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newatthis22

What's living in my zucchini blossom?

Newatthis22
10 years ago

I was out hand pollinating today and found these in some of my male blossoms. Any idea?

Comments (13)

  • digdirt2
    10 years ago

    Thrips probably.

    Dave

  • jean001a
    10 years ago

    Thrips definitely. In this case, ignore them.

  • Newatthis22
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Why ignore them? I am reading up on them still, and reading about the tomato virus they can carry, ect.

    My zucchini plants are only a couple feet away from my tomatoes, so that worries me a bit!

  • digdirt2
    10 years ago

    Gardening is a balancing act. Sure you can spray for them if you wish and if you can find an effective pesticide for them. But most pesticides will kill far more beneficials than it will thrips so what does that gain you?

    Secondly, most healthy plants will tolerate thrips with no problems and the benefit is that they eat spider mites which are much more damaging.

    Thirdly, TSWV (tomato spotted wilt virus) that they "might" transmit isn't a threat in your zone anyway. There hasn't been an outbreak of it since 1994 according to Iowa State extension. It is primarily a disease of the deep south and west where the climate is much warmer and wetter.

    So should you spray a pesticide for these that aren't hurting anything in the squash on the off chance that an infected one might get on your tomato plant and might give it a disease that rarely puts in an appearance in Iowa anyway? It is your choice.

    Gardening is about evaluating a potential threat and treating with chemicals only in the face of actual damage and only if absolutely necessary. It isn't about trying to prevent any and every thing that might happen. It doesn't work that way and trying to do so usually only creates new and often worse problems. For example, spray the thrips and kill bees, flies and ladybugs and that gives the spider mites free range.

    Due some research into IPM (Integrated Pest Management) in gardening and keep in mind that 95% of the "bugs" one sees in the garden are beneficials and/or neutrals.

    Just some thoughts for consideration.

    Dave

  • Newatthis22
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thank you for that explanation! If only the websites I was reading on would have said exactly that!

    I also think I found more on a pepper plant, but these ones are a little green!

  • Newatthis22
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Actually, are those aphids of some sort?

  • cait1219
    10 years ago

    That's what I thought...they look like aphids to me but I'm new at this too!

    Dave-I have to ask...do you garden "professionally"? I've been scouring these forums to learn more about vegetable gardening and you have so much knowledge about it. It amazes me how much you know!

  • lelia
    10 years ago

    I've ordered beneficial insects called Thrips Predators for one of my rhododendrons, and they really worked! They did not appear to survive the winter, however, or else they flew away, because the thrips were bothering the rhododendron again the following year.

  • rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
    10 years ago

    Yes, those are aphids. The white specks are the cast-off exoskeletons from the growing aphids. Time to start squishing!

  • jean001a
    10 years ago

    Why ignore the thrips in the squash blossom?

    Because many different kinds of thrips exist. That particular kind isn't a threat to nay of your plants.

  • zzackey
    10 years ago

    I squish them with my fingers.If you need to wear gloves, do it! The black aphids get on our grapes every year. My husband just sprays them off with the hose.

  • Newatthis22
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Yeah, ive been checking every hour or so, and spraying them off with the hose!

    Luckily, ive only seen them on one pepper plant, but its pretty close to my tomato plant!

    Seems to be working! Less and less every time

  • planatus
    10 years ago

    One thing to bear in mind is that both thrips and aphids are way down on the insect food chain. If you want to keep beneficials around, they have to have something to eat.In addition to ladybeetles and lacewings, there are tiny wars going on too small to see. Syrphid flies are laying eggs near the aphids so their larvae can eat them.

    That said, I'd have quickly clipped off that aphid-infested leaf and dumped it in the composter and then sprayed the plants with water a few times.

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