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Thunderbugs = Thrips ?

NEED 4 SEED

Well-known member
Hello people, recently I discovered these 1-3 mm long, black bugs around my plants. I saw them earlier in my life, sometimes crawling over the walls in hundreds and they're supposed to be called thunderbugs. Then I found out that these are some kind of thrips. I saw them on the soil and around the pots but never on plants. Are they beneficial or pests? Could it be they keep the fungus gnats in check (which seem to have problems building a successful population recently)? :blowbubbles:

Here's a pic of one of them, I taped it.

picture.php
 

MJPassion

Observer
ICMag Donor
Veteran
IME, thrips fly and prefer the company of plants as opposed to other non living objects. I don't see any wings on that critter so can't be positive on it's ID.



They definitely are not beneficial. They feed by scraping the leaf surface and sucking up the juices. This feeding leaves a silver-ish sheen on leaf surfaces that is easily identifiable as thrip damage. As well, if there is any plant sap transferable disease within the plant being chewed on, Thrips can transfer those diseases from plant to plant. IE, they're disease vectors. Outdoors they're not much of a problem because the weather keeps them in check. Indoors, however, they can be as problematic as spider mites once their populations boom. They'll hide in places and when you think you're clean, they show up again. Luckily they're easily controlled with beneficial nematodes in your soil. you could also get some "Hypoapsis Miles" predator mites to help with control.


Oh yeah... I've never heard of Thunderbugs either.
 

buzzmobile

Well-known member
Veteran
That could be a springtail. They come in many shapes and colors. They are more of a nuisance than a damaging pest.

Do an image search of "black springtails" and see what comes up.

Thunderbug is another name for a thrip.
 

Iffy

Nil Illegitimus Carburundum
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Hi Need 4 Seed,

Here's an excellent 'organic' solution for pest-control, even good for spider-mites I'm told;

1 oz Peppermint Oil
1 oz Rosemary Oil
2 oz Neem Oil
1 oz Unscented detergent
2 Cups warm water

Mix together and shake vigorously to emulsify and mix into 5L of water, creating your high-strength base. Dilute to 4% for a foliar spay. In use, care must be taken to completely soak the infected plant/s with the solution, making sure to spray under all the leaves and stems. Sheet-off the soil surface first, to avoid too much being absorbed this way.

Hope this helps,
Regards,
Iffy :tiphat:
 

NEED 4 SEED

Well-known member
Hey thanks for all the replies. I believe buzzmobile was right, they look like springtails, especially the gray type. And these are supposedly beneficial:

"...by their capacity to carry spores of mycorrhizal fungi and mycorrhiza helper bacteria on their tegument, soil springtails play a positive role in the establishment of plant-fungal symbioses and thus are beneficial to agriculture.[58] They also contribute to controlling plant fungal diseases through their active consumption of mycelia and spores of damping-off and pathogenic fungi.[59][60] It has been suggested that they could be reared to be used for the control of pathogenic fungi in greenhouses and other indoor cultures...".
That coincides with their behaviour. They are crawling around the pots, searching for food , never see them on the plant itself. So they seem to be good. I won't fight them with stuff for now. Only mechanically, with the vac cleaner.
 

NEED 4 SEED

Well-known member
Why fight them at all if they're beneficial?


That makes zero sensi!


Well, it does make sense if you are me. Ha ha... It's a small 2x 18 Watt cfl mother cabinet which is integrated in my kitchen's cupboard. So I have to keep some level of hygiene in the area.
 

MJPassion

Observer
ICMag Donor
Veteran
I suppose if those lil bastards are getting in your food stuffs do something about them. Otherwise they shouldn't be much of a bother.


Also, if you just don't like bugs... IDK... just a guess... haha


Just keep in mind that they are feeding on the bad stuff if they're feeding on protozoa and pythium spores like was mentioned above.


Adding stuff to kill beneficials could be detrimental to your ecosystem as it (the ecosystem) will strive for some sort of balance and be getting thrown off at each poisoning. When they eat, they are feeding your plants by making nutrients that are locked up bio-available.
 

NEED 4 SEED

Well-known member
I suppose if those lil bastards are getting in your food stuffs do something about them. Otherwise they shouldn't be much of a bother.


Also, if you just don't like bugs... IDK... just a guess... haha


Just keep in mind that they are feeding on the bad stuff if they're feeding on protozoa and pythium spores like was mentioned above.


Adding stuff to kill beneficials could be detrimental to your ecosystem as it (the ecosystem) will strive for some sort of balance and be getting thrown off at each poisoning. When they eat, they are feeding your plants by making nutrients that are locked up bio-available.

The ecosystem needs a little poisoning from time to time. But these springtails don't seem to care about it anyway.
 

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