Thrips on roses and wrestling with them

Thrips are one of the most harmful insects that parasitize vegetable, garden and other ornamental crops grown by people everywhere. Thrips are especially common on garden and indoor roses. Removing them is not so easy, but there are many proven ways to combat this parasite. In the article, we will take a closer look at the description of thrips, the reasons for their appearance, and also learn about the signs of damage and how you can overcome these annoying insects.

Thrips are widespread almost everywhere, they are very small insects. In length, they usually reach no more than 1.5 mm, although it is known that some individuals can grow up to 15 mm.

The order of thrips is also referred to as bubbly, their legs have suction devices, thanks to which these pests are perfectly retained on plants. Insects reproduce and develop quite quickly, 10-15 generations can hatch in one year.

Thrips have two pairs of wings, but they do not fly very well. Some varieties of thrips may have no wings at all. Most of these insects prefer to parasitize precisely on flowers, they feed on their juices, and sometimes even pollen and plant nectar.

Thrips on roses are quite common. In order to understand for sure that it was this parasite that attacked the plants, it is very important to know what it looks like. The color of thrips is usually dark: black, gray, brown, while the larvae have a lighter color.

It is also believed that this type of insect carries a huge number of viruses that can easily infect garden and flower crops weakened by insects.

At the first time when thrips appear, it is quite problematic to deal with them. This is due to the fact that insects lay larvae under the skin of the leaf plates. And also problems can arise when these insects burrow into the soil to lay future offspring. Roses wither, but insects are not visible.

Before you start getting rid of annoying insects, it is extremely important to find out why they attacked the roses in the garden. The larvae usually winter well, in the first days of life they can feed on the juice of the grass, and therefore they can often be found among dry foliage, which not all novice gardeners try to remove. After the insects get stronger, they usually find more tasty prey for themselves, most often for this purpose they choose roses and other flowering plants in their personal plot.

In addition, the causes of the appearance of insects can be:

• buying a new plant affected by insects;

• affected plants on the site itself or in a nearby neighbor's site.

In any case, if it became clear that thrips came from neighbors, until a complete chemical treatment is carried out, it will most likely not be possible to get rid of the insect in your area, because it will easily return after some time.

As for the new purchased plants. Any flower can easily be infested not only with thrips. That is why gardeners and gardeners recommend putting new plants in the so-called quarantine for a while. If no problems were identified, then you can send a new plant to all other flowers.

Thrips can affect not only roses growing on the street, but also indoor flowers. Thrips feed on sap of leaves, inflorescences and flowers. But often gardeners manage to see not the small insects themselves, but the fruitful works of their activity.

The main signs of thrips damage include:

• the formation of underdeveloped seeds and buds of an unusual, often very ugly shape;

• the appearance of colorless or yellow spots on the buds of roses and on their leaves, as well as the appearance of petals with darkened edges;

• premature fall of buds, as well as deformation of plant stems.

Very often, bushes with roses, affected by insects, can die off if there were a lot of pests.

Untimely disposal of damaged roses from the pest can lead to the death of the plant, and it will also be very vulnerable to a variety of diseases, including viral and fungal. Most often, the first signs of thrips damage can be seen precisely on light rose petals.

It is possible to get rid of an annoying pest that deprives plants of full flowering and life in general in different ways, but most often folk methods and chemicals are used.

Chemicals can be toxic to both plants and humans. That is why it is extremely important to choose only proven products, and when working with them, use protective equipment, including a mask and gloves.

As a rule, chemicals are very harmful to insects. It is especially recommended to use them if folk methods do not help, and there are also suspicions that other pests live on roses, in addition to thrips.

• Of the proven means, we recommend that you pay attention to the very effective drug "Aktara", which causes the death of thrips within only half an hour. It is produced in a volume of 1 ml.

• An effective remedy in the fight against thrips is the drug "Actellik". Its advantage is a wide spectrum of action against many parasites that live on flowers. The nuance of the drug is that it should not be used in too hot weather. If the temperature is above +25 degrees, the treatment should be postponed, for example, in the evening. According to the manufacturer, this drug works for another 14 days after the initial treatment, protecting plants from re-infection with thrips and attack by other insects.

• Insecticide "Akarin" refers to biological and rather gentle, it does not harm the environment. Begins to act on insects after 5-7 hours.

To prepare any drug, as well as to use it in a prepared form, should only be according to the instructions, which also necessarily indicate under what weather conditions the drug can be used and under what conditions it cannot.

Folk remedies are widely used by gardeners, not only as preventive measures, but also to get rid of insects in a gentle way. Usually, folk recipes for decoctions are completely safe not only for plants, but also for the human body.

Consider proven folk recipes that give the desired effect in a short time.

• Garlic tincture is one of the most popular used by gardeners in many regions of Russia. To prepare it, you need to finely chop 5-7 cloves of garlic and pour them with a liter of boiling water. The mixture should be kept for at least 5 hours, but it is advisable to let it brew for at least a day, after which it can be sprayed with the affected roses. It is very important to handle the leaves on both sides, as insects can hide on the back.

• A proven recipe is dandelion root infusion. To prepare the recipe, you need to dry a few dandelion roots, chop them finely, and then grind them in a blender. You should end up with something like dust or powder. Pour the resulting powder with a liter of water, infuse the resulting mixture for at least 12 hours. It is advisable to strain the solution before starting treatment.

• A chamomile decoction can help get rid of thrips. If it is not possible to collect it, you can use the pharmacy. Use 100 grams of flower per liter of hot water. The resulting infusion should be removed to a dark place for at least half a day, preferably for a day. After a day, the infusion should be filtered, a little household or tar soap (no more than 10 grams) should be added to it, and then the processing should be started.

And also effective can be considered infusions of tobacco, yarrow, pepper and celandine. But one must understand that most of the decoctions and infusions will not give a sustainable effect in the fight against parasites, if spraying and processing is carried out once.

The most effective fight is, of course, timely prevention, as well as the correct agrotechnical measures, which are very important not to forget to carry out in the garden.

As a preventive measure, it is very important to process roses in spring, summer and autumn after flowering.

To minimize the risks of thrips, marigold or lavender flowers can be planted next to roses. Most insects do not tolerate the odors of these plants and stay as far away from them as possible.

If there are many thrips in the garden, and other parasites are noticed, in addition to the main treatments, you can lay out glue traps for insects.

Several activities can also be classified as preventive measures.

• Comprehensive cleansing of the garden and vegetable garden from foliage in the autumn, preferably with the subsequent destruction of foliage by burning. Thus, not only insects, but also their larvae do not survive. In addition, very often thrips winter due to a good layer of foliage, which was not removed from the site in a timely manner.

• At the end of the season, it is necessary to remove damaged branches from the roses, it is advisable to treat the soil with insecticides.

• In the spring, it is very important to remove the mulch and loosen each rose bush well. Do not forget about the first spring spraying from insects.

• It is necessary to clear rose bushes from weeds in time, which very often attract pests to plants. It is also important to comply with watering norms, do not overflow plants, and also avoid drought.

Summing up, it should be said that it is not always possible to fight thrips quickly and effectively, which is why it is worthwhile to direct all your strength and capabilities to prevent infection. It is better to make several safe preventive treatments than to further engage in full-fledged plant treatment.