Common crops affected
What is it?
Thrips are tiny (1–2 mm) elongated insects that feed by puncturing plant cells and drinking the contents. They favor flowers, buds, and tender new growth, and many species reproduce rapidly. Some thrips transmit damaging plant viruses as they feed.
How to identify it
- Silvery or whitish streaks and stippling on leaves and petals
- Tiny black specks (thrips droppings) on damaged surfaces
- Distorted, scarred, or discolored new growth and flowers
- Slender fast-moving insects when you shake a flower over white paper
Damage and how it spreads
Thrips feeding scars leaves and downgrades the appearance and value of flowers and fruit. Their role as virus vectors can be even more damaging than the direct feeding. They breed quickly and shelter inside buds and flowers, so infestations build out of sight.
How to control it
- Use blue or yellow sticky traps to monitor populations.
- Remove spent flowers and weeds that harbor thrips.
- Protect predatory mites and minute pirate bugs.
- Spray a natural contact insecticide, targeting flowers and new growth, and repeat to catch emerging thrips.
Recommended Vegalab solution: Spider Mite Control
Vegalab Spider Mite Control controls thrips within its mite-and-insect spectrum using natural plant oils, while MultiMite Control offers broader coverage where thrips occur alongside mites and other pests. Dilute at 1:500, spray thoroughly into flowers and new growth, repeat every 3–5 days, and avoid peak sunlight.
| Role | Product | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Primary control | Spider Mite Control | Contact miticide / insecticide |
| Companion / broader pressure | MultiMite Control | Broader mixed mite & insect pressure |
Preventing it next season
Monitor with sticky traps, manage weeds, and keep beneficials active. Healthy, resilient plants recover from thrips scarring faster with support from balanced nutrition and Armour Boost.
Claims and product availability vary by jurisdiction. Always read and follow the product label.