Hello everyone!
This is my first post here! I have gotten more heavily into gardening this year and have decided it is time to find a community for support through my learning. What mainly brought me to look for help was a new plant i just bought! I purchased a 10" sunflower plant from a local nursery that my roommate picked out. It looked very healthy and had many blooms. After we brought it home, i was setting it up near my other plants in a full sun spot. When looking closely at the blooms, i noticed a bunch of tiny bugs weaving their way through all of the blossom centers and roaming the petals. It was late in the day, so i called the shop the next day. After a couple calls and a few hours of waiting, i was informed that they searched their other sunflowers "with a magnifying glass", and that they did not see anything on theirs. They said it could be thrips, but were unable to tell me without seeing it. They also recommended i buy a product and told me an insecticidal soap (i make mine from boiling down soapberries) would not work on thrips. I decided to then drive it back to the store so they could look at it, at which point they said they think they are the larvae form of sunflower midges. I was told they would not be interested in my other vegetable plants so not to worry, and that a simple spray with the product they recommended would cure them. Now....i have internet....and although i am skilled at reasearch, i could be wrong...but my research is telling me it is thrips and definitely not a larvae of any kind. I was able to find an adult on a petal for a pretty clear picture. The younger ones are more of a pale tan in color and smaller. The young seemed to have the ability to spring off the petals to get away.
This is my first post here! I have gotten more heavily into gardening this year and have decided it is time to find a community for support through my learning. What mainly brought me to look for help was a new plant i just bought! I purchased a 10" sunflower plant from a local nursery that my roommate picked out. It looked very healthy and had many blooms. After we brought it home, i was setting it up near my other plants in a full sun spot. When looking closely at the blooms, i noticed a bunch of tiny bugs weaving their way through all of the blossom centers and roaming the petals. It was late in the day, so i called the shop the next day. After a couple calls and a few hours of waiting, i was informed that they searched their other sunflowers "with a magnifying glass", and that they did not see anything on theirs. They said it could be thrips, but were unable to tell me without seeing it. They also recommended i buy a product and told me an insecticidal soap (i make mine from boiling down soapberries) would not work on thrips. I decided to then drive it back to the store so they could look at it, at which point they said they think they are the larvae form of sunflower midges. I was told they would not be interested in my other vegetable plants so not to worry, and that a simple spray with the product they recommended would cure them. Now....i have internet....and although i am skilled at reasearch, i could be wrong...but my research is telling me it is thrips and definitely not a larvae of any kind. I was able to find an adult on a petal for a pretty clear picture. The younger ones are more of a pale tan in color and smaller. The young seemed to have the ability to spring off the petals to get away.
