Thrips
Thrips
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Little Long Bugs Moving Around, Pollen on Flower Petals
Rarity:
Rare
Warning Signs:
African Violets
Common Plants:
Squishing, Flower Removal
Easy Treatments:
Warning Signs
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Thrips are very rare. I have only had to deal with them on my African Violets and only when they are flowering.
Thrips like to eat the Pollen in your flowers. This doesn’t do any damage to the flowers or to the leaves of your plant. But, you don’t want to risk them spreading to other areas that you don’t want them.
The easiest way to tell you have Thrips is seeing them on your flowers. They look like tiny grasshoppers without the large back legs. They can be black or tan and are very fast, so you should be able to easily spot them moving around.
Another sign that you are dealing with Thrips is if there is Pollen on the petals of the flower under the Anthers. If you didn’t disturb the pollen, it is most likely Thrips. You can check by lightly tapping the Anthers (the bright yellow center of the flowers). If little bugs fall out when you do so, they are Thrips.
Treatments
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The easiest way to manage Flower Thrips is to remove the flowers. This will stop any population in its tracks. Just make sure to follow up with the plant to be sure none have decided to go for the leaves instead.
If you do not want to remove the flowers, squishing them is the only way.
You cannot use alcohol on the flowers because they are too delicate and it will ruin them. So, squishing by hand is the only way.
Thrips can be a little resistant to squishing I have found. So I like to use my fingers and press them from both side of the petal, then I roll them back and forth a bit. This exposes the parts that can be squished easier and will crush them.
You can do this with a toothpick however, it can be tricker. They are fast, which makes it hard to pin them under a toothpick.
I have not had trouble with any Thrips on my leaves so I do not have recommendations for Foliage Thrips at the moment. But I would imagine alcohol wiping - like with other pests - would work and using insecticidal sprays like Captain Jack’s Insecticidal Soap or All-Season’s Horticultural & Dormant Spray Oil mixtures would help treat them.
Please READ the DIRECTIONS on these to make sure to use them properly. This will help you gain faster control over the infestation.
Note: When applying just insecticides, you may have to use them multiple times before they are fully effective.
Side Note: Check out my Pest Page for more tips on how to manage pests!
For more Basic Care Tips:
Visit my General Care Tips page. It can give more basic tips for:
Discovering Light Levels - Watering Frequency - Fertilizing - and More!