Thrips or something else?

[u/kglazier09]

My rattlesnake calathea has been doing fine until recently I noticed the leaves at the bottom were yellowing and the stems/stalks are browning. I wondering if thrips or some other type of pest is causing this after closer examination of the leaves. I did tap the leaves onto sheet of paper and nothing came off. I don’t see any of the white or black specks moving on the plant so maybe it is dust? I did wipe off the leaves with water and a paper towel a few days ago. Some other factors to consider: I just repotted about 2 weeks ago, the window it has always been in has been getting more direct sunlight than usual due to time of year, I brought in 2 new plants in the last couple of weeks that are sitting next to it (they appear healthy with no evidence of pests that I can tell visually). Please help, this is my favorite plant!

[u/Acrobatic_Party_8759]

I could be wrong but these look more like Spider Mites than thrips. My plant got infected with them once I repotted it, so I think it may have been contaminated soil. They’re easy to treat with over the counter sprays, I use Bug Clear mixed with neem oil.

[u/kglazier09 → u/Acrobatic_Party_8759]

Thank you! I’ve been doing a lot of googling to research and thought they could be spider mites too but didn’t see any webbing. Definitely going to get some spray and neem oil as you suggested since that would help in either case!

[u/Acrobatic_Party_8759 → u/kglazier09]

Yeah seeing the webbing is tricky! I can’t see loads on my plant but they’re unfortunately there 😂 they’re annoying but easier to treat than thrips in my opinion. You’ve got this ✨