BeneficialBanded palm thrips

Thrips predatory mite for banded palm thrips

Amblyseius cucumeris · predatory mite

Against banded palm thrips

The RHS lists Amblyseius predatory mites for thrips in glasshouses, but no trial has tested them against banded palm thrips itself. This thrips pupates on the leaf, not in the compost, so a foliage predator that eats young larvae is the logical choice. It kills only young larvae, so start early; silvered leaves will not recover.

Rate10–50 mites per plant, weekly, or sachets (UC IPM rate for western flower thrips; none published for this species)

TimingAt the first silvered leaf, and on new plants before they join the rest

Temperature15–25 °C best (Koppert); UConn gives 75–85 °F and Cornell 25–35 °C; not effective above 30 °C (Koppert); humidity above 65–70%

macro · thrips predatory mite on banded palm thrips

The pestBanded palm thripsParthenothrips dracaenaeDull, silvered leaves with dark varnish-like specksFull pest profile →

Before you order

Sprinkled onto the leaves or hung in slow-release sachets from planting; it eats only the youngest thrips larvae, so it has to be in place before thrips build up. How it works, how to tell it has established and the supplier list are on the full Amblyseius cucumeris profile.

Release calculator

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Pesticide sensitivity

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Other controls for banded palm thrips

Amblyseius swirskiiPredatory mite · 25–100 /m² per release (the site's swirskii rate; none published for this species)
Orius laevigatusPredatory bug · 0.5–1 /m² preventive; 5–10 /m² on hot spots (the site's rate; none published for this species)