This little buggers can destroy a whole plant in weeks if left alone.
The first few signs will be shimmery silver makings across you leaves.
You may also start seeing little black dots appearing on the top of the leaf surface. This is thrip pooh
If left untreated then it doesn't take long for them to build a huge colony and take over the plant.
They tend to eat away at the leaf tissue from underneath the leaf and you will find them huddling in between the leaf veins underneath. They do tend to venture across the leaf surfaces but when disturbed they will run and hid.
A bit about thrips.
Thrips (Order Thysanoptera) are tiny, slenderinsects with fringed wings (thus the scientific name, from the Greek thysanos (fringe) +pteron (wing)).[1] Other common names for thrips include thunderflies, thunderbugs,storm flies, thunderblights, storm bugs, corn flies and corn lice. Thrips species feed on a large variety of plants and animals bypuncturing them and sucking up the contents. A large number of thrips species are considered pests, because they feed on plants with commercial value. Some species of thrips feed on other insects or mites and are considered beneficial, while some feed onfungal spores or pollen. So far around 5,000 species have been described. Thrips are generally tiny (1 mm long or less) and are not good flyers, although they can be carried long distances by the wind.
How to treat them.
I usually collect a load of lady birds an leave them on the plant as thrips are a fine food source for them. (20 ladybirds will easily clear a plant in a few days.)
Plenty of ladybirds can be found outside but you can also buy them online if you struggle.
There are also chemical solutions such as neem oil which works great which is available in most garden centers.
If you find that you are battling with thrips grow after grow then consider where your air intake is positioned because thrips can fly but most of the time are carried on the wind an can easily be sucked into your grow room via you intake. A fine mesh will stop this but may also slow your intake down.
