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13-May-2005
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#1 |
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bonsaiTALK Neophyte
Join Date: May-2005
Location: Sunny stoke-on-Trent
Country: UK
Posts: 3
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Elusive bugs in serissa
I have two Serissas' (kept indoors) and have noticed a tiny yellowish bug about the size of a full stop at the base of each trunk. I make a grab at it and it beats a fast retreat into the soil so no pictures. Both trees look to be in great health but having lost a tree ten years ago to ignorance and mites I don't want anything like that to happen again.
So far I have held a sheet of paper under and shook both trees, nothing! Have prodded in the soil, nothing! But after submergence watering one of the trees tonight, picked the tree out of the bowl filled with water and saw one of the bugs disappear into the soil, GRRRRRRR! Both trees have no visible signs of illness, plenty of green leaves and new shoots, no webs or obvious crap under the leaves, no obvious bugs flying around the trees or otherwise. If I was to say what I though they looked like ... I would have to say they look like the head lice my daughter brings home from school (seemingly) everyday. I've looked at so many pictures of bugs and all through these forums but cant put my finger (wish I could, splat!) on what they are, although of course they could be friendlies?!?!?. Any help and advice would be gratefully received! Thanks in advance. |
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14-May-2005
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#2 |
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bonsaiTALK Master Craftsman
 
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Small? Yelllow? Fast-moving?
You've got Thrips. Do something about it today! Quote: "Thrips are tiny insects which cause silvery or white spots or streaks on leaves. Infected leaf or flower buds will emerge disfigured and damaged. Since thrips are extremely tiny, crawl quickly to dark protected areas of the plant when disturbed, and hide in buds, they are very difficult to find even with a magnifying glass. However, thrips are attracted to yellow. Yellow cards coated with a sticky oil can be placed near a suspected infestation. If thrips are present, they will become trapped on the cards. Mist plants every few days to wash off adult and larvae thrips, or apply foliar pesticides every five days. Many pesticides are effective against thrips. Be sure the pesticide is designed for indoor plants and follow all pesticide directions carefully." - http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/gaston/Pests/pestindex.htm
__________________
Whenever you find that you are on the side of the majority, it is time to reform. - Mark Twain Never let your sense of morals get in the way of doing what's right. - Isaak Asimov The most savage controversies are those about matters as to which there is no good evidence either way. - Bertrand Russell |
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14-May-2005
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#3 |
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Tips:5¢ Advice:Free
 
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I'd bet you if you put it outside for a week or two your problems would vanish. The combination of natural predation and the ability for these bugs to actually escape the petri dish would help a lot, to say nothing about the wonder of sunlight and ventilation.
Good luck though, Matt
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14-May-2005
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#4 |
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bonsaiTALK Master Craftsman
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Respectfully, I don't know if I'd rely purely on a bit of 'fresh air' to combat thrips.
If chemicals are not your thing, there are viable biological alternatives. Neem-oil comes to mind as a good way to fight thrips. And if you really don't feel like spraying anything, you could probably also order some nematodes. A friend of mine has booked successes with both, though I admit to having little experience with both personally. I find nematodes a very elegant solution though. Fighting tiny bugs with even tinier bugs.  Additionally I would like to mention that I very probably killed some trees because I couldn't leave them alone. Do with that what you will ... node
__________________
Whenever you find that you are on the side of the majority, it is time to reform. - Mark Twain Never let your sense of morals get in the way of doing what's right. - Isaak Asimov The most savage controversies are those about matters as to which there is no good evidence either way. - Bertrand Russell |
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14-May-2005
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#5 |
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Tips:5¢ Advice:Free
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The most logical step is to address the cause(s) of the problem, which are almost certainly cultural. The plant is crowded with bugs because they have no natural enemies and there is no way for them to escape if they wanted to. The plants might even be weak from lack of light and ventilation. Addressing those issues first is responsible Integrated Pest Management.
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14-May-2005
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#6 |
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bonsaiTALK Neophyte
Join Date: May-2005
Location: Sunny stoke-on-Trent
Country: UK
Posts: 3
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I dont think light is a factor as the trees are in the lightest room and area of my house (although not direct sunlight). However the room did have poor ventilation, something I have realised about a week ago and sorted out.
I repotted my smaller serissa this morning and cheched through the soil and could see no bugs (I am not imagining them though) So whatever level of infestation I have must be low at the moment. I stood and squinted at it for a while to try and spot any movement. The quotation does sound like them!Thanks for your help so far. |
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14-May-2005
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#7 |
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bonsaiTALK Master Craftsman
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It's not that I don't agree with you, it's that I think there is a difference between the desirable and the practical. If you can place the tree in a better location you should. It's just that probably usuall you already have, or that at least it is the best location you can come up with where you live. Sometimes you simply will have a plant where no location you can offer it can really be called optimal.
I've also had some bad experiences putting decideous trees outside into sunlight. Burned leaves within a couples of hours. A bougie kept indoors over winter and a camelia sinensis come to mind. So putting plants outside can at least for some plants present quite a stress factor. I guess I've become a bit gunshy in putting plants into full sunlight after they've been indoors for a while. I've got a variety of seedlings going at the mom, from maples over pines to sequoias and ceders, and I've been very unsure when to take them out from under the covered growboxes. This whole question simply has been keeping me busy a bit lately, so I'm very interested in any additional light you can shed on this matter. How can I avoid leaf burn when I first put plants out? How long do I keep them in the shade, because everywhere you read 'lots of Light needed!!' How to combine when artificial light is not an option? Are there any rough rules, can you point me somewhere? Many a question, but I am truly very interested in this. I've been reading everything I come across, but as usual the info you find on the net is fragmentary and the opinions contradictory... One of the main reasons I've come to like this forum having read through a myriad of post and articles now, is the limited amount of bull-sh*t that is tolerated here. Evidenced by the fact that you immediately jumped on my post in this thread. starting to learn, node
__________________
Whenever you find that you are on the side of the majority, it is time to reform. - Mark Twain Never let your sense of morals get in the way of doing what's right. - Isaak Asimov The most savage controversies are those about matters as to which there is no good evidence either way. - Bertrand Russell |
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