N
InsightHorizon Digest

What can I use for thrips

Author

James Bradley

Updated on April 10, 2026

Greenhouse thrips is readily controlled with thorough application of contact sprays such as horticultural oil, natural pyrethrins (plus piperonyl butoxide), or insecticidal soaps to the underside of infested leaves. Repeat applications may be necessary.

What is the best product to kill thrips?

  • Nature Good Guys’ Live Ladybugs. Inviting beneficial insects that prey on thrips into your garden is one of the safest and most effective ways to rid of them. …
  • Monterey’s Spinosad Spray. …
  • Dyna-Gro’s Neem Oil. …
  • Natria’s Insecticidal Soap. …
  • Valent Safari’s Dinotefuran.

What home remedy gets rid of thrips?

Safe, smothering insecticidal soaps made from naturally occurring plant oils and fats, are also effective for knocking down heavy infestations (and won’t harm most naturally occurring beneficial insects). Spinosad and neem oil can be used to spot treat heavily infested areas.

What is the best way to get rid of thrips?

Use blue sticky traps: Use these traps are helpful for controlling adult thrips. Spray: If an infestation is out of control, you will have to spray with an insecticide. Use a pyrethrin spray or another type of oil-based spray. This type of spray combines an insecticide with fatty oils to smother and poison thrips.

What to spray on plants for thrips?

Mix the neem oil with water and apply it to the plant with a spray bottle, letting it rest for 5-10 minutes, and then wiping the leaves clean afterwards. For serious infestations that are undeterred by neem oil, an insecticidal soap is a stronger treatment option to consider.

How do you use Azamax for thrips?

– Gallon size foliar application: In a gallon, mix 2 oz of Azamax + a wetting agent with RO water. Shake and apply. Wait 4-5 days and then re-apply with 3 oz per Gallon + a wetting agent with RO water.

Does spinosad kill thrips?

Spinosad kills thrips when ingested, and has only limited effects on beneficial pollinators and predatory insects. Spinosad can be more effective than horticultural oils or insecticidal soaps. It is typically applied as a foliar spray and should only be applied once or twice a year.

Why do I keep getting thrips?

How did I get thrips? Thrips feed on vegetation and often enter a structure when residents bring in infested plants by mistake. … Thrips are tiny and hard to spot until after they cause damage to the plants they feed upon and their fecal matter deposited on the leaves of their host plants is noticed.

What does a thrip look like?

Adult thrips are slender and tiny, at 1 / 50- to 1 / 25-inches long. … The nymphs look like even smaller adults, though they tend to be light green or yellow rather than darker colors. Their wings are also not fully developed, and they sometimes have red eyes. Thrips appear to be tiny dark slivers on your plants.

How do I get rid of thrips in my lawn?

Insecticidal soaps or insecticides may be necessary for moderate infestations. A product such as Safer Soap applied heavily on all surfaces of the plant will kill what’s on your plant and discourage new thrips from moving in. For a slightly more potent combination, mix some neem oil with some of your insecticidal soap.

Article first time published on

Where do thrips lay eggs?

Thrips eggs are lain on or in soft tissue. Most of the pest species actually lay their eggs inside the plant, in a small wound.

Will Sevin spray kill thrips?

Signs/Damage: Thrips damage plants by rasping and slicing plant tissue and feeding on oozing sap. … Sevin® Insect Killer Ready to Use simplifies treating individual plants and small garden areas. The adjustable nozzle lets you select a direct stream or a broader spray.

Will peroxide kill thrips?

To reduce the potential for thrips returning in your next crop, treat the floor and other surfaces with hydrogen peroxide, which even kills the thrip pupae.

Does AzaMax work for thrips?

Use AzaMax™ as a soil drench for effective control of soil-borne insect larvae, including soil-borne larvae of foliar pests, such as fungus gnats, nematodes, or soil borne thrips. When applying as a drench, avoid excessive leaching.

How do you mix AzaMax?

  1. Foliar Application: Mix 1 to 2 oz. per gallon of water depending on pest levels. …
  2. Soil Drench: Mix 1/2 to 1 oz. per gallon of water and apply every 10-14 days. …
  3. Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Some links may be affiliate links.

Is AzaMax safe?

A. Yes, AzaMax® is made with organic ingredients and will not harm your kids or pets. AzaMax® is Safe to Pets, Human beings, Pollinators, Parasites, Predators, Beneficial insects, Honeybees, microbial and Environment, if used according to the product label.

Can you use AzaMax in hydroponics?

Hydroponics: Add 5 to 8 oz per 10 gallons of reservoir size. Agitate the mixture thoroughly until the product is thoroughly dispersed. Make 2-3 applications at 10-14 day intervals until the pest pressure has ended. With high insect pressure applications make applications every 5 to 7 days.

Does neem oil work on thrips?

Neem oil is an effective knockdown spray and one of the best sprays for garden thrips control. … Use as a thrips control spray for severe infestations. PFR-97 has shown great results controlling thrips and other soft-bodied insects, especially in greenhouses or indoor settings.

How can I tell if my plant has thrips?

  1. Tiny, rice-like flecks on your plant that are barely noticeable to the naked eye.
  2. Mature plant growth may become deformed.
  3. Foliage has tiny, discolored spots (or stippling) from thrips feeding on the plant.
  4. Feeding damage can also cause leaves to develop a silvery appearance.

How can you tell the difference between fungus gnats and thrips?

Western flower thrips may cause leaf scarring, distorted growth, sunken tissues on leaf undersides and deformation of flowers. Flowers and leaves have a characteristic “silvery” appearance due to the influx of air after the removal of plant fluids. Fungus gnat larvae cause leaf yellowing, plant stunting and wilting.

How often should I spray for thrips?

Spray With Pyrethrin Pyrethrin is a natural pesticide derived from the flowers of certain types of chrysanthemum flowers. Spraying plants with two applications of pyrethrin applied three to four days apart will treat serious infestations of thrips.

What do thrips eat?

Thrips are primarily phytophages; that is, they eat plants and parts of plants, such as pollen, flowers, leaves, fruits, twigs, or buds. They consume flower heads of daisies and dandelions.

How do you stop thrips from biting?

To help keep active thrips from biting, 100% DEET will keep them off treated skin. Use it on arms, legs and necks to keep them away. 100% Deet is strong enough to remain active all day and will repel any flying pest. A longer lasting repellent are BUG BANDS.

Will thrips bite humans?

Adult and larval thrips can bite people (Bailey 1936) and cause welts and rashes or other dermal reactions (Lewis 1973). … It is helpful to educate people to the fact that some thrips species can bite humans. Such biting does not result in any known disease transmission but skin irritations are known to occur.

Can you wash away thrips?

The first is to use a spray of water to wash off any thrips on your plant. Keep a close eye on the plants and repeat this regularly. If this doesn’t work, or if you want to try a spray, both insecticidal soaps or neem oil sprays are safe and effective methods.

Will Triazicide kill thrips?

Spectracide Triazicide Once & Done Insect Killer Concentrate is labeled for thrips.

What is Sevin spray used for?

Sevin kills lawn and garden invading insects including damaging Japanese beetles, ants, aphids, caterpillars, squash bugs, spiders, and many more listed on the label. This product can also be used as a home perimeter treatment killing bugs outside before they come inside.

Does rubbing alcohol work on thrips?

Mix 1 part rubbing alcohol to 7 parts water and spray it on plants affected by aphids, mealybugs, thrips, whiteflies, etc. The alcohol will melt the protective wax that covers certain insects and dries the soft body parts of others, leading to their death.

Can you treat thrips with rubbing alcohol?

With a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol, gently wipe off the leaves. Mist plant twice a day. Continue until they are gone.

How do I use hydrogen peroxide on my plants?

Mix equal parts 3% hydrogen peroxide and distilled water. Use a spray bottle to thoroughly soak the infected plants. Make sure to get the undersides of the leaves. Spray once a week or after it rains.