They damage hundreds of plants, causing damage by feeding on the plant’s juices.
These insects also move quickly and travel in clusters.
Below, learn how to get rid of thrips as well as how to spot and prevent the pests.
The Spruce / Alex Dos Diaz
Some also have red, black, or white markings.
Two of the most common kinds of harmful thrips are western flower thrips and onion thrips.
Banded-wing thrips are one such kind, which have a black body and black and white banded wings.
Flickr CC 2.0b
Thrip Life Cycle
A thrips life cycle includes six stages.
A female thrip first lays a kidney-shaped egg in a plants tissue, usually undetectable to the naked eye.
Thrips in these stages dont eat and dont move.
Chilli thrips are an increasing problem for gardeners. Unlike flower thrips, they feed on both flower buds and leaves.Photo: Andrew Derksen, FDACS/DPI, Bugwood.org
Finally, the thrip becomes an adult and has fully grown wings and can be identified by appearance.
Leaves might look streaked with yellow or brown, or even bleached.
Some areas may appear silvery or white where the plants tissue was eaten away.
Thrift leaf damage.Cornell University
Any buds or fruit might appear dried, discolored, shredded, or misshapen.
Prune Damaged Plants
Routinely inspect and prune thrip-damaged plants to keep infestations manageable.
Immediately prune and destroy the affected leaves.
Georgy Rozov / EyeEm / Getty Images
A plant that is badly infected should be removed entirely to prevent thrips from spreading to other plants.
Focus on the bottoms of leaves, where the insects often cluster.
There may also be certain nematode species that will control thrips.
Ants and aphids have a mutualistic relationship. The ants feed on honeydew left behind by the aphids, and in return, they protect the aphids from predatorsFlickr userStuart Williams(CC license)
Check with your local extension office for information about what species are effective against thrips in your area.
Another way to encourage natural predators is through the careful, restricted use of pesticides.
This is especially helpful for gladiola bulbs, which are notorious for harboring thrips.
Spray directly on affected areas of the plants.
Neem oil works by disrupting the feeding and reproduction cycles of the thrips.
Pyrethrin is anatural pesticidederived from the flowers of certain types of chrysanthemum flowers.
And it is a popular method for controlling onion thrips.
Use Insecticidal Soap
Apply aninsecticidal soapspray to your thrip-infested plant weekly to kill larvae and adult thrips.
First, mist your plant and its soil with water.
Using a dispenser, apply the product to the leaves, stems, and surrounding soil.
Leave the flour-like product on the plant for a week, then reapply.
Keep your software light and even.
Here’s how:
Thrips are known for being difficult to get rid of once an infestation starts.
Most methods are to mitigate a current infestation, so it is important to use prevention methods also.
Thrips.Extension Entomology, Texas A&M