How do I get thrip off Hellebores?

brendawebster44

My hellebore is covered in thrips I have been using white oil but they seem to like it, please advise b

StevieB

Let me tag horticulturalist and Bunnings Workshop member @Noelle who may be able to offer suggestions. You can also learn more about caring for hellebores in this guide: How To Grow And Care For Hellebores.

Stevie

brendawebster44

Hi, thankyou so much the little buggers are driving me nursing Will follow your advice b🌺

Noelle

Hi @brendawebster44

Thrips can be quite troublesome in that they are sap suckers and mark flowers.

Home garden insecticide options are limited because there are no systemic products available which would be effective against thrips when they pierce plant tissues to suck the sap. It therefore becomes necessary to employ contact insecticides, such as pyrethrum which is a natural product derived from a species of chrysanthemum. It kills pests on contact. That is, the pest in question needs to be hit by the spray for it to work. It does not offer protection against potential pest incursions. Neem or ecoOil are alternatives to pyrethrum but, again, the pest needs to get a good dose of the product for it to work.

Thrips have a short lifespan - less than a week - so repeat applications over a period of weeks will be needed to gain some sort of control.