Thrips are very tiny insects with narrow and long wings. Thrips' wings are bordered with hairs, giving them a fringed appearance. Thrips are found on plants, flowers, vegetables and fruits. Several species, such as the tobacco thrips, live and grow in greenhouses. Many species of thrips are also vectors of plant viruses.
Adult thrips and their larvae suck nectar from the leaves and flowers of these plants. In places of leaks, light spots appear, which in case of severe damage merge to form yellowish or silvery spots, the damaged leaves and flowers wither. Plant development suffers greatly. Thrips especially likes the new leaves!
The thrips is elongated, 0.8 – 0.9 mm long, light yellow-brown to black. The tripe's tentacles are segmented. Thrips' wings are yellowish, with fringes. The thrips larva is up to 0.7 mm long and pale yellow.
Indoors, 7 - 8 generations of thrips can develop. Most often, thrips appears in summer on indoor plants, because it flies indoors through an open window or door, is brought in with cut flowers, vegetables or fruits. Thrips lay eggs under the epidermis of leaves. One female lays up to 100 eggs. The young larvae hatch after 4-6 days. Young thrips larvae suck sap from leaves and flowers. Larvae grow for 8-12 days, then burrow into the soil and after a few days turn into adults. The full development cycle of thrips lasts 25 - 40 days, after which the development of the second and third generations continues. An adult thrips lives for 45 days!!
Thrips are the ugliest and liveliest of pests. It multiplies very quickly and, unfortunately, thoroughly damages the plants. The fight with thrips is very long, up to 3 months, because as I already wrote, adults live 45 days!! A very hard-to-see pest, but it can be recognized if the new leaves of the plants come with black spots, are deformed and yellow spots start to appear on the leaves of the plants.
At the very beginning, when we detect thrips, it is important to change the soil for all plants, because as I already wrote, thrips larvae develop into adult thrips in the soil. The old soil must be thrown outside and the roots must be thoroughly rinsed so that no soil remains. The plant itself should also be thoroughly rinsed in the shower. I would even recommend spraying both sides of the leaves with vodka or another alcoholic liquid. We plant the plant in new soil and then use one of the methods described below.
The first way to control the adults as they fly is to use sticky glue shields placed on the plants. Thrips are supposed to use blue ones, because they fly to blue color, but ordinary yellow ones are also suitable. You can buy them on my website https://augi-plants.lv/products/untitled-sep9_13-21
Another way is to spray the plants with Neemazal or Siltac. It is an insecticide that can be purchased in farm and construction stores, next to plant pest control products. Spraying these preparations should be done regularly once a week. And remember that it works best if the temperature of the room where the plants are located is above 26C.
I know that others also use Total 10 Limpiasuelos Insecticida. This product can be purchased at zoo stores and veterinary pharmacies. A grid cleaner counts, but others also use it to combat thrips. 1 cap per 1L of water and spray the plants with this mixture. You just have to be careful, because you can burn more sensitive plant leaves. The procedure should be repeated every week for at least 2-3 months.
The third way is to use predatory insects that eat thrips larvae. There are various predators that can be used, such as Swirski-Mites. It is possible to order such good insects from me in Latvia. At the end of each month, I regularly make a collective order of predatory ticks, where I also allow other interested people to join the order. I spread predatory mites on my shop plants every month as a preventive measure to rule out the possibility that the plants may have some pest. It should only be taken into account that if there are many infected plants, it will be necessary to take bulk packages so that the mites can cope with the infestation. And it is also important to remember that ticks eat larvae and not adults. An adult thrips lives for 45 days!! Therefore, after 3-4 weeks, the batch with predatory mites must be released again. You can read more about predatory mites and order them here https://augi-plants.lv/products/plesejerces-pret-tripsi
The fourth way is to spray the plants with Cobra universal (with the black cap) and put the plant in a bag and overnight. I have read that this method helps some, others mentioned that more sensitive plants have died after this method. I have not tried this option myself. But even with this method I think it needs to be repeated several times to have any effect.
The fifth way is to wipe or spray each leaf on both sides with a Neem oil cocktail. Neem oil is a natural product obtained from the neem tree (Azadirachta indica) and is a natural insecticide. It should only be diluted with water before use, as too much concentration can burn the leaves of more sensitive plants. Everyone uses their own recipe for a neem oil cocktail, but I can recommend the following proportions: 500ml of warm water, 2 teaspoons of neem oil, 1 teaspoon of vodka or any other liquid with a high alcohol content, 2 teaspoons of green soap or fairy. All this is mixed thoroughly and then it can be used for spraying plants. To combat thrips, spraying will have to be done every week, for at least 2-3 months. You can buy neem oil on my website. https://augi-plants.lv/products/nima-ella-dabigais-lidzeklis-cinai-ar-kaitekliem-100ml
If you have any other questions about plant care, apply for a consultation and I will be happy to help you with advice so that you can take care of your houseplants like a professional in the future. https://augi-plants.lv/products/attalinata-konsultacija
