Houseplant Pest Guard – Spider Mite & Thrips Predator Sachets | Spical Plus & Thripex (Koppert)

🛡️ Type: Live Biological Control (Preventative / Early Infestations)
Koppert breeder sachets of predatory mites that hunt spider mites (Spical Plus), thrips (Thripex), or both. Each sachet is a tiny breeding colony that keeps releasing predators for several weeks. The tradeoff: they're alive, so they need humidity, must be hung as soon as they arrive, and work best before an infestation gets out of hand rather than as a rescue for a plant already covered in pests.

Hire a bodyguard, not a hitman

Most pest "solutions" are a hitman: one dramatic spray, a satisfying body count, and a surviving egg or two that rebuild the whole family within a fortnight. Predator sachets are a bodyguard. You hang one on the plant and it simply stays on duty, quietly eating anything that tries to move in.

Ask any collector what ruined their favourite plant and the answer is nearly always spider mite or thrips. Both are tiny, both breed fast, and both are usually discovered a fortnight too late. Protecting against one and not the other is like locking the front door and leaving the back one open. So here are both locks, together or separately.

🕷️ Spical Plus: the spider mite hunter

Spical Plus sachets release Neoseiulus californicus, predatory mites that hunt spider mites at every life stage, from egg to adult, and also tackle broad mite and other pest mites. Koppert pack 100 predators per sachet with food mites and bran; they breed inside and trickle out through a ready-made exit hole for 3–4 weeks.

🪲 Thripex: the thrips hunter

Thrips don't announce themselves. You don't see them arrive; you see the silvery scarring on your Monstera three weeks later, by which point the next batch is already laid. Thripex sachets release Neoseiulus cucumeris, which eat thrips eggs as they hatch and the youngest larvae, stopping the next generation before it starts. They don't eat adult thrips, so on an active outbreak, treat the adults first and use Thripex to mop up what hatches next.

Who it's for

• Houseplant collectors: Calathea, Alocasia, Monstera, Anthurium, Philodendron, Ficus, Schefflera, ivy, palms, orchids and Hoya.
• Grow tents and propagators: Warm, enclosed, humid spaces where pests explode fastest and predators work best.
• Greenhouses and conservatories: Citrus, chillies, strawberries, cucumbers and ornamentals. (Koppert advise against use on tomatoes.)
• Anyone done with sprays: No chemical residues and no smell.

Choose your pack

• Both (Spical Plus + Thripex): 5 + 5, 10 + 10 or 25 + 25 sachets, for less than buying them separately.
• Spical Plus only: 1, 5, 10, 25 or 50 sachets, or Koppert's sealed box of 100.
• Thripex only: 1, 5, 10, 25, 50 or 100 sachets, or Koppert's sealed box of 500.

Koppert's guide is 1–2 sachets per plant (or per square metre where plants touch), replaced every 3–4 weeks. Count your pest-prone plants and round up. Not sure yet? A single sachet is the easy way to try predators on one problem plant first.

🌱 Rose's Pro-Tip: Both predators hate dry air. Koppert note Spical struggles below about 60% humidity and Thripex below about 70%, and centrally heated UK homes often sit lower than that in winter. They shine in tents, propagators, cabinets, bathrooms and greenhouses, or among grouped plants on a humidity tray. Hang them in the shaded middle of the foliage, and if you're using both, put them on different plants or at different heights on bigger ones.

How to Use

1. Use straight away: These are alive. Hang them the day they arrive.
2. Don't open them: Each sachet already has an exit hole. Hold it by the tab to avoid squashing the mites.
3. Hang in the shade: Hook it over a middle stem or leaf, out of direct sun and away from heaters.
4. Keep it humid: Mist or group plants if your air is dry.
5. Replace every 3–4 weeks: Keep fresh sachets up for continuous protection.
6. Skip the sprays: Most insecticides will kill your predators too. Avoid them for a few weeks either side of hanging sachets.
7. Don't mix generalists: Koppert advise not using Thripex on the same plants as Swirski, Anso-mite or Limonica, as they can eat each other.

Product Specifications

• Spical Plus: Neoseiulus californicus, 100 predatory mites per sachet plus food mites and bran. Targets spider mites, broad mite and other pest mites. Best at 13–32°C, humidity above 60%.
• Thripex: Neoseiulus cucumeris, predatory mites plus food mites and bran. Targets thrips eggs and young larvae. Best at 15–25°C, humidity above 70%.
• Not for: Tomatoes.
• Handling: The bran carrier can irritate people with dust or mite allergies. Handle gently by the tab and wash your hands afterwards.
• Storage: Use on arrival. If you must wait, keep for no more than 1–2 days somewhere cool (around 10–15°C) and dark. Not in the fridge.

📋 Live Product Note: Spical Plus and Thripex are living products, made to order by Koppert and ordered in fresh for you, so please allow a few extra working days for dispatch. Smaller packs are counted out from sealed Koppert trade boxes; full boxes are sent as Koppert supply them. UK delivery only.