need is great, I go for the gusto.

[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.

[Joe Geoffroy]

I had a bad experience with thrips.........I lost many plants and flowers from Vandas,

I now,( religiously) spray "Safer Soap" once a week. and cross my fingers I have not had an infestation for a few months.

Try this please because you will lose everything

[NancyG]

Bayer 3 in 1 would be your best bet. Like Jenny says.

I use it on a regular basis and it seems to do the trick. Doesn't smell bad either.

[dounoharm]

go for the gusto and eliminate the buggers....use a systemic....the bad smell isnt the chemical that kills the bugs, that has no odor....the bad smell is an 'add on' that the manufacturers put in to warn us that a bad chemical is being used and to stay away! thats why all the really 'good' chemicals stink.....but, as i tend not to grow orchids for consumption, i dont mind growing them unorganically and i use a systemic once a month...i have no ugly bugs in my greenhouse!

[frostychic]

Well... I've got thrips.

I had read this thread or another similar one a few months back but when I read that you couldn't "see" a thrip and the bit about the rings didn't seem to look like anything going on with my Rhy.

Now I see the rings though... and they are now on all my vandas. I didn't do a Google Image Search back when I first read about the rings... if I had, I'd have seen photos of vanda roots that had "cracked" where the ring is... then I'd have known ... that my Rhy. has had thrips all along! It shipped to me like that a year ago & some of the same behavior out of the roots that I thought had been because they had gotten cold in shipment were likely because of the thrips... as several of my good-juicy roots have dried up & cracked where the "ring" was ... that stinks.

I know how it all got so much worse too... or I think I do. It was in the late summer when I moved some of my vandas around to catch some rain that we got off and on for about a week. Several of them were touching during their shower & this includes the Rhy.

I was noticing problems but just couldn't put my finger on them... now I see though and boy oh boy do I have problems now!

Do thrips like dends, catts, oncidiums & phals too?

Could this (thrips) be why my phals make bloom spikes but either stop spiking when the spike is about half grown... or grow quite long but don't produce buds... are thrips causing this behavior ??? I haven't had a phal bloom in nearly a year ... 3 of my phal type dends are blooming though, right now !!!

So I have some Bayer 3 in 1 under the sink. Should I spray or dip/soak or both?

[jerrymeola]

You need to understand the life cycle of thrips to understand why so many people are having problems with controlling them. They are easy to kill.

They have a 28 day life cycle and lay eggs constantly. Eggs hatch about every 3 days so unless you are treating with a contact spray like soap or Bayer's every three days you will not get rid of them. They are very easy to kill with almost anything but they just keep hatching. This is the method I recommend. I use organic Vermi-liquid (worm tea) every two weeks as a preventative.

Systemics go into the plant and constantly kill (for about 30 days) eliminating that generation.

When you see buds being eaten you need to start all over again.

The two best (and still reasonably affordable) are orthene soluble (hard to find the non soluble is not as effective) and beta-cyphutrin, which comes as a granular slow release and a liquid to dilute and spray. Both cyphutrin are available from Bayer and carried by Ace hardware. Most commercial growers use systemics because one spraying controls large areas.

[frostychic]

Originally Posted by jerrymeola

They have a 28 day life cycle and lay eggs constantly. Eggs hatch about every 3 days so unless you are treating with a contact spray like soap or Bayer's every three days you will not get rid of them. They are very easy to kill with almost anything but they just keep hatching. This is the method I recommend. I use organic Vermi-liquid (worm tea) every two weeks as a preventative.

Systemics go into the plant and constantly kill (for about 30 days) eliminating that generation.

Every 3 days for a life cycle of 28 days? Eliminating a generation sounds like the way to go...

Here I've been thinking all along that mealy bugs were my biggest nightmare... with slugs/snails running a close second.

[Brooke]

I think Jerry means the insecticide beta-cyfluthrin. The cyfluthrin is a contact insecticide. Bayer makes an insecticide with the cyfluthrin and imacloprid combination. The imacloprid - trade name Merit - is the systemic. This product is usually available at any big box store.

I would be hesitant to apply any chemical inside my house, possibly in a garage would be OK. Instead of spraying, you can pour the solution over the plant and also drench the media. Make sure the media is thoroughly watered prior to treatment before the drench.

If you spray, wear a mask and always rubber gloves when handling any chemical.

I'm sure your plants got thrips when they were outside this summer. Thrips thrive in hot, dry summers and hang out in hay fields, waiting to stuck the life out of your blooms.

Brooke