I have a question for anyone who can answer… I’ve heard that thrips can develop a resistance to Imidacloprid, which is the active ingredient in Bonide systemic granules. Does anyone know if this is actually true? And if it is, does anyone have recommendations for a different type of soil treatment that I can rotate with the granules?
Hi! Thrips have been known to become resistant to quite a few insecticides but it entirely depends on the chemicals the previous generations have encountered. Can vary place to place and through lineages. Are you actively having a thrips outbreak?
좋아요 1개 Yes I am, it’s not a horrible infestation because I treat my plants’ soil often, but there’s quite a few of my plants that I’ve found thrips on
0개 좋아요 (Response from a bio nerd… sorry) A thrips life cycle is about two weeks so i would make sure you quarantine that plant and any near it for at least two weeks. Treat all of those plants for the full two weeks. I’d keep them isolated for ~1 month in case another batch of eggs somehow makes it. Imidacloprid is a fairly old insecticide and was frequently used. Because it’s been around so long there’s a higher chance of resistance, as well as the commercial usage of it for ~30 years. I would switch to a different active ingredient. I prefer liquid chemicals as I can dilute better but that’s a personal preference
2개 좋아요 Another personal preference but I do not treat any of my plants with chemicals unless I see an infestation to try to combat chemical resistance.
좋아요 1개 Thank you! Do you have any liquid chemical suggestions or recommendations for a different active ingredient?
0개 좋아요 Spinosad (don’t use near pets potential linkeage to seizures), dimethoate, or acephate. You’ll want to make sure you soak every inch of the plant as well as a good bit of the soil, I think it’s every few days. Make sure to follow the application guidelines for at least 14 days. I don’t believe any of the insecticides kill thrip eggs so you’ll need to wait until they all hatch
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I’ve had good results with beneficial nematodes. They’re a little more fiddly find and to learn how to get them into the soil efficiently, but they’ve done good work for my collection. And I like that they’re microscopic versus some beneficial insects that are big enough to see. I dosed with the nematodes back in January, and I’m just now seeing it’s time for another dose. It seems like the only plants they’ve come back on are plants in semi-hydro, which would make sense since nematodes live in soil. They may struggle to maintain a stable colony in other media. And when I say “come back,” I’m of the philosophy that plant pests are a constant possibility, since they can come in from the outside especially during the summer. So I think it’s likely new thrips, but the stem-hydro plants don’t have a strong colony of nematodes left to fight them. But it seems like my other plants do! Not trying to poo-poo pesticides, I just got tired of navigating efficacy and safety instructions. I have cats so I’m extra paranoid about what I spray where they might come into contact
2개 좋아요 That’s a good idea, where do you get the nematodes from? Are there any downsides to having them in the soil?
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Look up natures good guys or Nema Globe. They help with fungus gnats too
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