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THRIPS
GETTING RID OF THRIPS:
One of the many plant species that Thrips are a danger to is the well-known ficus plant. Ficus hedges are a very popular plant in Florida, very often used as privacy hedges. Thrips have been a problem in the ficus hedges way before the ficus whitefly showed up back in 2007.
The Leaf Gall Thrip is the most common species and the one to look out for in your ficus hedges. Getting rid of the Leaf Gall Thrip can be a challenge because of the way the leaves curl when Thrips feed off the plant. Thrips will attack the new growth first because the leaves are tender and easy to pierce. They will pierce the leaves and extract the sap from the plant causing the leaves to fold into a shelter like place that makes it hard to get chemical on the insect itself.
If the Thrips are spotted in the early stages of an infestation the chances of eliminating them completely are much better. If they are caught very early on spraying them with a very strong stream of water will knock them of the leaves. This will not kill them though and a topical insecticide treatment is always recommended for complete elimination. In very severe cases were the leaves have already folded over to create shelter a topical treatment will not work. However there is an alternative to applying topical treatments of insecticide that will work in severe cases of infestation and this would be a systemic application to the root system.