AARRGHHHH ! TSWV !

[Terry Coombs]

Finally figured out - with the help of a couple of knowledgeable local folks - that my tomatoes have tomato spotted wilt virus . Nasty little bugs called thrips are the vector , and the key is to control them . There are many solutions presented , most of which call for insecticides ... which ain't gonna happen here . The least toxic solutions however involve using a soap solution , and this is my first choice . I have a mixture of Ivory soap , water , and some red pepper extract that I used last year for some bugs on some plants , and that is what I will be using . I have already wetted about half of my tomatoes with this , will do the rest tomorrow before the dew evaporates . The only drawback to soap is that it's not at all persistent , you have to spray the little buggers and wet them to be effective . I guess it'll mean spraying a couple of times a week for a couple of weeks , but worth the effort if it makes the difference between getting a crop and not ...

[Boron Elgar]

Are you seeing thrips?

[Terry Coombs]

I'm seeing something , small bugs the right size , around 1-2 mm . Also seeing what might be a predator bug that preys on them , but there were only a couple of them on one or two plants . I've been told the problems get a lot better when we get into the hotter drier part of summer . Plants are pretty puny for this late in June though , hopefully they'll do better . Seems like it's something different every year .

[Boron Elgar]

snip

It is something different every year, as weather benefits some critters or conditions and controls or eliminate others. Hot, cold, wet, dry, when that all happen at the right times of year and for optimal durations.

Some years the beans do well, other years the cukes and squash, some years the tomatoes or the lettuces or the corn, or...well you get the idea. Ya just gotta roll with it, do your best to have healthy soil and gardening techniques and keep hoping every spring.

One things I have done with tomatoes is that I always plant several varieties of cherries. I find that even if there is tomato disaster that takes out the big juicy varieties, there is always something that can be rescued on the cherry tomatoes.

Boron

[Steve Peek]

Generally thrips can not be seen with the naked eye.

[Boron Elgar]

Sure they can...it just takes careful looking about if thrips-like damage is evident.

[Terry Coombs]

And they are some tiny little ba***rds . At .040 to .080 inches long , I have to look closely to see them , and then see them only in strong sunlight . They're actually about the same size as bee eggs - and they too can be hard to see .

[Terry Coombs]

It looks like soapy water is not going to do the job , they were worse this morning than before I sprayed the plants . After some research I have decided to try a spinosad product called "Captain Jack's Deadbug" . It has low toxicity to my bees when dried , and covers several types of bugs that have been problematic in the past . It's labeled "for organic gardening" for what that's worth . I figured this is the next-least toxic solution , let's hope I don't need to step up to anything more toxic .

[Boron Elgar]

And even harder to identify as no-good or benign.