What are the difference between Thrips and Spider Mites?
The main difference within the symptoms of spider mites is the way the white (or grayish) marks appear. With mites the white marks appear mainly along the main-rib and veins of the leaves whereas with Thrips it will be randomly distributed.
This is due to the fact that the mites live under the leaf and the thrips move around (or fly around) on the top of the leaves.
Let’s get into the differences in detail:
Impact of Mites and Thrips on your plants
THRIPS | SPIDER MITES | |
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VISIBLE DIFFERENCES |
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LOCATION ON THE LEAVES | Above the leaves. Once Thrips are big enough by looking close enough you will be able to see them crawling around. | Below the leaves – Spider mites live under, lay eggs and die under the leaves. It’s very hard to see individual mites but by looking under the leaf you can notice the black dots. |
WEBBING | No. | Yes – Webbing will appear under the leaf at first. Once the colony is well developed it will spread to the buds. Here’s a step by step evolution |
INFESTATION METHOD | When they can fly they will do so from one part of the room to the next. If they are not able to fly than they will crawl from leaf to leaf or by going down one plant and up to then next. | From leaf to leaf or by crawling down the plant and up the next. |
FLIGHT POSSIBILITY | Sometimes – Depending on the specie thrips are able to live. Generally the one’s that invade Marijuana cultures have the ability to fly. This is the main reason why you’ll notice random spreading making you think “how the hell did they get there”. | No – Spider mites being a part of the Arachnid family they cannot fly. |
EGG LOCATION | Thrips lay their eggs within the soft tissue of the plant. This isn’t damaging to the plant itself but protects the eggs. | Mites lay their eggs within the webbing under the leaves or across the bugs, depending on the size of the colony |
HATCHING PERIOD | 2 to 7 days, depending on the specie | 3 to 5 days, depending on the specie |
LIFESPAND | Up to 45 days | Most species live between 14 and 21 days |
SIZE | Between 0.5 mm and 1.5 mm | Under 1.0 mm |