Question
QUESTION: Hello. I am having a thrip infestation. I live on Long Island in New York. About 2 weeks ago I began to notice a large amount of insects going around the foundation of my home and all on the brick patios. I took the insect to a local entomologist and was told it was a thrip. I have never had these before. I do not have any indoor plants or pets. I do not have any mulch or grass adjacent to my foundation, only brickwork. I did have 5 new thurja green giants planted last summer as well as two small trees. I do have mulch in my flower beds but they are not adjacent to the house. I also have a koi pond for the last ten years and a swimming pool. The thrips are multiplying daily and are finding their way inside my home. I have two small children as well. The landscaper has sprayed twice now with what he uses for ticks and fleas telling me that it is also supposed to work on thrips. I am not sure how to get rid of them at this point and worry about them invading my home and biting my children. Please advise me as to what works best on these nasty insects and possibly why I have them. Thanks!

ANSWER: Stefani,

I'm skeptical of the id you got. What you describe does not sound like thrips. Thrips feed on plants and will occasional bite if they land on you but they don't swarm around foundations or otherwise "invade" houses. Plus, thrips are very small and difficult to see without magnification, they are often described as tiny slivers. See http://www.livingwithbugs.com/thrips.html for info about these insects.

I'd suggest getting another id. Have you take a sample to your county Extension office (http://ccesuffolk.org/)? They will send the sample to Cornell if they can't id it in the office. Once we get a good id we can discuss possible control measures.

Jack DeAngelis



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for the quick response. I hope to drop off a sample of these at the Cornell office out in Riverhead on Monday. They are small but larger than the odorous house ant and I can see tons of them around the foundation. Any ideas on what they could be? They have antennae. They also vary in color. Some are red, some are darker, some are brown.They are not springtails, because I also have those and know what they look like. These guys move rather quickly and are hard to kill as I try to squish as many as I can. Thanks

Answer
If these are larger than odorous house ant they are definitely not thrips. Are you sure they are not springtails? Some springtails can be fairly large (most are very small), they vary in color, have antennae and sometimes accumulate around houses, especially following heavy rains or during droughts. I'll be curious to hear what Extension says.

Jack DeAngelis