Thrips characteristics and way of life
Thrips occur almost everywhere. While they also have useful properties, 95% of the existing species are considered to be pests. The little animals use the support of the wind to spread. Most often they nest in apartments, as they prefer warm temperatures and little humidity. They attack particularly often
- Orchids
- Rubber trees
- and the bow hemp
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Recognize thrips
Thrips are common with Spider mites mistaken. Due to their small body size of only one millimeter, they are with bare eye also hardly recognizable. In order to determine an infestation, you should therefore concentrate primarily on the damage to the plant. On top of that, it's worth hanging up blue signs near the houseplant. These are signs that are covered with a sticky film. The blue color attracts the pests. If you sit down on the board, you will stick. You can then see a larger population without a magnifying glass.
Tips
It is very important to distinguish between spider mites and thrips, as both species have to be controlled differently. You can recognize the thrips by their elongated body with a magnifying glass. Spider mites, on the other hand, are round.
Damage to the plant
- yellow or silvery gray speckles on the leaves
- Brown discolorations
- Young specimens stunted
Treatment measures
Since thrips are very responsive to biological agents, you don't even have to think about chemical fungicides. With self-made solutions from soap or neem oil, you usually have good results. Simply mix the home remedies mentioned with water and spray your plant several times.
Unless it harms the houseplant, a simple trick is to put it in the fresh air. Thrips react very sensitively to the changed environmental influences and migrate from the plant.
If the methods mentioned do not show any effect, you can buy beneficial insects such as predatory mites or lacewings, which you can use against the pests in a purely biological manner. Be careful, however, to offer the predators a species-appropriate habitat.