Thrips are a type of small insect that can feed on plants and attack crops. The thrips can also wreak havoc in your home as well, especially if you have plants indoors. If you see small red bugs on your houseplants or notice that leaves are turning yellow and falling off rapidly, you might have thrips. These tiny pests may not seem like a big deal, but if left unchecked they can do an incredible amount of damage to your indoor plants and even the walls of your home. Luckily, there are some simple steps you can take to get rid of thrips in the house.
How To Get Rid Of Thrips Inside The House?
1. Clean up your home
Before you start tackling the little critters, it’s important to clean up your place. A home that is cluttered and messy is more likely to attract pests. Try vacuuming and dusting the house before you do anything else. If you have pets, make sure they are all taken care of as well, since pets can be carriers for pests.
2. Reduce the clutter in the home
If you have a cluttered home with lots of junk on the floor or in corners, these areas will attract pests like thrips and ants. Clear out any clutter to make your house a less attractive environment for these unwanted guests.
3. Kill off all insects inside your house
If you find that you have thrips in your home, it’s important to kill off all the insects inside. If you don’t, the pests will continue to multiply and spread.
4. Kill off all household pests
You may also want to check around your home for other unwanted creatures like ants, spiders, and beetles. These pests can be carriers of thrips as well, so killing them off will help eliminate this problem as well.
5. Get rid of any weeds or plants that are attracting these pests
If your house is full of plants, it could be attracting some unwanted guests like the thrips and ants. To get rid of these pests, you’ll need to remove these plants from your home or kill them off entirely. You can even use a bug spray or insecticide on any plants that are in your house that could be attracting these unwelcome visitors. You may also want to consider getting rid of any weeds in your yard as well since they can attract bugs too!
6. Kill off any other pests that are in your home
As you go through your home, look for any other pests like spiders, wasps, and flies that could be in the house with the thrips. You may also want to check around the yard for any critters that have made their way into your home.
7. Eliminate all sources of water inside the house
If you have a leaky faucet or pipes in your house, it can help attract these unwanted guests as well. To get rid of these pests, you’ll need to find and fix all leaks or replace any pipes that are leaking so they don’t leak water anymore. You can also install a dehumidifier to remove moisture from the air in your home so pests won’t want to live there anymore!
How To Identify Thrips
- Thrips are small insects that are reddish-brown in color. Their bodies are small, ranging from one to three millimeters long.
- Adult thrips have wings and can fly, but they do not do so very well. Most of the time they will crawl on or around plants when they want to feed or reproduce.
- Thrips lay their eggs on plant leaves and stems, often clustered together in a small cluster, and these clusters may be seen protruding from the leaf canopy when thrips are present on your plants.
- Thrips are not parasites and are not known to cause disease in plants or humans; however, if you see them on your plants, it’s best to remove them as soon as possible because they can cause damage to your plants as well as other houseplants if left unchecked.
- Thrips can be a problem indoors year-round; however, populations tend to rise during certain seasons of the year due to favorable conditions for thrips: hot weather with lots of humidity and low light levels.
Killing Thrips With Neem Oil
- Remove the dead plant and put it in a plastic bag.
- Pour 1-2 tablespoons of neem oil into a quart mason jar or spray bottle.
- Shake the jar or sprayer until the oil is evenly dispersed throughout the mixture, then dip a cotton swab into the mixture and rub it on any trips that you see on your plants.
- Repeat this process as necessary to keep your plants free of thrips, or you can use this mixture to treat other areas where you suspect thrips may be present, such as around windows, baseboards, and window sills.
- Keep your plant in a plastic bag for at least 3 days before returning it to its normal location in your houseplants area, or for 7 days if treated for other pests as well.
The Importance Of Good Venting
- Ventilation is the first step in getting rid of thrips. To do this, you need to make sure that the plants you have in your house are not packed too tightly together and have adequate ventilation. Thrips are attracted to light and they will feed on leaves or flowers that are exposed to the light, so it is important that your houseplants are not located near each other. You should also make sure that there is good airflow in your home so that there is a way for the heat from your furnace to escape out of your home and into the outside environment.
- The next step you can take to get rid of thrips is to spray them off with a solution of dish soap and water. This will kill any eggs or nymphs that might be hiding underneath leaves and flowers, but if you notice adult thrips in your house then you may need to use something else instead like insecticidal soap. If you do decide to use insecticidal soap, make sure it does not contain petroleum distillates or oils because these ingredients can harm humans as well as pets and plants.
- Finally, if the thrips are still present after following all of these steps, then there may be some other conditions at play that need addressing like humidity or temperature regulation issues in your home. It’s best to contact an exterminator who has experience with indoor pests before taking further action.
Diatomaceous Earth Treatments
- Diatomaceous earth is the most effective natural treatment for thrips. Diatomaceous earth is made from fossilized remains of microscopic creatures called diatoms. It has long been used as a natural pesticide for pests such as ants, fleas, and mites. Diatomaceous earth works by dehydrating the thrips, killing them, and making them easier to remove from your home.
- The easiest way to use diatomaceous earth is to spray it on plants that are infested with thrips. You can also dust plants with it or sprinkle them on top of the soil where you want to place your new indoor plants. Be sure not to use too much, however, as too much can cause damage to your plant’s leaves and stems.
- To get rid of the dead insects in your home, you can douse any infested areas in diatomaceous earth and let it sit overnight before vacuuming up or washing off any remaining dust with water or vinegar. You should do this procedure once per week until you no longer see any insects in your home again!
- You can also buy diatomaceous earth at most garden centers or online stores for about $5 per quart jar of the product itself. There are also many brands of diatomaceous earth on the market that claim they are more effective than others; if you find one that works well for you, stick with it.
Conclusion
Thrips are a common insect pest that can cause a lot of damage to your indoor plants. Fortunately, there are a few steps you can take to get rid of thrips and prevent them from coming back. You can identify thrips, kill thrips with neem oil, increase the ventilation in the house, use diatomaceous earth, or use a chemical spray that is safe to use indoors. No matter what method you choose, it is important to take action against thrips so that they don’t cause too much damage to your indoor plants.
