Hi all, have a pest problem but even reading a lot of threads still not certain what they, or how to eradicate them..........

About 2mm long, walk, jump and fly, look like small moths but dont think it's Whitfly as the wings have a brown speckle and a silver line runs around the outside, when viewed from underneath the very ends of the wings are also silver/white........

Any comments or advice greatly accepted.

Woody

Are they doing any damage to your plants?

If not, there's no problem

Doesn't seem so Mr.B, but i'm gonna keep a damn good look on them, there numbers definitley seem to have increased over the past few days, and i have a kinda slug trail on some leaves, any ideas anybody?

Quote: and i have a kinda slug trail on some leaves, any ideas anybody?

its fly poo and pee.

They do sound awfully like whitefly to me....... There aren't many other flies of that size and description in the same environment that spring to my mind....

I'd start squishing as many as I could by hand if the infestation isn't too bad yet, just so they don't get a jump-start on you.

Nice to know which type though, (not that i'm into that kinda thing you understand)..........Honest

What about getting one of those sticky fly traps? As long as u get some organic version I don`t think it should have any negative affects on your grow.

no good jim they stick to the plants not the fly paper! i have been looking for treatment for all aphids this is the best i found: Aphids are sap-sucking insects that can be found on a very wide range of plants, and are one of the most common pests to attack garden plants. They are more commonly known as "greenfly" or "blackfly". Some aphids infect many different types of plant, others stick to only one or two and do not spread.

Typical symptoms

Aphids will attack all parts of a plant, but the majority cluster round tender growth in large numbers, causing young shoots to become weak and distorted. They secrete a sticky "honeydew" which attracts sooty moulds. Sooty moulds are not in themselves harmful, but they prevent light getting to the leaves, cause premature leaf fall and spoil the appearance. Some species of aphid protect themselves by making leaves pucker and curl, or by producing a woolly coating.

The aphid's feeding method can spread viruses, such as pea leaf-roll virus, cucumber mosaic virus and plum pox virus, from one plant to another. If numbers of aphids are very high they can actually kill the plant they are living on.

Description
Aphids are from 1-5mm long with a soft body, long legs and
antennae, and usually a prominent pair of tube-like structures at the end of the abdomen. Aphids come in a selection of colours, with more than 500 species in Europe. They exist in both winged and wingless forms. They are weak fliers, but can travel a long way on air currents - even hundreds of miles!

Life cycle
Many aphids have more than one host plant, and will overwinter on a different plant from the one they cause damage to. Life cycles are generally complex and many generations are produced each year. They usually survive the winter in the egg stage, although in mild weather the adults can survive and remain active. In spring, female aphids are able to give birth to live young, resulting in a rapid rate of reproduction as the temperature increases.

Prevention and control

Knowing the habits and life cycle of a particular aphid can help achieve more effective control.





Healthy soil
Make sure conditions are favourable for sturdy plant growth. Avoid using nitrogen-rich fertilisers. This encourages soft growth which attracts aphids.

Encourage natural controls
Make your garden a friendly place for a range of helpful creatures by avoiding harmful sprays and providing suitable wildlife habitats. There are many creatures that feed on aphids, including birds, insect larvae, earwigs and bats.
Overwinter, hang up pieces of fat in fruit trees and above rose bushes to attract bluetits which eat aphid eggs. Grow flowers that attract hoverflies, lacewings and ladybirds. They prefer small, simple flowers such as members of the Umbelliferae and Compositae families, as well as the poached egg plant (Limnanthes douglasii), Convolvulus tricolor and buckwheat.
Remember that these natural pest controllers actually need a supply of aphids to survive, so leave some where they are not a particular problem. A patch of nettles can be a good source of nettle aphids.

Choose resistant varieties
Some varieties of lettuce are resistant to root aphids. Other plants are resistant to viruses which are spread by aphids.

Barriers
Using covers such as horticultural fleece can give good protection against aphids and the viruses they transmit. Some ants "farm" aphids for their honeydew that they produce. This means that they move the pests around a plant to new "pastures". If a tree is badly infested with ants and aphids, a band of fruit tree grease, or a purchased 'grease band' painted round the trunk stops the ants climbing up the tree.

Hand picking
Inspect plants regularly and squash any aphids that are seen. Pick off heavily infested shoots and leaves and drop into a bucket of soapy water.

Cold water spray
A strong jet of water from a hose will dislodge aphids. Best done early in the day to allow plants to dry more rapidly and avoid conditions for fungal diseases.

Chemical control - a last resort
Insecticidal soap and rape seed oil can be used. These are available through The Organic Gardening Catalogue. They are contact insecticides which will only kill what they hit. For best results, drench the aphids thoroughly using a powerful sprayer. There is no benefit in spraying parts of the plant not infected.

i think someone maybe old timer mentioned rhubarb treatment have a look for it as i have not used it before and dont know the results.

Hello major,

Does the 'slug trail' look anything like the leaves in the first picture because if they do you could well have thrips, which are buggers.

I would use blue sticky traps and a garlic soap spray.

Hope you haven't got thrips.

U

ps Oh, and the little critters might be fungus gnats, which OT1 has a lovely shot off, off to look for it. More annoying than anything else though the larvae do root damage. A mulch of argricultural grit will not be to their liking

Hi all, Thanks for all the commens and suggestions, have read ot1's excellent thread on thrips and it simply doesn't look like them, (god I hope not), gonna see how this develops and try some stickies and buzz off, i'll let you all know how I get along.............

Thanks again

Woody

Hi, got a dose of the thrips and whitefly in my grow room recently. Neem oil really does seem to have done the trick..and is a least slowly lowering the population.

Worth a try..

I've noticed no-ones mentioned Marigolds (flowers not rubbers), bloody good prefention when it comes to whitefly ............

How do you mean Elzzar...? like in a outdoor gardent they attract natural predators?

No mate the whitefly bloody hate them mate.....

Ok cool...Interesting....hmmmm

Cheers ill get a plant today for the grow room and see

Cheers Elzaar, never thought of African Marigolds, gonna get a couple, may not kill them but it will be nice to know the little bastards are suffering........!