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Thrips
Insect or pest Thysanoptera · also called onion thrips, western flower thrips
Spots or blotches on leavesYellow, curled, or mottled leavesBugs I can see
How to spot it
Slender insects under 1/16 inch long, pale yellow to dark brown, hiding in leaf folds, onion necks, and flowers.
What it does
They scrape leaves, leaving silvery streaks and tiny black dots. Leaves curl, and flowers and fruit get scarred. Some spread tomato spotted wilt virus.
What to do now
- Spray the plants with water, then with insecticidal soap or spinosad, getting into the folds.
- Blue or yellow sticky cards catch many.
Keep it away next time
- Keep weeds down around the garden.
- Water well in dry weather; stressed onions suffer most.
- Reflective mulch helps on peppers and tomatoes.
Helpful supplies
Yellow sticky traps on Amazon (opens a new tab)Insecticidal soap on Amazon (opens a new tab)Spinosad spray on Amazon (opens a new tab)
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Plants it affects
Not sure? Your county extension office can identify it from a photo or sample, often for free.