Date: Sat, 22 Mar 1997 11:24:52 -0800 From: Russell Elliott <relliott@geocities.com> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg1042$foo@default> Subject: Mite problem
Hi everyone,
If anyone could give me any help to do with the below quotation, I would
be very happy! I have been trying to figure out how this member can
overcome this problem, but so far I have reached dead ends. Any help would
be appreciated:
"On the same subject as VFT's and pests, there seems to be more than just
red spider mites that afflict VFT's. Just this morning, upon investigation
of some deformities of some newly formed traps on a couple of typical VFT's
purchased from Exotica Plants, I found some mite like creatures crawling
all over the leaves. They were white and had the basic appearance of mites
though they were much larger than red spider mites.
The problem is not too difficult to control of course. A couple of sprays
with a cocktail pyrethrin and miticide eliminates them easily. This has
also proved to be extremely helpful in controlling pest infestation on
Drosera intermedia flower stalks. However, this ultimately does not
eradicate the problem entirely. The pests keep coming back and I personally
do not find frequent use of pesticides a good thing. Up to a point, the
side effects start showing up.
The only logical solution seems to be to toughen the plants (ie expose them
to as much sun as possible over a long period of time) to the point where
they prove too difficult a meal for pests. This is easier said than done I
realise, especially with more delicate plants like Pinguicula. As such, I
am at a dead end as to what to do in a long term cultivation to eliminate
pests. Though I live in an apartment, it does not keep the little critters
from invading my balcony. This is because my apartment is on the second
story which implies that it is not too difficult for the pests to decide to
take a trip up from the gardens dowstairs."
Russell Elliott
-- @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ ! Russell Elliott, Seed Bank Director, ! ! Australian Carnivorous Plant Society. ! ! Sorry, due to limited stocks, seed only available to members. ! ! mailto:relliott@geocities.com ! ! Please Direct membership enquiries to Brian Denton at: ! ! mailto:bdenton@camtech.net.au ! @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
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