How to protect a vegetable garden, ornamental plants from tobacco thrips?

Thrips is an extensive family, all of which are recognized as malicious pests of garden crops. Tobacco thrips affects plants both in open ground and in greenhouses. The name of the insect predetermines its favorite delicacy - tobacco. However, it does not disdain potatoes, onions, cruciferous, umbrella, nightshade crops. Tobacco thrips on cucumbers, especially in hotbeds, is becoming a real disaster for farmers. The pest not only damages plants, inhibits their growth, but also spreads viruses, diseases, which significantly affects yield.

Biological portrait of a small pest

Tobacco thrips is common throughout the world, with the exception of the polar regions. It affects more than 100 different species of plants from a wide variety of families.

How to identify a pest

On a personal plot for recognition of an insect it is worth arming yourself with a magnifying glass. The pest is distinguished by the following characteristic features.

Appearance of an adult:

• sizes vary in the range of 0.5-1.5 mm;
• the color is represented by a yellow color palette: from light to saturated dark, males have a lighter shade compared to females;
• on a thin elongated body, a distinct head, chest, and abdomen are clearly visible;
• well-developed narrow wings with fringe of hairs along the edge and legs of pale yellow color, thigh and lower leg of gray color.

On a note! The main difference between tobacco thrips and other species is the translucent first segment of the antennae and the presence of bristles on the front wings. If you lightly touch the adult individuals sitting under the leaf, they begin to jump actively at short distances.

The larva looks similar to its parents, but is characterized by smaller size and the absence of wings. Newborn whitish individuals become yellow-green as they grow older.

Development features

In the natural habitat, tobacco thrips winter under plant debris in the upper soil layers at a depth of 5-6 cm. If the insects got into the storehouse with onions, they successfully winter in comfortable conditions under the scales of the bulbs, causing damage to them. With the advent of spring, in mid-April, weeds wintered as the primary source of wintering weeds, in greenhouses and hotbeds - green onions planted on the feather. In the northern regions, the appearance of thrips on plants is noted in early May. Subsequently, insects settle on seedlings, in the field move to plantations with tobacco.

It is noteworthy that pests can rarely be found on old or too young leaves. They prefer to be localized on the lower part of the formed leaves. Replenishing the body with nutrients, tobacco thrips begin to mate. The female lays eggs in portions of 3-4 pcs. in a day. The total fecundity of a female is limited to 100 eggs and depends on the food supply and temperature.

On a note! Drought and insufficient humidity are optimal conditions for the development of tobacco thrips.But too high temperatures from 40 ° C are disastrous for them.

The female eggs are placed one by one under the skin in the tissue of the leaves of the plants on which they were fed. After 3-7 days, larvae appear that need nutrient components. After 10 days, the larval stage ends, and young individuals go into the soil to a depth of 10-15 cm. Literally 3 days later, winged thrips appear, which immediately attack the plants and continue the development of the population.

From 6 to 10 generations of generations are possible per year. A massive peak in reproduction and distribution occurs in late June-early August.

Why are tobacco thrips dangerous?

Both larvae and adults are harmful. With well-developed wings, they easily move from one crop to another. Thanks to the piercing-sucking-type mouth apparatus, they pierce the skin of leaves, shoots, buds and absorb plant nutrient juices, which provokes a lack of moisture and components for the development of the culture.

With a large number of pests, damaged leaves curl, turn yellow prematurely and die. In addition, tobacco thrips do not mind eating stamens, buds, flower juices, which leads to their decline.

Tobacco thrips on cucumbers and onions directly affect the crop. Characteristic silvery strokes appear on the damaged leaves, black dots - insect excrement. Plants lag behind in development, as a result of which the bulbs do not differ in large sizes, become unsuitable for subsequent sowing, and less ovaries form on cucumbers. In addition, tobacco thrips carry the cucumber mosaic virus.

Ways to fight

To combat tobacco thrips should be comprehensive, using agrotechnical, chemical and biological methods of control. On household plots, first of all, the correct crop rotation, timely removal of weeds, and autumn plowing play an important role. When planting bulbs, seed should be carefully inspected.

When laying bulbs for storage, the room is treated with sulfur dioxide. Also, thrips can be destroyed by warming the bulbs at a temperature of 42-43 ° C. Of great importance is proper watering and ensuring the level of humidity, mainly pests populate dry areas.

On a note! It is not recommended to place beds with cucumbers next to onions. Since the initial focus of infection is most often onions.

If tobacco thrips settled on cucumbers or onions, natural insect enemies will help:

• phytoseid mites;
• Oryus bugs;
• bed bug macrolofus caliginosus.

Predators can be purchased in laboratories at greenhouses or in specialized companies. Detailed information on acquisition issues can be obtained from the local phytosanitary surveillance and plant quarantine center.

On a note! To reduce the number of tobacco thrips, glue traps are used. They are placed in the aisles in the garden or in the greenhouse.

You can also fight with thrips with the help of insecticides. Among the effective drugs stand out: Iskra, Fufanon, Fitoverm, Karate, Aktara, Vermitek, Agravertin. Processing is carried out in accordance with the instructions. Due to the fact that the products do not destroy the eggs of tobacco thrips, the procedure is repeated after a week.

Important! To apply insecticides on onions, which are grown on a feather, is strictly forbidden.

There are few folk remedies to combat thrips:

• Pour onion peel into a three-liter bottle of water for three quarters and pour 2 liters of water. Let it brew for 2 days and bring the volume of infusion to 10 liters. Add liquid or dissolved laundry soap. With the resulting solution, treat infected plants every two days.
• To deter tobacco thrips, you can prepare a tincture of marigolds. Pour 50-60 g of dried flowers with 1 liter of water, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Soak in a dark place for 2-3 days, strain and spray indoor flowers, garden crops.
• Chopped or minced cloves of garlic can also scare away tobacco thrips, and at the same time aphids. There are several variations of the use of garlic: a solution, ground gruel, arrows with which to rub the leaves of plants, placed next to create a repellent barrier.

Checking the seed, competent irrigation, removal of all plant debris in the garden will significantly reduce the risk of tobacco thrips.