How to Kill Thrips, Spidermite, and Fungus Gnats the EASY way.

[@sihakrios6764]

omg, that video came in perfect timing. I just have ordered 45 sachets of the cucumeris. This will be the first time for me using beneficial insects. I choose it, because I'm so over the thrips, and of poisoning in my home. I have around 150 plants I think, besides cati, and I seriously can't do the spaying, viping, showering over and over again. I takes the fun out of this hobby! Now the beneficial insects are my last try to figure out, if I am able to hold my plant collection as it is, or I have to get rid of the most species. I don't care about tiny bugs on my plants, and I don't care if I need to spend 50€ a month to be able to keep my plants pestfree. I do care about my hobby, my plants, and what they can give me back, and how much fun it is or can be without a pest nightmare. So thank you Pam 😊, I really hope these tiny bugs will change my current perspective of my plant collection.

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

I hope so too Siha!! It’s absolutely a mental health thing at a certain point of infestation! I would have released actual demons in this house if I thought it would have helped at a certain point 🤣

[@thedude5599]

Anystis Baccarum is the best for thrips. expensive but amazing.

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

I’ve not heard of those before but “whirligig mite” is a fantastically silly name

[@juzzme3051]

i ordered those beneficial insects and didn't even do a thing. I saw them passing the thrips. waste of $60

[@Prometheuss.cannabis.corner]

The problem with mites is the damage has been done. If there's webs your plant has millions of mites sucking your plant dry. IMHO they will never recover completely. When you add the time, money and stress related to battling mites isn't worth it! Git rid of anything you see with spider mites.

[@KristinKreates]

I came for pest advice, but I would just sit here and watch your kitty cat ❤️ He/she is just precious!

[@angelicadominguez7608]

I was under the illusion that I was lucky to never had pests, boy was I wrong! 😅 Oh, the good ol’ days, ignorance really is bliss! I’m now a hover plant mom, but I haven’t seen any pests in a while which makes me very nervous…like the calm before the storm. I’m really considering ordering predatory mites, I think now is the best time to prevent a huge infestation. Great tips, thank you!! 😊 Really appreciate your advice, and LOVE your videos! 💖🪴💖

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

The best time is definitely BEFORE you need them! I know just what you mean about that unnerving calm because you just know as soon as you turn your back it’s gonna be mealybugs on thrips on mites 😅

[@sherrykumar2883]

This was great Pam, one of the best explanations I’ve seen. Thank you for sharing this information and your experience.

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

Aw thanks Sherry! That’s great to hear 🥰

[@kimr4741]

Love the cup idea! i was using little plant plates and its a clunky pain, but that's brilliant i almost cant wait for my next order of bugs haha!

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

I forgot to add my Patron thank you screen, so THANK YOU PATRONS YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!

[@ashakabeta]

Hello! This is the 2nd video of yours I've watched. I'm still in the beginning of this one, but had to pause to say, Thank You!! For sharing your personality with us!! You have a comforting energy, and I need that right now as much as I need the information. I'm sure you understand.. Thrips. My first experience..except I'm betting these are the little shts that ruined plants when I was younger, causing me to believe I just couldn't have any. I'm fighting now.. it helps me to prioritize which I love, which I can live without... Which I'm willing to fight for, and those I have to say goodbye to. I did break too. I'm using the bonide systemic. I'm way sensitive to many chemicals, especially pesticides! So this has been absolutely terrifying in every way! I'll proceed with the video now, after I send you virtual hugs and thank yous!

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

Hello! Firstly my condolences for your thrips struggle, it’s so discouraging and frustrating!! I have also broken and started using systemic because I didn’t have the funds for more predator insects when I needed to reapply. It seems to be working on some plants but not others, so I’m going to reapply this week. Ugh, I just want to win the fight! 😅 People tell me often they like my personality on here and it’s just the nicest thing to say, so thank you, especially since I believe the DSM calls it a “disorder” 🤣

[@simoneglorie553]

Thank you for the video! At approximately 8:20 I fell over laughing “I don’t know what kind of minimalist space those plant parents are living in”🤣❤️Absolutely my thoughts when that advice is given. I have been thinking about IPM for a while! Excited to try it

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

Like I got 10 spare feet of flat space for three plants 🤣 I hope it works out for you! It’s really given me back a lot of time I used to waste spraying!

[@juliealexander7948]

I am so happy to see someone else with a cat baby 😄 My youngest does the same ❤ Regarding thrips, I really struggle finding beneficial insects in IE, which is a shame because I would definitly prefer those over pesticides that may be toxic to my pets.

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

😂 I also get very excited when I see other cat babies doing the “baby flip”. He’s such a weirdo.

[@amybillotte8440]

Transition to baby holding melts my heart 💕

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

I’m glad he asks politely now, he used to just stick a claw into my collarbone like a grappling hook and flip himself 😅

[@dawnhood3666]

Great video, thanks for packing it full of info.

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

Thanks for watching, Dawn!

[@alwayspropagating9146]

Perfect timing! I just released A. Cucumeris and the Nature's Good Guys mite mix. I may have also bought green lacewings and then chickened out when I discoveree the larvae bite. I hope they can find something to eat outside this time of year other than each other. I definitely should have done more research before hand.

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

I definitely added rove beetles to some of my pots with nematodes in them without thinking the beetles would eat the nematodes 😅 live and learn

[@kriskrischi7571]

I didnt see this! Why aren't your vids popping up anymore?! Great video! I went the pesticide route when I got thrips, lol. I used the Bonide Houseplant Systemic and it worked great. There's only one or 2 plants they try to come back on after 5 months. But then I just treat with insecticidal soap, repeatedly and the systemic again. Glad to see that Black Pagoda I gave you is doing great!😉

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

I think because I had a few months of low posting I’m being eternally punished. Consistency demands from KZbin are very awful when you’re a neurodivergent mess 😅 Black pagoda is killing it. I don’t think I killed any you sent yet 😃

[@kriskrischi7571]

@@PamsPrettyPlants Fantastic! Great to hear they're doing great for you! My black Pagoda had gotten huge and now needs a hanging basket, lol.

[@a.girl.has.many.plants3743]

Thanks for this info. I am so glad you got rid of your pests I know its been a long, grueling journey dealing with those lil jerks. Always love seeing your “dum-dum” whenever he appears. 😂

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

Definitely a long battle!! Thank you!

[@Weirder_the_better]

Super informative and helpful! Thank you so much, Pam. I forget the name of your black cat but he is just so adorable and cuddly.

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

That’s Duncan, the clingiest cat I’ve ever had 😂💚

[@Weirder_the_better]

@@PamsPrettyPlants I love him so much! Haha. And you, of course!

[@danacarlson6425]

Ugh. I wish I would have found this video before I sprayed several plants with Captain Jack's! I'm saving this for future reference. Very informative!

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

Good luck with the battle Dana!! I hope things are looking up!

[@cucar8363]

How long they will stay around?

[@melissawilson3729]

Awe the furbaby wanted to be held. Thats so sweet lol. I have gnats and thrips. I lifted one of my succulents (tokyo sun sedum) and i saw tiny white bugs fall from underneath. Ive seen thrips in that exact plant before and i sprayed it w/ insecticide but it didnt work obviously. Now im seeing them on my monstera Andsonii, my other succulents, and my propagated succulents. I've been using DE powder too, but i think i need to try the little nemoid. insects to get rid of them. I was ready to throw all my plants out too. Im so sick of them. Do the small insects that you added to your plants, do they die on their own? After they attack all the gnats and other pests? Or do they keep on living in your plants?

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

Once their food supply is gone, they’ll die off. The little white bugs in your soil might be springtails or other fungus eaters too, if so they’re good guys but I know it’s a bit creepy! They thrive in moist soil so letting the soil dry out might help too. Good luck!

[@ccc919]

Hi. Great video. I live in hot humid weather. Can I still use these on my outdoor plants?

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

Sorry I'm just getting to this but yes you can use them outdoors, they tend to be used more in greenhouse situations but there's no real reason you CANT use them outside just be aware they may wander off sooner than they would in an enclosed place

[@allyhassler3408]

Question? Is this something that can be done on a lower scale to prevent pests? or is this for only after it’s noticeable and out of hand?

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

It’s actually a lot less effective when things are out of hand. It’s been a while since I filmed this I cannot remember if I knew this at the time but it’s recommended to use beneficials after you’ve knocked the population down some. Since this video I started using pesticides for a round of cleaning/treatment, and then bringing in the “maintenance crew” to make sure everything that hatches gets taken care of. Just be mindful of leaving things like neem oil on the leaves as it’ll hurt the good guys as well. You can use systemic and beneficials because systemic poisons the leaf suckers/chewers whereas the beneficials only eat the pests. I hope this is helpful!

[@ScottGrowsanAvocadoTree]

This was great! I haven’t tried an insect approach before but I need to look into it as my current approach is “how much do I like this plant? Will I miss it if I just turf it?” 😂 Also, always love a Duncan appearance. 🐈‍⬛

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

My tolerance for composting fussy plants has certainly gone up with every passing year 😅

[@greentape7817]

Ah, thank you, so informative. My thrip-ocalypse seems to be on the wane but I KNOW those SOBs are neither gone nor forgotten, and since I cant get systemic pesticides in Canada, this may very well be my next plan of attack when they inevitably kick up again. I had always kind of associated the idea of beneficial insects with bugs *flying around* in my living space and that was sort of a deterrant, but I think I could handle what you are describing here. If I can let a spider live its best life on the ceiling, I can handle little employee mites solving my thrip problems without me having to micromanage!

[@skully6223]

This comment had me dying!!! And I'm glad to know I'm not the only weirdo that "saves" spiders instead of killing them when I find them inside...I try my best to somehow scoop them up and take them outdoors. Besides, I'm sure i eat 10-15 a year in my sleep anyway, so i can take the time to move them outdoors! Anyway, thanks again for the laugh and good luck killing those pests!!

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

Lazy plan = the plan for me

[@kmarshall53]

I saw it - good information!

[@ulla.umlaut]

I did lacewing larvae in the spring last year and plan to again this year. We only saw two adults inside, but I did find eggs on a plant in my porch in the fall, so they must have been hanging around. I'm definitely putting in flowers adult green lacewings like outside so they hang out around my house as much as possible - I think I've had some spring spider mite issues outside as well. Plus is that lacewing eggs and larvae are cheaper and seemed easier to ship, but I definitely shell out for predator mites in the fall as I bring outside plants in as a preventative measure.

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

That is all good to know! Maybe I’ll give ‘em a go sometime. They’re so pretty 😍

[@blackburned]

Excellent information and omg what a cute cat 😍

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

I love that cat more than is probably healthy 😅💚

[@EpreTroll]

Omg yes. Horrible. Half my plants in the house got infected with thrips. I brought in rododendron propogations and they probably came in that way. A beautiful orchid and multiple other precious plants i cared for for years are now almost beyond saving. Im at a loss. I hope this will save just a few..

[@caseym9656]

Thanks for the nematode suggestion! My seedlings are crawling with fungus gnats. We’ve got something going on with our pot plants that is killing them. I don’t see any pests so maybe it’s in the soil.

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

They’re awesome! You just have to make sure the soil doesn’t dry all the way out so they live a long time and you’ll be gnat free ✨

[@greggiepooh]

I relate so hard to your minimalist lifestyle comment. Like if a plant can fit on it then it will!

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

I’m trying to forget I even have walls over here 🤣

[@Kat_plants_yaaaa]

And I’m here looking at my cats telling them “SO HOW COME YOU GUYS NEVER WANT ME TO PICK YOU UP?”

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

Careful what you wish for he does this all night and all day 😂

[@MiscellaneousMichelle]

💚

[@travelingmertonandsue]

Thanks for the info...really helpfull.✌😎👌

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

So glad to hear! Thanks for watching!

[@kimknight6776]

If you are fighting thrips, I definitely recommend SF nematodes as well as a thrips predator, this will help IMMENSELY because the thrips pupate in the soil and the SF nematodes will eat them up and break that cycle. Also if you are totally effed with spider mites, it's worth the time and effort to rinse the plants with a strong stream of water to knock down the population a bit while you wait for your beneficials to arrive in the mail. I'm excited to be trying lacewing eggs soon; I am not squeamish about (good) bugs though...and my 20 year old cat is too old to see them anymore lol

[@richardjasonminehart3198]

I had a senecio that I noticed (at night) tiny yellow mites on. At first I panicked, but over time I noticed the plant was growing nicely and seems to be unaffected. Now I'm thinking this plant came with beneficial mites?! Not usually my luck but I will take it. My nemesis seems to be mealy bugs, I can't even with them anymore.

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

It’s very likely! If they were moving fast and you could see them, I bet they were beneficials the nursery uses!

[@thewilsontribe8]

Thank you for the info ☺️

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

Thanks for watching! 😁

[@laureltownley1817]

I’m feeling empowered. 💪

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

GET EM!

[@debs_boho_jungle]

Hi Pam thanks lady, this was a well explained informational fun video. I’m at the point where I need to do this.

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

I sleep well at night picturing mites biting the heads off thrips. 😍

[@brendaschirf9778]

I do the mixed mites and lady bugs by the thousands. My hubby thought I was crazy at first but he agrees, it’s better than nasty chemicals. My collection is somewhere over 1000. I don’t have time to be wiping and spraying and all that crap!!!!

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

Omg yeah no way in hell would I be washing a thousand plants 😂

[@CanielDonrad]

I have a couple different types of predator mites, nematodes and Synacra wasps(who actually populated naturally). I never get gnat explosions anymore lol. I still need to look into some other predators. But so far Ive never had an outbreak to keep them populated with. In the summer I do find lady bug nymphs in my houseplants which is always fun.

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

That’s so cool! I’ve only seen lady bug larvae once and I’m glad the person I was with knew what they were cause I’d never have guessed lady bug! 😂

[@SafinazAttia-k7z]

I have indoor plants, not sure if it’s thrips or not but most of the plants look almost exactly like what you’ve said + I saw red spiders growing suddenly everywhere on my plants, I did literally everything like neem oil , pesticides and so on.. they became more fresh now, looking more healthy and the spider net almost somehow gone after 1 month Buttt… The big issue now is i feel my house got infected, i can see really super tiny white insects literally everywhere and on my body.. and they bite !! It leaves a red mark with a tiny dot in the middle on my skin for like 1 hour. I can only see with the mobile camera with 7x zoom and higher and sometimes it feels like there are millions of them in the air. I’m super tired now, did almost everything with the cleaning and tons of pesticides. The plants are already isolated but i not sure what to do. Any advice plz ?

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

Hmmm the super tiny white bugs and webs is for sure Spidermite. They can’t live very long off a plant, they’d have nothing to eat on your body or carpet, etc so try not to worry too much about that. Regular vacuuming and cleaning would handle any strays. If you’re feeling like something is biting you- that might be something else or you’re doing what I do to myself- I can think my way into getting hives (which is what it sounds like you’re describing… red spot with a white bump in the middle) if I feel like I have bugs on me. If it’s happening mainly at night, that might be a hormone triggered histamine issue. Sounds silly but it’s real, our hormone change at night and can cause itching and hives. I have to take Benadryl at night for this issue. You could also be allergic to something you’re treating your plants with, I’d get some rubber dish gloves and see if that helps. Once you’re regularly seeing webs, it is a severe infestation and you have already been treating and isolating so at this point I’d consider: is this worth the stress or can I just buy a new plant? For anything common and under $30… just toss it if you can afford a replacement. If you really want to save that plant, I’d consider taking a propagation of the plant, rooting in water and spraying regularly with neem for spider mite or Captain Jacks Spinosad for thrips (once a week) instead. You can toss the rest of the plant and its soil and work on your propagations. I find this to be less work and more manageable than trying to battle an infestation that severe. I hope some of this helps, I know how frustrating this battle is… even with everything I do, I still deal with outbreaks. I am bad about under watering and spider mite loooove an underwatered plant 😭

[@lindsaysullivan2148]

Duncan is so cute. 🥺

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

He is too much! I have no idea how I’m ever going to go on vacation 😅

[@lindsaysullivan2148]

Ask Zoe to house sit. Lol

[@ishaaperez3823]

Where can I buy these bugs tho

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

Natures good guys or arbico organics

[@thedude5599]

Anystis Baccarum is the bio control to get trust me. expensive but mazing.

[@lisanowakow3688]

🌻

[@mariepatterson7804]

Hopefully you can help

[@mariepatterson7804]

Desperately trying

[@bigoldawg2791]

Diatomaceous earth was my savior

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

I use that outside a lot, it’s great stuff!

[@mariepatterson7804]

No bugs

[@123astbury]

🌻