How to get rid of thrips on indoor flowers? Flower thrips on indoor plants: photo of the parasite, how to fight it and prevent pests from multiplying Thrips on indoor plants: how to fight, photo.

Various pests cause serious damage to plants. Thrips appear suddenly on indoor plants and force gardeners to immediately look for detailed information about the pests, study their appearance from photos and wonder how to deal with them, because in the absence of adequate measures, the flower will die quite quickly.

Thrips (aka bladderlegs) are a large order of insects, most species of which cause significant damage to agricultural crops, as well as various indoor plants. More than 3 hundred species of these pests are common in our country.

The body of the pest is elongated, up to 2 mm, color varies (usually inconspicuous - light yellow, dark brown or black). Adults have 2 pairs of narrow wings with long hairs. Depending on the type of thrips, the length of the wings varies; some have no wings. The head has antennae consisting of segments (on average 9 segments). The mouthparts are piercing-sucking type. The size of the light yellow larvae is no more than 1 mm.

Mature individuals move very quickly thanks to 3 pairs of legs located in the thoracic region. Each foot has 1 tooth and 1 suction bubble-like device.

They reproduce actively, capable of doubling the size of their population in 4-6 days. Places for egg laying are flowers and leaf tissue. The offspring hatch after 10 days. The larva develops into an adult insect in 1-2 months. Because of this short developmental cycle, some species are able to produce several litters within a year.

These pests have habits characteristic of social insects. Like ants and termites, they work together to guard their eggs. In addition to sucking juice, thrips carry all sorts of viruses that are dangerous to plants.

The thrips themselves are not always immediately detectable. They are quite secretive and prefer to manage individual plants, gradually moving to others.

Discoloration of some leaves should raise suspicion among the grower. Also, in flowering plants, pollen intensively spills from the stamens onto the petals (the same phenomenon can be observed during hot weather and as a result of a spider mite attack).

If, upon examination, many small punctures are recorded (like from a needle on fabric), it means that they were made by thrips, which means they drank juice from the plant.

Brownish or brown spots can be seen on the lower part of the leaf blades. These are damaged areas. When oxygen enters plant cells, they often take on a silver color. You can also notice a sticky mark and brown-black dots (thrips feces) on the leaf, which contribute to the development of a disease such as sooty fungus.

A late sign of a thrips attack (if rescue measures have not been taken) is the falling of leaves and flowers, as well as bending of the trunk.

Home and chemical control methods

First of all, it is necessary to isolate the flower infected with thrips, replace the surface layer of soil and treat the place where the flower pot was previously located with a soap-alcohol solution.

Remember!

Although manufacturers offer many effective chemicals, not all of them will help get rid of the pest. There are several reasons:

• thrips hides in hard-to-reach places for penetration of sprayed substances;
• females lay eggs inside plant tissues;
• pupae often end up in the soil;
• eggs and nymphs have a protective covering that protects them from the effects of contact insecticides (they are best used on decorative foliage plants and various flowering species, but before the budding phase).

Can be used:

• Akarin and Fitoverm (toxicity class VI - low danger to humans and animals);
• Aktara, Inta-Vir, Konfidor Extra, Tanrek, Spintor, Agravertin, Karate, Bankol and Karbofos (III class - moderately dangerous);
• Actellik and Vertimek (Class II - highly dangerous).

The last two products are especially toxic, and Karbofos has a very strong and unpleasant smell. Therefore, processing should only be done outdoors. It is recommended to first use the more environmentally friendly biological product Fitoverm, and then the growth stimulator Epin.

Before treating with one or another insecticide, you need to wash the plant under a warm shower. The drugs must be used in personal protective equipment, having carefully read the instructions and recommendations of the manufacturers.

Spraying with preparations at temperatures below 18°C ​​is ineffective. The optimal temperature regime is 20-26°C. It is advisable to carry out the operation before noon and avoid direct sunlight on the leaves that are wet from the “chemicals,” otherwise the plant will get burned and the pesticide components will be destroyed under the influence of ultraviolet radiation. It is imperative to ventilate the room.

Using improvised means

In the initial stage of a plant being infected by a pest, you can try to get rid of it using folk remedies. For example:

All this can be used morning and evening.

Prevention

Each purchased plant must be thoroughly examined, and when it is found at home, it must be sent into isolation for 2-3 weeks of quarantine. Preventative treatment with an insecticide can be carried out. Inspection (preferably with a magnifying glass) should be regular, special attention should be paid to the lower part of the leaf plates.

Note!

Thrips love dry air, so you need to maintain optimal humidity in the room. It is advisable to periodically provide the plants with a warm shower, spray them daily or wipe the leaves once every 5 days.

Sticky blue or yellow traps hung around the perimeter will help you quickly detect the pest.

The source of thrips is donated and purchased bouquets of flowers. It is recommended to place them away from indoor plants.

Affected buds, flowers and inflorescences should be removed without regret. If there were pests on the plant, then it is necessary to replace the top layer of the soil mixture, as well as thoroughly clean the location of the pot.

What are thrips? What appearance do they have? It is quite easy to recognize these pests. They look like simple small insects. Thrips have an elongated body that is black, light yellow or brown. Adults have a pair of wings with long hairs. The larvae are smaller (their length does not exceed 1 mm) and have a light yellow color. Another sign that allows you to distinguish thrips from other pests is their speed of movement. Adults can move very quickly. They seem to be bouncing on their belly. Males and females differ in appearance. Male individuals have a more elegant structure. Their bodies are not that long. They can be painted in different colors. Thrips are most easily identified by their wings. In some species they are short, in others they are not at all.

Main characteristics

What is the danger?

Let's look at this in more detail. Most often, thrips infect flowers and buds of indoor plants. This is due to the fact that the basis of their diet is nectar and juice from leaf tissue. The big danger is that these pests multiply very quickly. They usually choose flowers and leaf tissue as a place for laying. New offspring appear after 10 days. It takes about a month for the larvae to develop into adults. It is during this period that the danger for the plant will be maximum, since as a result of its vital activity it can lose its attractiveness. Also, a weakened flower can be affected by viral diseases.

How to detect?

The fight against thrips on indoor plants is also complicated by the fact that they can move from one plant to another. The type of flower does not matter. Therefore, if during a visual inspection you find that some leaves have become discolored and there are barely noticeable dots on them, then most likely you have thrips on your indoor plants.

Please note that there may be brownish or brownish spots on the underside of the leaves. Damaged areas also become silvery. If nothing is done when the first signs of thrips activity are detected, the leaves of the plant may become deformed and die. In addition, insects are able to deposit sticky secretions on the leaves, which become a favorable environment for the development of sooty fungus.

To determine whether a plant is affected by a pest or not, you can use a photo of thrips. Insects are not picky about their food, but they mainly prefer begonias, violets, orchids, ficus, citrus fruits and roses. Violets suffer the most from the activity of thrips, since the insects almost completely destroy the anther of the flower.

Types of pests

The first descriptions of thrips date back to 1744. Today there is much more information about the species diversity of these pests. There are varieties that most often affect ornamental plants.

Let's look at them in more detail:

This issue deserves special attention. After we have figured out what thrips look like on indoor plants (the photo demonstrates this), we can consider the main ways to combat these pests. Having realized that indoor flowers are affected, it is necessary to urgently take action. The first step is to move the infected flowers to a separate room. You should be especially careful here. During transportation, the larvae may fall from the pot and be transferred to neighboring plants. Then you should remove the pests from the flower. To do this, it is moved under the shower. All indoor plants in the apartment should be treated with special preparations.

The following formulations can be used to combat thrips:

• "Inta-vir".
• "Fitoverm".
• "Mospilan".
• "Aktara".

To consolidate the result, a re-treatment should be carried out a week later. You also need to install special sticky traps around the perimeter of the plants.

Once you determine which pots have thrips in them, you will need to remove the top layer of soil from them, or better yet, replace all the soil. The roots are then washed. After this, the plant can be transplanted into fresh soil. All parts of crops on which pests were present should be thoroughly washed.

Folk remedies

How to get rid of thrips? Many gardeners prefer to use folk remedies instead of industrial chemical compounds. In the initial stages they can be quite effective.

The following products are suitable for controlling thrips:

1. Chopped onions and garlic are infused in a glass of water and the plants are treated every other day.
2. Dried marigold flowers are poured with 500 ml of water and left to infuse for two days. After this, the infusion is filtered and the plants are treated with it.
3. 50 grams of fresh dandelion roots or leaves are poured with a liter of warm water and infused for three hours. After filtering the prepared mixture, treat the affected plant.
4. 100 grams of chamomile are poured into a liter of water and infused for 12 hours. After filtering, add 5 grams of liquid soap to the resulting mixture. The solution is used to treat plants. The product is washed off after a day under a warm shower.
5. Half a glass of dry tobacco is poured with a liter of water and left to infuse for a day. The finished product is filtered and another liter of water is added to it. This infusion should be sprayed on the affected plants.
6. Pour 50 grams of dry tomato leaves into a glass of water and leave for three hours. After filtering, add up to a liter of water to the infusion. The prepared mixture is sprayed onto the affected plants.
7. Mix 100 grams of dry celandine with 1 liter of water and leave for 24 hours. After this, the solution is filtered and used to treat plants.

In some cases, spraying is not suitable for thrips control. Then you can use other methods of getting rid of pests. For example, turpentine or chopped garlic helps very well. They should be placed in a small container and placed directly in the pot with the diseased plant, covered with plastic wrap on top and left in this state for three hours.

Preventive actions

What are they? Now you know how to get rid of thrips on indoor plants. However, there are a number of preventive measures that can be taken to ensure that you never encounter this problem.

When choosing a plant in a flower shop, carefully check whether there are any traces of pests on it. At home, it is better to place a new flower in a separate room. You should be quarantined for a couple of weeks.

To prevent pests from spreading to other plants in the house, regularly carry out the following activities:

1. Inspect plants, paying particular attention to signs of pests.
2. Maintain an optimal level of humidity in the room.
3. Place sticky traps in the plant growing area.
4. Try to keep the culture clean.

Reprocessing

Pests on various plants

So how to recognize them? By what signs can you understand that thrips have appeared on indoor plants? How to fight, photos of pests and features of processing various types of plants - we will try to consider all these issues in more detail.

In this article, we looked in detail at what thrips look like on indoor plants, how to fight them, and photos of pests. If a number of conditions are met, you can easily avoid the appearance of this pest.

The beauty of indoor flowers pleases the eye not only of the owner of the apartment where they grow, but also of guests. Very often, their appearance and continued existence become threatened due to damage by various pests. The most dangerous and common among them is thrips.

If noticed on the leaves tiny insects having a narrow, elongated body with two wings, then it is obvious that this is a thrips.

Signs of plant damage

Many people think this phenomenon sunburn and try to remove the plant away from exposure to rays.

However, this method will not bring results, since they are to blame for this thrips larvae, destroying leaves with tremendous speed. Plus, accumulations of dirt appear on the flowers, which are insect excrement.

The most dangerous Among the many varieties of thrips are tobacco, bulbous, herbivorous, ornamental, dracaena, rose and western flower. It is almost impossible to determine which of them affects the flowers in the apartment.

Folk remedies and methods of treating plants for thrips

Pest control this type is very difficult, and you will have to make a lot of effort to save your plants.

If diseased plants are found, you need to arrange for them hygiene procedures- Take it to the bathroom and wash it thoroughly.

If the adults are concentrated on the leaves, they can be collected with a vacuum cleaner. Using cotton swabs or a soft-bristled brush, remove the larvae. Those leaves that look very damaged need to be removed, flower stalks also need to be cut off.

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

Plants that have been damaged by thrips needs to be transplanted, and collect the old soil in a garbage bag and throw it away.

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

Controlling thrips with chemicals

Thrips will be killed by the same insecticides that kill spider mites. The following drugs have proven themselves to be effective:

• Aktellik. It must be diluted according to the instructions. The treated plants are kept for 24 hours under a plastic bag;
• Agravertine. The solution is prepared at the rate of 10 milliliters of the drug per liter of water. The room where the flower will be processed must be warm. After treatment, cover with a bag for 24 hours;
• Fitoverm. Diluted similarly to Agravertine, the sprayed plant is covered with a bag for one day;

Can also be used for spraying indoor plants Karbofos, Karate, Intavir. Can be used as an aid Confidor. It is used to impregnate the soil. The treatment is repeated after seven days.

Sometimes it can be very profitable to purchase fertilizers on Aliexpress - there is a very large selection there, and there are really interesting items that are problematic and sometimes impossible to find here. Delivery from there is available all over the world, very often it is already included in the price of the product, so you don’t even have to calculate its cost for your region. The site is in Russian, so it won’t be difficult for you to understand it.

Also, in addition to fertilizers, there are a lot of other useful things for home gardening. For example:

• gardening tools - all kinds of secateurs, scissors, spades, hoses and much more.
• watering and irrigation - everything for watering: sprayers, hoses of different lengths, etc.

Preventive measures

Regular prevention will prevent the appearance of thrips. Insects prefer arid soil, and if there is sufficient humidity, the pest will not remain on the plant. Flowers must be inspected regularly, arrange for them to be sprayed and washing in the shower.

Velcro, which are used as insect traps, hung near plants, will help protect them from various pests.

Each apartment has indoor plants. Some people have few of them - one or two, others have many - a whole collection. Flowers make our home more comfortable and beautiful; some of them are believed to have magical properties. In addition, floriculture, in a certain sense, is also a kind of hobby for many. Some plant specimens are exotic and capricious. Achieving their beautiful decorative appearance or flowering becomes the meaning of life. However, the process of caring for flowers does not always boil down to watering and fertilizing. It happens that, out of the blue, plants begin to get sick and die. This is very disappointing. The reason may be pests; there are actually a great many of them. Sleek indoor flowers are simply a delicacy for them! This article will focus on thrips. Let's take a closer look at what they are and how to deal with them.

What do thrips look like?

These are small pests that are absolutely omnivorous. They drink the juice of both indoor plants and garden crops. And even just in front gardens they can very easily be. They are only a few mm long. The eggs are light in color, while the adults are dark, almost black. Thrips are quite mobile. To move around, they have several pairs of legs and even wings. They love it when it's dry and hot.

By the way, greenhouse crops can also be affected by them.

Thrips prefer, first of all, tender buds and flowers, then juicy leaves, and then they get to the stems.

How to spot thrips

At the initial stage they are not visible. They hide on the bottom of leaves or in buds. They drink juice or nectar and actively reproduce. This causes significant damage to the plant. It slows down its growth, becomes faded and lethargic. You may notice silvery patches or sticky mucus on damaged surfaces.

Thrips, among other things, are carriers of the fungus. What additionally weakens the indoor flowers chosen for living.

Where do thrips come from?

In fact, they can appear in an apartment in several ways.

• From the store on an infected new plant
• Store-bought soil may contain larvae
• They can fly onto the windowsill through the open windows.
• If you display flowers on a loggia or balcony in warm weather
• Wildflowers can have pests

How to deal with thrips

These pests are quite tenacious, but you can still cope with them. Depending on personal preferences, you can choose a folk remedy or chemicals. Or you can use a combination of these methods. It won’t be superfluous, as they say, and it certainly won’t do any harm!

Folk remedy

Spraying plants with brewed chamomile from a pharmacy at the rate of 200 grams per 1 liter of boiling water. Leave for several hours. Treat the plant in the evening and leave until the morning. Chamomile is a natural antiseptic.

Chemicals

In case of severe damage to indoor plants, it is best to use insecticide preparations such as

• Aktara
• Aktellik
• Vermitek
• Marathon
• Mospilan
• Fitoverm
• Fufanon

Dilute the preparations according to the instructions and treat the plants. Repeat the procedure 2-3 times with an interval of 7-10 days. This is guaranteed to kill all adults, their larvae and eggs. We treat with folk remedies and chemicals. During treatment, keep the flower separate from others. It is advisable to treat all plants that stood next to the affected flower for prevention. Wash the windowsill with soap. We wash the curtains.

It is also recommended to spray the soil with chemicals. It also contains eggs and larvae in large quantities. Or you can completely replace the soil with a new, disinfected one in a washed pot. In the second option, the roots of the plant are treated with chemicals.

Prevention of thrips

Of course you can, by following some simple rules.

• Maintaining humidity - the soil should not dry out, plants should be sprayed and washed in the shower regularly, you can use a humidifier
• Treat everything from the store - new plants, soil, drainage and pots
• Install mosquito nets and glaze the loggia or balcony

The more care and attention you give to your favorite flowers, the less likely they are to become sick or damaged by pests. Let your indoor plants delight you with their health and beauty for many years to come!

The color of adults varies from white and yellow to brown and dark brown. The larvae are similar in appearance to adult insects, but without wings. They usually do not exceed 1 mm in length. The color of the larval body varies from light yellow to grayish.

The food for thrips is plant sap. Because of this, they do not receive the amount of nutrients necessary for normal growth. As a result, their development is inhibited.

Reasons for appearance

For thrips to appear on indoor plants, certain conditions are required. Causes and ways of pest infestation:

• Penetration through open windows and doors from the street, from neighboring apartments. Thrips can be brought into the room through the window by the wind.
• Buying a flower with already contaminated soil.
• Bringing meadow flowers into the house or from a flower bed. There is always a chance that they are infected.
• Insufficient watering and dry air.

Signs of plant damage

Although thrips live in groups and have sizes that are easy to see, they lead a fairly hidden lifestyle and are well camouflaged. It can be difficult to immediately detect that a plant is infected.

Upon careful examination, you can detect a number of traces of pest activity:

• puncture points on leaves;
• brown and brown spots on the inside of the leaf plate, silvery ones on the outside;
• multiple brown spots along the edges of leaves;
• leaves become transparent, die and fall off;
• sticky traces of secretion on the surface;
• deformation of buds and stems.

How to fight: effective methods

If thrips are found on indoor plants, it is necessary to take measures to destroy them as quickly as possible.

General rules

To identify which flowerpots contain thrips, it is recommended to place sticky traps around their perimeter. Infected flowers must be isolated to avoid infecting other plants. You need to transport it carefully so that the larvae and adults do not fall out of the pot. But for preventive purposes, it is recommended to treat all plants in the house with a weak solution of fungicide.

Wash all parts of the infected plant in the shower. You can wipe the leaves and shoots with a cotton pad soaked in a solution of alcohol and water (1:1) or tobacco infusion. Then wash off the solution and leave the plant to dry.

Remove the top layer of soil, or better yet, replace it completely. Rinse the root system well. Transplant the flower into a new pot with disinfected soil. If the plant is flowering, then all flowers and buds need to be trimmed. Wash the location of the infected flowerpot with a solution of laundry soap and alcohol.

Chemicals and insecticides

Effective insecticides:

• Fitoverm- it is recommended to use it first of all as one of the safest means. Dilute 2 ml of the drug in 0.2 liters of water. Treat the plant. Repeat the procedure 3-4 times every 6-8 days. After spraying, put polyethylene on the flowerpot and remove it after a day.
• Confidor- dilute 1 g of product in 0.5 liters of water. Spray the plant and soil. As a rule, insects die after just a few hours. It is recommended to spill the soil with a weaker solution.
• Agravertine- dissolve 5 ml of the drug in 500 ml of water. Spray the diseased plant. Cover the top of the pot with a bag and remove it the next day.
• Mospilan- powder, which is diluted in water to obtain a solution (2.5 g per 1 l). Water the flower and spray it.
• Aktara- a powerful complex insecticide. To spray a plant, dilute 1 g of the drug in 1.25 liters of water, for watering the soil, 1 g per 10 liters. The optimal number of procedures is 3-4. The frequency of spraying is once every 10 days.
• Aktellik- a drug that is used for severe damage to flowerpots. Dilute 2 ml ampoule in 1 liter of water. Spray the plant and put a bag on top for 1 day. The product has a pungent odor, so treatment can only be carried out outdoors.

Chemicals work effectively if the air temperature in the room is not lower than +18°C, and preferably +25-26 degrees. Otherwise, processing may not bring the desired result. If after 2 procedures the thrips are not destroyed, it is worth replacing the drug. Perhaps insects have developed resistance to the active substances.

Safety precautions when working with chemicals:

• Use insecticides strictly according to the instructions indicated on the package.
• In summer, it is better to treat with chemicals outside, in winter - in the bathroom.
• During the procedure, protect hair, respiratory organs, and skin from chemicals.
• After treatment, you cannot immediately return the flowerpot to its place.
• Avoid exposure of the treated flowerpot to direct sunlight.
• If the chemical was used indoors, it should be well ventilated.
• After the procedure, wash your hands and face with soap. Rinse your mouth with water.

Folk remedies

If the infection has just occurred, the thrips have not yet had time to breed and severely damage the plant, you can resort to the help of folk remedies.

Proven recipes:

• Take 50 g of dry crushed marigolds. Place in a glass jar and add 0.5 liters of warm water. After 2 days, strain the resulting infusion. Spray affected plants.
• Grind 20 g of dry mustard leaves. Pour 1 liter of boiling water. Leave for 2 days. Before use, dilute the product with water (1 teaspoon per glass of water). Water the soil. Repeat the procedure for 3 days in a row, then every 3-4 days until the thrips completely disappear.
• Pour crushed dry tobacco (100 g) into hot, but not boiling water (1 l). Leave for 24 hours and strain. Dilute the resulting infusion with 1 liter of water. Apply treatment once a day in the morning only to the above-ground parts of the infected plant.
• Pour 50 g of fresh celandine or 100 g of dry celandine into 1 liter of water and boil for 5 minutes. Leave to infuse for 10-12 hours. Strain the product and treat the plants.

Indoor crops are treated with decoctions and infusions in the morning.

Pest prevention

Thrips are one of those pests that are difficult to get rid of as quickly as possible. Especially if they affect large areas of greenhouses and greenhouses. Therefore, it is better to prevent their appearance on indoor plants in advance.

• After purchasing a flowerpot, place it in a separate room for 2-3 weeks and monitor its condition.
• Inspect regularly for damage and pests.
• Maintain humidity 50-70%.
• Provide sufficient watering. The soil should not dry out.
• Periodically spray the plants with infusion of celandine or tobacco to repel thrips.
• Place sticky traps among flowerpots to kill adult insects.

Thrips are one of the most common plant pests. Their vital activity causes irreparable damage, as a result of which leaves, stems, flowers gradually wither, and plants die. It is necessary to regularly monitor the condition of indoor plants in order to promptly identify pests and combat them.

More useful information on how to deal with thrips can be found after watching the video: