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Fern Pests - Thrip
Thrip cause damage to ferns by sucking their juices and scraping fronds. Damaged foliage loses its green colouring, turns silvery, then dies. There are over 6,000 species of thrips, all of which are very small, straw-colored or black and have two pairs of feathery wings. Detail can only be seen with the use of a hand lens.
Life Cycle
Adults and pupae spend winter beneath the ground. In spring, newly emerged females insert eggs into the tissues fronds or stems. Each female produces many eggs, which hatch within days to become wingless nymphs. These nymphs feed on plant sap. Many generations will occur per year with the entire cycle from egg to adult requiring less than 16 days in warmer weather.
Treatment
- Reducing the number of places where thrip can breed. This requires the removal of plant material from the ground while it’s still green. Thrips lay their eggs in slits they cut in live plant stems.
- Hose off plants with a strong stream to reduce pest numbers.
- Beneficial insect predators are commercially available.
- Severe populations may require a pesticide to reduce pest numbers.
- Soap sprays can be effective.
Contributors
Dwayne Stocks
