I think I have a thrips infestation. This one (first photo) has been… | Pests, diseases and problems | Planta 커뮤니티
K
Kelly
I think I have a thrips infestation. This one (first photo) has been struggling but it’s new and I figured it was just do to a lack of water or fertilizer. It has only gotten worse and after looking at it again today I noticed brown dots on all the brown spots. Upon further research I think it is thrips, can anyone confirm?
I then went around and noticed small spots on my foliage plants (last photo) on nearby shelves. Only one plant and some cuttings (second photo) are bad and I just tossed them but any suggestions for my other plants? I keep seeing insecticide soap but would neem oil also work here?
Thank you so much for the help!
3개의 댓글
L
Lu
It most definetely is thrips Kelly.
Thrips
Your plant is showing clear signs of thrips damage.
🪳🪳 🪳 THRIPS INFO:
Thrips are sap-eating pests that use their rasping mouthparts to scrape the leaf surface to feed. Their feeding damage causes silvery/light brown dry patches, sometimes with lighter "scribbly" lines from where they've marched along to feed, and even a mild infestation can cause extensive damage and decline of a plant. On aroids they tend to cause a yellow/brown/orangeish "rash" especially under the leaves. Especially in the dry patches, you may also see tiny black dots about the size of this dot (.) which are thrips frass (poo). The signs of thrips are often more obvious under the leaf than on top.
They're very tiny and elusive and tend to be slow-moving, easy to mistake for dust or debris - the actual insects themselves are about as big as this dash (-) is on your screen. The larvae look a bit like a tiny white, yellowish, or cream-coloured grain of rice, while the adults are a skinny, long insect that resembles a miniature earwig, and come in shades of brown to black.
They can come in on other plants, your clothes if you brush past an infested plant outside, on the fur of pets that come in and out, and the adults can fly short distances (though you won't see them buzzing around your plants).
They're also particularly hard to eradicate, and *very* contagious. Isolate any plants that have signs of thrips, as well as any plants that were nearby (as they probably have thrips now too). To be safe, it's usually best to treat every plant in the house.
🪳🪳 🪳 THRIPS TREATMENT:
The most effective pesticide treatment against thrips is a combination of a spinosad spray and a systemic to treat the soil. Spinosad should be sprayed outdoors out of direct sun, but you can bring the plant inside once it's dried. Common spinosad products include:
• Captain Jack's Dead Bug Brew (US)
• Monterey Garden Insect Spray (US/UK)
• Edialux Conserve Garden (EU)
• Yates Success Ultra Insect Control (AU)
Spinosad should be used together with a systemic, which will be taken up by the plant and make it toxic to sap-sucking insects. Systemic products you may be able to find include:
• Bonide Systemic Houseplant Granules (US)
• Bug Clear Ultra (UK)
• KB-Multisect (EU)
• Substral Duo-Stick (EU)
• Edialux For-Insect (EU)
• Vithal Basinsect (EU)
• Bayer Duo-Stick (EU)
• Searle's Conguard Garden and Lawn Insecticide (AU)
Other pesticides (neem oil, horticultural oil, insecticidal soap, pyrethrin) may be effective against thrips but the combination of spinosad+systemic works better than many other options.
Any sprayed-on treatment will need to be repeated about once a week till you stop seeing any new signs of thrips damage or thrips themselves. Systemic treatments usually last 6-8 weeks and can be continued preventatively..
OR... Skip all of the above spraying and pesticides and purchase Amblyseius swirskii, Neoseiulus cucumeris, Amblyseius andersoni, or Amblydromalus limonicus predatory mites, which come in a little sachet like a teabag - hang up some little bags and the helpful mites emerge to do the rest. This is my preferred treatment method and what I do for my own plants. They are so tiny they're like dust, and just die off once their job is done. You can get them from Koppert in Canada/US, Nature's Good Guys in the US, or Insect Heroes or Biogroei in the Netherlands.
Do not repot for thrips. While some species spend a brief period of their life in the soil, it's not a stage where they're feeding on your plants, and it's not all species that even do that. Treating the plant without repotting is very effective if you do it right, and replacing the soil is a *lot* of stress on an already-struggling plant.
🇨🇦 CANADA: As you cannot get spinosad, systemics, or horticultural neem, your best bet is Doktor Doom pyrethrin products alternating with insecticidal soap, or predatory mites. You may be able to find non-horticultural neem online. This belongs to Thorn Stumpwater ♥️
Just a comment I see very often on Facebook posts, hope this helps
4개 좋아요
K
Kelly
Thank you so much this is very helpful!
0개 좋아요
L
Lu
Good luck Kelly, if the plant is not sentimental and is too far gone there is never any shame in tossing the plant, as these critters can lay eggs inside the leaf, not all hope is lost but know there is never any shame in starting over with plants! :)
