How to deal with thrips on indoor plants and prevent their appearance

Hello! Apparently, in my pedigree on the female line, everyone has a love for indoor plants.

I don’t know, this makes it more comfortable in the house immediately. But there was a period when I had to seriously attend to the fate of my green favorites.

And thrips were to blame, after the vigorous activity of which the leaves of plants began to become like a sieve. Timely advice from my grandmother helped save the situation. Want to learn how to deal with thrips on indoor plants? Now I will conduct a detailed analysis of the situation.

How to deal with thrips on indoor plants

Each grower should be aware that the care of indoor plants comes down to not only watering and feeding, but also involves protection from pests.

One of them is thrips, which in the absence of control can cause serious harm to plants, therefore, at the first signs of their appearance, it is necessary to begin to act urgently.

Description

Recognizing thrips is not so difficult. They look like insects of small sizes, in which there is an elongated body up to 2 mm long, light yellow, black or dark brown in color.

An additional clue about the presence of thrips can be the nature of their movement: adult individuals move very quickly, often make sharp jumps with their belly. The difference between males and females is that the former have a more slender, but not so long body. They are also painted in different colors.

You can also distinguish thrips by their wings: in some species they can be quite short, in others they may not be at all.

Thrips are one of the many pest groups that include over 2,000 species. About 200 species live in our country. The main habitats are leaves, flowers and buds of indoor plants. They feed on nectar and juice from leaf tissue.

At this moment, a big threat appears to plants, because as a result of the activity of pests, they lose their attractiveness and begin to be affected by viral diseases. Over time, when insects drink all the juices from one plant, they switch to others located in the neighborhood.

How to detect?

If during the inspection of indoor plants you find that some leaves have discolored, and there are also many dots caused by punctures, this is a clear sign that thrips are wound up in your apartment.

If you pay attention to the lower part of the leaves, then you can find spots of a brownish or brown hue. Damaged areas often become silver, which can be explained by the ingress of air into the cells.

Although thrips are not picky about nutrition, the most preferred indoor plants for them are violets, begonias, roses, citrus fruits, orchids and ficuses.

Most violets suffer from thrips larvae, as they destroy the anther of the flower. At the first sign of their appearance, it is necessary to pick off all the flowers and buds within the next 1.5 months, combining this with the treatment with suitable preparations.

Common species

The first information about the existence of thrips was obtained back in 1744, when these pests were discovered by Karl de Geer. Today, people have become more aware of the species diversity of these pests, among which there are special species that most often affect other ornamental plants:

1. Western (California) flower thrips. This is a tropical species that can be found only in some regions of our country. The first fact of his presence was confirmed in St. Petersburg when seedlings of carnations and chrysanthemums were delivered there. Today it is found in several dozen greenhouses and greenhouses;
2. tobacco thrips. This pest lives in the middle zone and southern regions of our country. Here it is found on various ornamental plants grown in greenhouses and greenhouses. The insect itself is small, reaches a length of not more than 1 mm, has a light yellow or brown color;
3. decorative thrips. The most widespread in the northern regions and the middle lane of our country. It is a threat to many indoor plants. Orchids, monstera, dieffenbachia and certain types of palm trees suffer most from this pest. You can determine it by dark brown color, as well as a small body, which has a length of 1.5-2 mm;
4. Dracaena thrips. Most often, it can be found indoors in northern regions. More than others, hibiscus, ficus, dracaena and a number of houseplants suffer from it. The characteristic color of the pest is yellow-brown, the body has a length of about 1 mm;
5. variegated (ordinary) thrips. This species is represented in most of our country. The main food for him are flowers and buds of indoor plants. It looks like an insect of a dark brown color, reaching a length of just over 1 mm;
6. rose thrips. His favorite habitats are flowering plants. A characteristic feature is a brown body, reaches a length of 1 mm;
7. onion thrips. This species is represented in most of our country. Most often, it can be found among the scales of lily plants. You can determine it by dark brown color and a body up to 2 mm long.

How to get rid?

Having realized that your indoor flowers are already affected by thrips, you should start to act urgently:

Folk remedies

If you notice only a few larvae from thrips and the plants are not completely affected yet, then you can choose milder ways to deal with this pest, in which folk remedies can help:

• infusion is made from one teaspoon of chopped onion or garlic and a glass of water. After a day, when the tool is ready, they process the plants;
• it is necessary to take dry flowers of marigold in the amount of half a liter jar, fill the container with water to the top and put it on for two days. When the time is right, the mixture is filtered and the plants are treated with it;
• it is necessary to take fresh leaves or roots of dandelion in an amount of 50 g., pour one liter of warm water and let it brew for three hours. After filtering, it is necessary to spray the affected flower with the mixture;
• take 100 gr. chamomile, pour one liter of water and let it brew for 12 hours. After straining, 5 g are added to the mixture. green soap, after which the plants are treated with it. After a day, the remnants of the product must be washed off under a warm shower;
• you need dry crushed tobacco in the amount of half a glass, which must be poured with one liter of water and put on one day for insisting. The finished product should be filtered and an additional 1 liter of water added. Sick plants are sprayed with this infusion;
• need to take 50 gr. dry tomato leaves, add a glass of water and let the mixture stand for 3 hours. After filtering, water is added to the infusion to bring the volume to 1 liter. After that, the affected plant is sprayed with it;
• need to take 50 gr. fresh flowering celandine, which can be replaced with 100 gr. dry raw materials. To it you need to add 1 liter of water and let stand for a day. Next, the infusion is filtered and treated with plants;
• sometimes spraying may not work for thrips control. In this case, alternative treatment methods can be used. You need to take chopped garlic or turpentine, fill it with a small container and put it directly in a pot with a diseased plant. Then they put a plastic bag on top of the flower and wait for three hours.

Preventative measures

In order not to deal with thrips on the first day after buying a plant, you need to choose it very carefully. Arriving home, he should be put in a separate room and for two to three weeks to monitor his condition. To prevent pests from spreading to other plants in your home, you must regularly carry out the following activities:

It is not always possible the first time to completely destroy thrips. The fact is that after the measures taken, the larvae of this pest can remain outside the plant for a certain period of time, and subsequently can return again.

Therefore, it is recommended that from the very first day when a houseplant appears in your house, begin to take preventative measures so that you do not spend much time and effort on the fight against these pests.

The joy of growing indoor plants in a house can be overshadowed by pests.This is especially true of thrips, the larvae of which can cause serious harm to the flowers. Therefore, the first thing that every grower should know is by what signs these pests can be identified. It is equally important to know what methods of struggle can be used to destroy them.

Although today there are many effective drugs, but this process can be quite lengthy. Therefore, it is best if you start growing indoor plants with prevention, which will avoid such difficulties and save a lot of time.

Trips on indoor flowers: prevention and control measures

Almost everyone who planted any houseplant had a problem with insects. These pests are very different, they cause a different level of damage, and the conditions for their occurrence are also different from each other.

Trips can affect a wide variety of plants, most often and most of all it goes to flowers like dracaena, various palm trees, laurel, monstera, ficus, citrus fruits. In addition to leaf damage, viral diseases also appear, they are easily spread to still healthy plants that are nearby.

By sucking the juice, these insects literally destroy the indoor flower, depriving it of nutrients. If you do not start a fight with them in time, then the green pet will simply die.

Morphology and biology

So what is flower thrips? As we already said, this is a small insect, the length of which is usually one and a half millimeters, but there are adults with a length of up to two and a half millimeters. Their wings are folded behind their back, in a calm state they form a bright, narrow strip, which is barely visible.

Most of the insects hide among the stamens of the flower, in the axils of the leaves, so if you find the first signs of damage, inspect your plant very carefully. The sooner you take action, the better for your pet.

When deciding how to deal with thrips on flowers, you must first familiarize yourself with them and their biology in a little more detail. The biggest difficulty lies in their small size, several stages of development, and practically immunity to chemicals.

A single treatment of a plant can only slightly reduce the number of pests, but it will not work to completely remove them at once. Therefore, when fighting insects, it is recommended to break the entire period into several parts, gradually destroying pests.

The fight against thrips with the help of pesticides may also not succeed, as they perfectly adapt to any poisons. At the larval stage, insects are generally inaccessible, they are simply buried in the ground near the root system, where it is not possible to get them.

It usually takes two to three times the concentration of insecticides to cope with insects that are incredibly resistant compared to other pests. The most stringent measures are required here.

Damage

The detection of thrips on indoor plants usually occurs after the flower begins to look oppressed. The most dangerous at the same time are decorative, California, tobacco, greenhouse thrips, which are capable of transferring various viral infections between flowers.

The first sign of damage is pollen, which spills from the stamens onto the petals. But you should be careful, since such a phenomenon can occur in too hot weather, with the defeat of some types of ticks. It is easy enough to check, we tear off a few flowers and shake them over black paper, after which we examine the sheet.

The degree of damage can be different, it depends on the type of pest. For example, California thrips, as well as decorative, tobacco provoke not only on the leaves, but also on the flowers, the lesions are very similar to those that are applied by spider mites, circicum, flat-tick mites.

Flowers wither, quickly deform, covered with specks of black and white. The surface of the leaves is similar to a tissue that has been pierced with a needle many times. Pollen abounds on the lower leaves. Thrips can get into the apartment through open windows, along with bouquets that were brought from the open ground, with infected plants.

Garden flowers are also attacked by pests, even unpretentious gladioli (reproduction by seeds, children) and the well-known bearded irises can suffer from their destructive activity.

How to deal with malicious guests?

When thrips hit a plant, how to get rid of them becomes a priority issue. After all, I want to not only destroy all unexpected guests, but also save the flower while restoring its health. It is recommended to do this with systemic insecticides, after a series of treatments. Also during this period, it is necessary to remove peduncles.

Total processing is not required, insects are poisoned for three weeks, an interval of three through one. Apply hormonal agents that are chitin inhibitors. Of the pesticides you can recommend Pegasus for spraying, Regent for watering and spraying, Kiron.

There are more effective drugs, but their use can be dangerous for humans, cause allergic reactions, burns, so use them very carefully. These are Bi-58, Nurel-D, Marshal, Actellik.

Prevention

In order not to have to deal with very viable insects, follow the rules of prevention. Plants must be kept in appropriate conditions, they must be constantly watered, inspected the condition of the soil and trunk, leaves, petals. At the slightest suspicion of defeat, you should immediately establish the cause, not putting it off for later.

But even under all conditions, often the plants are still affected by this insect, try in this case to take all measures to get rid of your flower to remain healthy and beautiful.

We fight with thrips!

Tryps is one of the most common pests of decorative, agricultural and indoor crops. Perhaps, it will not be possible to name a single plant on which certain species of these insects would not feed.

In the conditions of large greenhouse farms it is almost impossible to destroy thrips. In the best case, their numbers are held back at a level that would not affect the marketability of the products (flowers or fruits).

The body of thrips is elongated, length from 0.5 to 14 mm (usually 1-2 mm). Mouth organs of piercing-sucking type. The legs of most species are slender, running. The paws have a tooth and a suction vesicular device. Development takes place as follows: egg, larva, pronymph, nymph, imago. Larvae and nymphs have several ages.

The coloring of adult insects is inconspicuous: black, gray and brown colors predominate. Larvae of thrips are white-yellow, grayish.

Identification of thrips species is difficult due to their small size and intraspecific variability. The most common are variegated, decorative, dracenic, rose, tobacco, bulb and some other types of thrips.

Several hundred species of small herbivorous thrips are now considered very dangerous pests of cultivated plants. They suck juice from leaves, flowers and fruits, carry viruses, and pollute plants with their secretions.

Many types of thrips are characterized by a hidden lifestyle and group development of larvae. Thrips can only be on one plant among a whole group, so it is difficult to detect the first foci of their appearance.

Nature of plant damage

Larvae and adult thrips suck out cell sap from plant tissue. Initially, this causes the appearance of yellow or discolored spots, stripes or a peculiar streak; gradually these strokes and spots merge.

Damaged plant tissue dies, holes form as a result; leaves fade and fall. Flowers lose their decorative effect and fall prematurely.

Thrips are also dangerous because they are carriers of dangerous plant diseases. Most thrips are polyphages, that is, they damage almost all plants.

Prevention

Excessive dryness of the air in the room or greenhouse must be avoided. It is recommended to periodically arrange for shower plants.

Regularly inspect the flowers and leaves of plants. On the underside of the leaf you can see light (white-yellow or grayish) wingless thrips larvae, which, however, are able to move very quickly. You can also find adults, a nondescript brownish or yellowish color, sometimes with transverse stripes.

Thrips are easily moved from the affected plant to healthy ones standing nearby.

Ways to fight

Thrips are especially resistant pests! Thrips multiply very quickly - at optimal temperatures for them (and for many species this is just room temperature - 20-25 ° C) they can double their number in 4-6 days.

If thrips is found on plants, it is necessary to examine adjacent plants, since thrips are easily moved to neighboring plants.

The place where the plants affected by thrips stood should be thoroughly cleaned, and the topmost layer of the soil mixture in pots should be removed from the plants treated with the preparations.

Before treatment with an insecticide, wash the plant in the shower. If at the moment you do not have an insecticide, then you can wash the plant with a sponge with laundry soap, however, this is a temporary measure, and it does not provide the removal of thrips!

Of the drugs you can apply the following:

Fitoverm: dissolve 2ml in 200 ml of water. To spray the affected plant with the resulting solution, after spraying, put a transparent plastic bag on the plant, the bag can be removed in a day.

Vertimek: dissolve 2.5 ml of the drug in 10 l of water. To spray the affected plant with the resulting solution, after spraying, put a transparent plastic bag on the plant, the bag can be removed in a day.

Agravertine: consumption rate: 5 ml per 0.5 l of water. At temperatures below +18 degrees, it penetrates poorly into plant tissues. To spray the affected plant with the resulting solution, after spraying, put a transparent plastic bag on the plant, the bag can be removed in a day.

Actelik: dissolve an ampoule in 1 liter of water (has a very pungent odor). To spray the affected plant with the resulting solution, after spraying, put a transparent plastic bag on the plant, the bag can be removed in a day.

Karate: consumption rate: 0.5 ml per 2.5 liters of water (in an ampoule of 2 ml).

Confidor: the solution must not be sprayed, but spilled on the substrate of the infected plant.

Karbofos: consumption rate: 15 g per 2 liters. water (packs of 60 and 30 grams).

Intavir: consumption rate: 1 tablet dissolved in 10 liters. water. To spray the affected plant with the resulting solution, after spraying, put a transparent plastic bag on the plant, the bag can be removed in a day.

Processing should be done at least twice with an interval of 7-10 days, since larvae gradually hatch from eggs laid in the leaves of the tissue.

Folk remedies

Various folk remedies help with a small lesion of the plant with thrips, but if the lesion is massive, then it is necessary to apply various systemic insecticides that penetrate the plant and act through the plant tissue on thrips.

In addition to insecticides in the fight against thrips, you can use predatory mites: Amblyseius cucumeris, Amblyseius barken, Amblyseius degenerans, predatory bugs Orius laevigatus, Orius majusculus.

Thrips on indoor plants. Treatment and methods of dealing with them

The beauty of indoor flowers pleases the eye not only of the owner of the apartment where they grow, but also of the guests. Very often, their appearance and continued existence becomes threatened in connection with the defeat of various pests. The most dangerous and common among them is thrips.

It is characteristic of him that he can arise on various plants, starting from the simplest, and ending with rare and collection varieties.

If tiny insects having a narrow, elongated body with two wings are seen on the leaves, then obviously this is thrips.

Signs of defeat

Almost all insects parasitizing on indoor plants are sucking. Thrips are no exception, with their thin proboscis they penetrate the leaf of the plant and suck out the juice from it.

How to determine if a plant is infected:

However, such a method will not bring results, since the thrips larvae, which destroy the leaves with great speed, are to blame. Plus, dirt accumulates on the flowers, which are the excrement of insects.

The most dangerous among a large number of varieties of thrips are tobacco, bulbous, omnivorous, decorative, dracenaceous, rosaceous and western floral. To determine which of them affects the flowers in the apartment is almost impossible.

Folk remedies and methods of plant treatment

It is very difficult to deal with pests of this type, and you will have to make a lot of efforts to save your plants.

The very first thing to do is to make a thorough inspection of the leaves of each flower, because thrips can be on one, or parasitic at all.

If diseased plants are found, then you need to arrange hygiene procedures for them - take them to the bathroom and wash them in the most thorough way.

If adults are concentrated on the leaves, they can be vacuum cleaned. Using cotton buds or a brush with soft bristles, remove the larvae. Those leaves that look very damaged should be removed, the peduncles also cut.

For most gardeners, removing flowers during the treatment of the plant is almost a tragedy. However, this is a necessity, since thrips greatly deplete indoor flowers, and during the flowering period they have to devote all their strength, which are already very few, which ultimately can only aggravate the situation.

When treatment with chemicals is carried out, such a procedure will very negatively affect the appearance of the flower. It will not be possible to save it, because the whole plant must undergo manipulation, otherwise the larvae along with the parasite eggs will remain alive and continue their development.

Flower pots need to be washed thoroughly, or purchased new ones. Places where the affected flowers stood should also be treated. Hanging Velcro for flying insects is effective. If some insects managed to escape, a trap awaits them.

Chemical Combat

Thrips are destroyed by the same insecticides as the spider mite. The following drugs have proven themselves well:

Preventative measures

The occurrence of thrips is prevented by regular preventive measures. Insects prefer arid soil, and if there is sufficient moisture, the pest will not remain on the plant.

Velcro, which are used as traps for insects, hung next to plants, will help protect them from various pests.

How to get rid of thrips on indoor plants?

Those who plant indoor plants often encounter their diseases or infection with parasites. One of the most common flower pests is thrips. These are small insects, very tenacious and prolific.

They live in large groups and are capable of causing great harm to indoor plants. Their danger also lies in the fact that thrips settle in the most secluded corners. Therefore, sometimes infection is noticed when it is already very difficult to save the flower.

What do they look like?

This is a small insect 1-2 mm in size. Flower thrips have a narrow elongated body and transparent wings. It is difficult to notice them; they usually live on the inside of the leaves.

Thrips are sucking insects. With a thin proboscis they pierce the leaves and suck out the juice from them. Since these pests live in large groups and multiply rapidly, they can quickly destroy the plant.

What plants do thrips appear on?

These insects are omnivores and live on any plants. Of their indoor flowers, they most prefer violets, ficus, lemons, begonias, roses, orchids and dracaena. Thrips cause particular harm to violets, damaging the flowers. The plant ceases to bloom, loses its decorative appearance.

The most favorable climate for insects is warm and dry air. They can appear in any house, but they actively breed most often where plants are not sprayed or rarely watered.

Signs of infection

Unfortunately, the presence of insects is often detected when the plant is already dying. They hide in the axils of leaves, pistils of flowers.

If you carefully examine the plant, you can find such signs of infection with thrips:

1. small brown spots on the leaves are the places from which the insects drank juice;
2. many leaves darken, die, become discolored or covered with gray stripes, they can also be covered with openwork mesh;
3. brown spots are visible on the underside of the leaf plate;
4. young leaves and shoots grow small and deformed;
5. flowers quickly dry and fall.

Why are they dangerous?

If you do not start fighting insects on time, they can completely destroy the plant. Thrips not only suck juice from leaves, leading to their death. They are carriers of dangerous diseases of flowers, for example, fungus.

Rapidly multiplying, insects spoil the decorative appearance of the flower and eventually completely destroy it. The plant fades, the leaves darken, lose their shape, the flowers fall.

The danger of these pests is that it is very difficult to notice them; they hide in the axils of the leaves or between the stamens of the flower. Larvae are generally buried in the ground, therefore, many methods of processing plants do not work on them.

How to fight?

If thrips are found on indoor flowers, you must immediately begin to fight them. First of all, it is necessary to inspect all plants and select those affected by parasites.
Thrips should be removed with a vacuum cleaner or by removing them with cotton buds.

All dry leaves and flowers need to be cut. Then you need to wash the plants well, preferably with a solution of laundry soap. The place where the flowers stood was also carefully handled.

If in this way it was not possible to cope with the pests, you need to treat the plant with an agent against thrips. With a small infection, you can successfully apply alternative recipes:

Drugs for destruction

If folk methods do not help or there are a lot of insects, you need to use special insecticides and chemicals. The safest and most effective is "Haupsin." It not only destroys thrips and their larvae, but also cures fungal diseases of plants.

It is possible to effectively deal with thrips on indoor plants with the help of such drugs:

• "Actelik";
• Agravertin;
• Fitoverm;
• "Karbofos".

They are bred in water according to the instructions and are used to treat the plant. It must be sprayed with a solution, and then covered with a bag and left for a day. After that, rinse the product well with warm water. It is advisable to repeat the treatment again after a week. In some cases, you may need to do this 3 or 4 times.

The effective destruction of all thrips and their larvae requires the use of complex control methods: washing, spraying, replacing the soil, watering.

Infection prevention

It’s easier to prevent thrips than to get rid of them later. Therefore, indoor plants need to be inspected often. Most often, flower thrips appear with insufficient soil moisture. Therefore, it is important to regularly water and spray flowers.

The land for them, collected independently, must be sterilized, since it may contain the larvae of these pests. For this, you can use special preparations "Nemabakt" or "Anthem-F".

In apartments located on the lower floors, thrips can fly into an open window. To catch insects accidentally caught in the house, you need to hang up special bright sticky traps. It should be borne in mind that adults move very quickly, and larvae can live outside the plant for a long time.

So that thrips do not sit on indoor plants, you can regularly spray them with decoctions of strongly smelling plants: marigolds, celandine, tobacco and others. They will not bring harm to flowers, and insects cannot tolerate this smell.

In order for indoor plants to always please the owners with a healthy and flowering species, it is necessary to pay more attention to them. Regular water procedures will help prevent infection by pests and save a person from a long struggle with insects.