What are thrips?
Thrips are tiny, winged insects – so small that it is hard to detect them with the naked eye. Both larvae and adults feed by piercing the plant tissue and sucking up the released plant juices – not dissimilar to the way mosquitos attack us humans!
There are literally thousands of different species of thrips globally – apparently 6000 different species have so far been found. Here in Kenya – thrips have been found to affect a very wide range of different crops – both in the horticulture sector as well as the food sector. Crops such as green beans, tomatoes, egg plants, avocadoes, roses and carnations…to mention just a few.
If left untreated – a heavy infestation will cause premature wilting of the plant’s leaves, delay in leaf development, distortion of leaves and damage to the plants fruits.
For instance – if you detect signs of damage on your rose buds – there is a strong possibility that you have thrips. They settle between the petals of tight buds and start rasping at the petals edges. They are capable of damaging the petals of every bloom on the plant.
The General Lifecycle of Thrips:
Despite the many different types of thrips – it is clear that the life cycle of these pests remains largely similar – whereby part of their life cycle is above ground – on the upper leafy part of the plant and the other part takes place in the soil below:
Here at Kapi Limited, we have been working on a two-fold solution in the fight against thrips.
Spray FLOWER DS 4EC onto the plant itself to kill the adults and sprinkle FLOWER DUST – on the soil around the plant to kill the pupae.
FLOWER DS 4EC is a natural pyrethrum insecticide containing 4% natural pyrethrins as its active ingredient. It’s greatest benefit, is the fact that it has ZERO RESIDUES after 24hrs – so whilst it is extremely effective in its killing action against a broad spectrum of insects, including thrips, it is also ideal for export crops needing to conform to MRL’s.
It is certified organic by ECO CERT and is very safe, showing low mammalian/human toxicity, allowing for short re-entry periods into greenhouses post spray. Furthermore in 2021 the MPS group re-classified pyrethrins and placed them on their GREEN list (green being the most environmentally friendly).
FLOWER DUST is a natural pyrethrum dust, also using pyrethrins as its active ingredient. It is a powder that is sprinkled around the plant base on the soil. The active pyrethrum, kills insects in or on the soil surface (including pupae) – thus breaking up the life cycle of the thrip. If used over a period of time – you will find that your problem with thrips will disappear.
If you are interested in learning more about these products – such as application rates or you would like to carry out a trial on your farm – please feel free to contact our agricultural experts directly, as they would be happy to visit you and assist:
Winrose: 0710 615604
Karisa: 0717 642587