Pest ID?

[Glenda]

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These little nasties are on my ficus microcrpa retusas. Not affecting anything else. They only affect new growth, which folds in half lengthwise and are black and spotty on the outside (see the leaves in the pictures). I trimmed these leaves off and left them in the sun for 3 or 4 minutes while I attended to another plant, and these little things emerged.

I usually find spraying the plant with confidor stops them, but I need to reapply the confidor every week or so. Any ideas?

Glenda

[NBPCA]

Could they be some sort of tropical Thrip?

[Jester]

Hi Glenda. Yes, definitely thrips and Confidor says it will get rid of them but I think your problem maybe that becuase they are hiding inside the enclosed leaf, the spray is not getting to these guys. If it were me, I would be removing these leafs first and then applying confidor to the remaining part of the tree as the little buggers are in the process of moving house. You may need several applications. If you find Confidor to be innefective, I suggest you try Yate's Insect and Mite Killer Natrasoap Gun . Hope this helps. Good luck


John

[Pup]

Could they be some sort of tropical Thrip?

It is a bit like the gall that attacks Lilly Pilly's it needs to have all the effected parts taken of. We had it here in the West a few years back. It only affected variegated Ficus. Of which there were plenty sold as Topiary. Now we do not see to many of them or it. Systemics something strong will get rid of it.

Cheers Pup

[Glenda]

Could they be some sort of tropical Thrip?

It is a bit like the gall that attacks Lilly Pilly's it needs to have all the effected parts taken of. We had it here in the West a few years back. It only affected variegated Ficus. Of which there were plenty sold as Topiary. Now we do not see to many of them or it. Systemics something strong will get rid of it.

Cheers Pup

Each time I spray I remove the affected leaves and spray, but if I forget to respray regularly (or because it has been raining so much), they come back quick smart. Thanks guys. Knowing what they are, I will keep up the treatment.

Glenda

[Jester]

Glenda, be aware that Confidor is not to be used if you suspect that there will be rain within a 24 hours, so if you have srpayed and it rains 10 hours later, it will simply wash off the confidor and that treatment will not have worked. This could also be part of your problem.

John

[Jamie]

definately a thrip but that is one of the worst infestation i have seen up here. i would definately be removing all affected leaves even those that only look a little bad and burn them, then use the sprays adviced.

i had a smaller infest with the same bugs just recently. have you been to brisbane to get this tree? it wasnt from one of the bonsai nurseries down there was it?

[gollum]

a little more info on these thrips,and my way of dealing with them...and other pests
I always look closely at all the new growth of all my plants
looking for trrips,scale insects and ants and catepillars
I also check for tiny velvety black mites(they have been active lately here in Bris)

I always knew thrips as thunder flies...they would arrive before a thunderstorm

the most effective way for me to control them is vigilance

they are easy to spot

they chew the main stem of the leaf which makes it weaken and fold
inside they lay their eggs which hatch about a week later
once they set up a colony they become harder to treat

I noticed over time they get smarter towards me pinching the leaves and squashing them thoroughly...
they would jump out the end of the leaf and fly away,only to come back later

here is another thing I noticed (over the years)
they prefer one plant (usually just figs)and will set themselves up on it until there are too many of them ... then they start one the next one

I believe they live for 1 year and will return to the same plant they came from
this happened to a tigerbark fig I have

there is another tiger bark fig right next to it and they dont go on it at all

I spray all my figs with pest oil...
this is usually enough to interfere with their ability to breath while they are chewing the leaf initially
therefore stopping them

you must remove them completely and crush the leaves and make sure they are all gone then spray

hope this helps

[NBPCA]

You can spray with Pest Oil and Confidor mixed in the one container for a better kill rate as well.

Grant

[Glenda]

Thanks for all the advice, people. On my bench I have two retusas together and these thrips are on both of them. On the other side of the house I have another retusa, and they are on it as well. Haven't found them on anything else.

We are coming into our dryer season (and cooler season) here, and that will make treatment with confidor easier. (we have had nothing but rain since Christmas)

definately a thrip but that is one of the worst infestation i have seen up here. i would definately be removing all affected leaves even those that only look a little bad and burn them, then use the sprays adviced.

i had a smaller infest with the same bugs just recently. have you been to brisbane to get this tree? it wasnt from one of the bonsai nurseries down there was it?

Jamie, I bought the original ficus microcarpa retusa about 9 months ago as a bonsai (more likely potensai) from a local nursery, and have had this as a recurring problem since. The one on the bench next to it I got as a cutting from a local bonsai club member about 6 months ago, and the small one on the other side of the house came from B@#$ings as a small plant about 1 month ago. I think the original one is the source of the infestation.

[Glenda]

You can spray with Pest Oil and Confidor mixed in the one container for a better kill rate as well.

Grant

Grant - will this help stop it washing off in the rain?

Glenda

[Jamie]

very interesting glenda, i would be interested in finding the original supplier for the original tree. i had the same prob as i said on exactly the same cultivar. its no so much of an issue now it doenst have any leaves!

the advice is good. do what needs to be done and you wont have a prob. they are tough trees.

jamie

[Glenda]

very interesting glenda, i would be interested in finding the original supplier for the original tree. i had the same prob as i said on exactly the same cultivar. its no so much of an issue now it doenst have any leaves!

the advice is good. do what needs to be done and you wont have a prob. they are tough trees.

jamie

And you said my infestation was the worst you had seen. Mine only had it on 4 or 5 leaves on each plant!

[Jamie]

i said one of the worst. just keep on top of them they can be persistent little blighters

[Glenda]

I had to go out to the Uni yesterday to see my doctoral supervisor, and noticed what I think is a small-leaf fig, and it had the same thrips on it, too. We must be having a plague.

Glenda