Re: Thrips tips
Aaron Hicks (ahicks@prism.nmt.edu)
Fri, 16 Sep 1994 17:29:48 -0600
About insects and a watery death...
I first discovered drowning bugs when I was working with floating
aquatic plants, and figured if I put them in a mesh bag (such as those
T-giving turkeys come in), I could weight those down with rocks, and
drown them. It worked. From my own expeditions into giving plant
pests what they deserve, I have a few suggestions.
First, about 24 hours seems to be enough for most; but, then
again, I've never had thrips (lucky me!).
Second, if it doesn't seem to be incompatable with the plant,
try adding a few drops of dishwashing detergent. It would act as a
way to get the water directly in contact with the bugs; some bugs
seem to be able to keep air next to their chitin (skin for bugs!).
Third, for really tall plants, tie the media in place, and
lay them on their side in a large tub of water. Or, if you have access
to one, a pond or even a lake.
I've found that for many delicate plants (I like to keep the
downy layer of "fur" on my Platyceriums), setting them outside in the
wind, rain and so forth, often clears up infestations that have become
quite nasty inside.
Hey- anything is better than helping form pesticide-resistant
strains of bugs in my opinion. Treat your plants well!
Oh- be careful about treating orchids like this without making
sure the vessel you put them in has been sterilized between dunks; it
could be a great way to spead viruses...
-AJHicks