Re: Very small insects in hosta crown
- Subject: Re: Very small insects in hosta crown
- From: M*
- Date: Sat, 20 Jul 2002 15:39:50 +0200 (MEST)
> I have been digging a few hostas that weren't growing as I think they
> should
> and I've found a very small insect (about the size of the spider mite that
> gets on Alberta spruce) inside the crown. In each case the part of the
> crown
> the insects were in showed decay while other parts of the crown were fine.
> The leaves from the part of the crown that showed no decay were stunted
> and
> I'm sure it's from the damage done by these insects.
>
> This is a new one for me. I feel sure there are several pesticides that
> would control this insect. I would like to know what it is I'm trying to
> control so I can best select the pesticide and method of application.
>
> These insects are small. I mean small.
>
> Any seen these critters before?
>
> Dan & Lu
>
IT`S PROBABLY SOME KIND OF MITE (Tarsonemidae), MAYBE BROAD MITE. Have you
counted the legs? If there are 8, itīs some form of mite and therefor no
insect. That means you can`t kill them with insecticides but only with special
acaricides. Since they are so small and always hide, itīs quite difficult
getting at them. The deformation of the leaves (crippling) is caused by the mite`s
saliva which is toxic to the tissue and causes named symptoms. They can`t
travel from one plant to the next by themselves (unless two plants are actually
touching each other). Their means of transport are larger insects (eg
whitefly) or wind. Have a look at the critters with a magnifying lens to find out
what they are.
--
Marie
GMX - Die Kommunikationsplattform im Internet.
http://www.gmx.net
---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE HOSTA-OPEN
