How To Keep Houseplant Thrips Under Check?

Thrips are a common pest on both indoor and outdoor plants, attacking them by sucking out the sap. To get rid of them, follow these steps:

1. Remove heavily infested leaves/flowers by cutting or trimming away any infested plant parts.
2. Wash your plant by taking it to a sink or shower, or even outdoors if it’s warm enough.
3. Spray with insecticidal soap or apply a systemic insecticide.
4. Use sticky traps to capture adult thrips.
5. Repeat steps 2 and 3 weekly.

To remove thrips, use a spray of water to wash off any thrips on your plant and keep a close eye on them. If this doesn’t work, try using insecticidal soaps or sprays. Cut off infected leaves and prune off any signs of an infestation. For garden plants, prune off any thrips.

Thrips can be persistent once established, but prevention strategies can help avoid infestation. Quarantine new plant arrivals for a few weeks and boost humidity levels to discourage the pest. In the home or greenhouse, stand pot plants on saucers or trays of pebbles and water, or mist frequently with tepid water. Focus on physical removal and using insecticidal soap regularly.

To treat a plant for thrips, hose the plant down under the sink or shower faucet, dislodging the bugs. Dislodge the bugs with a gentle spray of water from a garden hose, ensuring to spray the undersides of leaves where they like to hide.

To get rid of thrips on indoor plants, isolate the plant, wash it down with water, apply insecticidal soap, use traps, and use food-grade diatomaceous earth.

What is effective for thrips control?

To address the issue of thrips, it is recommended to introduce beneficial insects, such as pirate bugs, ladybirds, and lacewings, to the environment in order to eradicate all stages of the pest. For optimal outcomes, the release of natural predators should be conducted subsequent to the eradication of significant infestations through the use of water spray or alternative methodologies. Additionally, reflective mulch can be employed to impede thrips’ capacity to identify plants, although its efficacy may diminish as plants attain a greater size.

What is the best spray for thrips on indoor plants?

Neem oil is a relatively mild, well-tolerated treatment for plants with sensitive foliage, although certain species, such as palms, may exhibit sensitivity to oil-based treatments. While neem oil and mineral oil are efficacious for the control of thrips, insecticidal soap is also a viable alternative.

Will soapy water kill thrips?

Small, soft-bodied insects like aphids, whiteflies, thrips, and mites are best candidates for management with soapy water sprays. Sturdy, large-bodied insects like caterpillars and beetles are unlikely to be affected. To be effective, soapy water needs to touch the insect’s body and coat it, likely turning over leaves to reach them on the underside of leaves. High pressure sprays can knock many small-bodied insects off the plant, providing physical and chemical control in one spray. Sprays should be made whenever new insect populations appear and start to grow, as soapy water only works if it contacts the full body.

How often should I spray neem oil for thrips?

Neem oil is a natural pest control solution used to protect indoor plants from various diseases. It can be applied to foliage or soil every 7 days for infestations, and every 3 weeks for preventative measures. To test the effectiveness, test a small area of each plant and avoid getting oil on furniture or fabrics. Neem oil can also be used on fruit trees like apple, cherry, nectarine, pear, peach, and plum to control pests like aphids, spider mites, caterpillars, coddling moth, meal worms, powdery mildew, scab, rust, and black spot.

What is the best organic control for thrips?

Insecticide sprays are essential for controlling high pest numbers, such as garden thrips, which can become serious pests indoors, outdoors, and in greenhouse settings. Neem Oil is an effective knockdown spray and one of the best for garden thrips control, suppressing foliar diseases like powdery mildew. Thrips, which belong to the Thysanoptera order, feed on plants in specific families and can cause extensive damage in a short time. Damage typically shows up as stippling, silvering of leaves, or discolored patches on leaf surfaces. Discarded pollen and frass can also be a major issue for ornamental growers.

Blue or Yellow Sticky Traps can be used to monitor pest populations, especially when beneficial insects are already present. General predators like minute pirate bugs, green lacewing, and ladybugs can keep thrips populations at low levels, limiting damage. Beneficial Nematodes (Sf) are the easiest way to control thrips developing in the soil, interrupting reproduction and reducing local populations.

Amblyseius cucumeris, predatory mites, can be used for thrips prevention, control, and continued management. Amblyseius swirskii can reproduce more quickly than N. cucumeris in optimal conditions. Stratiolaelaps scimitus feeds on various soil-dwelling pests, including thrips prepupae and pupae.

How to naturally get rid of thrips?

To eradicate thrips from outdoor flora, it is recommended to utilise a high-pressure water jet to target the underside of leaves. For indoor plants, a soap and water solution should be prepared by mixing two teaspoons of dish soap with a gallon of water. This solution should then be applied to all parts of the infested plant to saturate them.

What is the best treatment for thrips?

To control pests, use chemical insecticides, such as pyrethrins, which are plant-derived and more effective than other chemical pesticides. Follow label directions and spray outdoors or in a garage, weather permitting. Regularly inspect plants to catch pest problems early and control easier. Isolate newly acquired plants for 2-3 weeks to limit indoor pest introduction. Bringing plants indoors in the fall can introduce insects indoors. For organic approaches, consult the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI™) for appropriate insecticidal soap and pyrethrin products.

What are the first signs of a thrip infestation?

Thrips are insects that cause damage to plants, including foliage, flowers, and fruit. They can cause discoloration, withering, or pitting, and can be seen in close proximity. Thrips are not good at flying, so their spread between plants may be slow. They can move between plants during shipping or in a garden center, and can also move from the outdoors to indoors. They do not pose any health risks to people or animals and do not bite or sting. However, they can transfer plant-specific viruses, such as Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus and Impatiens Necrotic Spot Virus, which can kill plants and reduce crop yields.

What do thrips look like on houseplants?

Thrips are minute insects, measuring 1-2mm in length, with narrow, hair-fringed wings. They exhibit a variety of colors, including white, yellow, brown, and black, and are commonly observed on indoor plants. The immature stages of thrips are typically smaller in size and are commonly observed in white or yellow hues. These insects can be found in the nymph stage of the western flower thrips, as observed by Whitney Cranshaw of Colorado State University (Bugwood. org).

Does baking soda kill thrips?

Baking soda is not proven to kill pests, despite common claims. It is registered as a fungicide by the EPA, which can be applied to plants to combat fungal diseases. However, it doesn’t work against bed bugs, cockroaches, rodents, ants, or other pests. Baking soda is best used for baking, cleaning, and deodorizing your refrigerator, not for other pests like bed bugs, cockroaches, rodents, or ants.