Thrips are tiny slender bugs with fringed wings. The insect feeds on other insects, but will also consume the buds and leaves of a plant, killing it in the process. If your plants have black specks on it or they look distorted, chances are you have a Thrips infestation.
Spraying chemicals in your garden can cause further damage to not only the plant but the environment. To control the pests, many gardeners have chosen a natural approach with predatory mites also known as Amblyseius cucumeris or Thrips predators.
These beneficial mites are tan in color and can be found on the veins of plant leaves or inside of flowers. Their females can lay up to 35 eggs during her lifetime and deposit 2-3 of her young a day attaching them to leaf hairs along the veins of the plant.
The eggs hatch in about 3 days, but the young nymphs do not feed until day 5 where they will begin consuming the eggs and larvae of thrips as well as pollen.
An adult mite predator will eat all stages of thrips and other harmful mites that may be lurking nearby. The adult predator is known to move quickly when capturing thrips. Once caught, they will pierce the skin of the thrips and suck them dry.
Thrips Predators work best in gardens and greenhouses before a thrips infestation can take over.
