{"product_id":"koppert-thripex-thrips-predator-sachets","title":"Koppert Thripex – Thrips Predator Sachets (Natural Biological Control)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e🪲 Type: Live Biological Control (Preventative \/ Early Infestations)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBreeder sachets of thrips-hunting predatory mites that patrol your plants for several weeks. They eat thrips eggs as they hatch and the youngest larvae, which stops the next generation before it starts. The tradeoff: they don't eat adult thrips, so on a heavy infestation they're a follow-up to a clean-up, not a cure on their own.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThrips don't announce themselves. Neither do these.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThrips are the houseplant world's most passive-aggressive pest. You don't see them arrive; you see the silvery scarring on your Monstera three weeks later, by which point the culprits have laid the next batch. The problem was never the thrips you can see. It's the ones about to hatch.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo Koppert stopped trying to win the battle and started winning the nursery instead. Each sachet holds predatory mites (\u003cem\u003eNeoseiulus cucumeris\u003c\/em\u003e), food mites and bran. The predators breed inside and walk out through a pre-made hole over several weeks, picking off thrips at the one stage where they're defenceless. It's the horticultural equivalent of fixing the leak rather than buying a bigger bucket.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCommercial growers have hung these in their crops for decades. If you've ever bought a nursery plant with a little paper pouch hanging inside, there's a decent chance it was one of these, quietly working in the background.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWho it's for\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eAroid collectors:\u003c\/b\u003e Monstera, Alocasia, Anthurium, Philodendron and Syngonium, the plants thrips seem to target personally.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eFlowering houseplants:\u003c\/b\u003e Orchids, African violets, Begonias, Hoya and anything that blooms indoors.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eGrow tents, propagators and greenhouses:\u003c\/b\u003e Enclosed, humid spaces where the predators thrive. (Koppert advise against use on tomatoes.)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eAnyone who's had thrips before:\u003c\/b\u003e They usually come back. Prevention costs pennies; another round of scarred leaves doesn't.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eChoosing your pack size\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRoughly one sachet per plant (or per square metre where plants touch), replaced every 3–4 weeks. Count your thrips-prone plants and round up.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e5 or 10 sachets:\u003c\/b\u003e A small collection or a single shelf.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e25 or 50 sachets:\u003c\/b\u003e Larger collections, tents and conservatories.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e100 sachets:\u003c\/b\u003e Plant rooms and small greenhouses.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eBox of 500:\u003c\/b\u003e Koppert's full sealed trade box for growers.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e🌱 Rose's Pro-Tip:\u003c\/b\u003e These predators like it humid; Koppert note they're sensitive below about 70% humidity and happiest at 15–25°C. That's higher than most living rooms, so they shine in tents, propagators, cabinets, bathrooms and greenhouses. If you've got an active outbreak, rinse the plant and treat the adults first, wait for any sprays to clear, then hang sachets to mop up what hatches next.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHow to Use\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eUse straight away:\u003c\/b\u003e These are alive. Hang them as soon as they arrive.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eDon't open them:\u003c\/b\u003e Sachets already have an exit hole. Hold by the tab to avoid squashing the mites.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eHang in the shade:\u003c\/b\u003e Hook it into the middle of the plant, out of direct sun and away from heaters. Letting the bottom edge touch the compost can help it last longer.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eReplace every 3–4 weeks:\u003c\/b\u003e Keep a fresh sachet up through the warmer months, or all year indoors.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eSkip the sprays:\u003c\/b\u003e Most insecticides will kill your predators too.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eOne generalist at a time:\u003c\/b\u003e Koppert advise not mixing Thripex with Swirski, Anso-mite or Limonica on the same plants, as they can eat each other.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ol\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eProduct Specifications\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003ePredator:\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cem\u003eNeoseiulus cucumeris\u003c\/em\u003e (formerly \u003cem\u003eAmblyseius cucumeris\u003c\/em\u003e)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eContents:\u003c\/b\u003e Predatory mites and food mites mixed with bran, in paper breeder sachets\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eTargets:\u003c\/b\u003e Thrips eggs and young larvae (Western flower thrips, onion thrips and others); also eats some pest mites\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eBest conditions:\u003c\/b\u003e 15–25°C, humidity above 70%\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eNot for:\u003c\/b\u003e Tomatoes\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eStorage:\u003c\/b\u003e Use on arrival. If you must wait, keep for no more than 1–2 days somewhere cool (10–15°C) and dark. Not in the fridge.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e📋 \u003cb\u003eLive Product Note:\u003c\/b\u003e Thripex is a living product, made to order by Koppert and ordered in fresh for you, so please allow a few extra working days for dispatch. Our 5–100 sachet packs are counted out from sealed Koppert trade boxes; the box of 500 is sent as Koppert supply it. UK delivery only.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e","brand":"Koppert","offers":[{"title":"5 Sachets","offer_id":54935147217242,"sku":"KOP-THRIPEX-5","price":4.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"10 Sachets","offer_id":54935147250010,"sku":"KOP-THRIPEX-10","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"25 Sachets","offer_id":54935147282778,"sku":"KOP-THRIPEX-25","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"50 Sachets","offer_id":54935147315546,"sku":"KOP-THRIPEX-50","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"100 Sachets","offer_id":54935147348314,"sku":"KOP-THRIPEX-100","price":49.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Box of 500 Sachets","offer_id":54935147381082,"sku":"KOP-THRIPEX-500","price":129.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0774\/9861\/4106\/files\/thripex-plus-sachets.jpg?v=1791496224","url":"https:\/\/blackflaghorticulture.com\/products\/koppert-thripex-thrips-predator-sachets","provider":"Black Flag Horticulture","version":"1.0","type":"link"}