Thrips

If your plant’s leaves are developing silvery streaks, papery patches, or tiny black specks and nothing in your care routine has changed, thrips are worth ruling out before anything else. They’re one of the harder indoor pests to catch early because by the time the damage is obvious, the insects themselves may have already moved to new growth or dropped into the soil. Most people discover the damage long before they ever see the bugs. ...

The most common houseplant pests are fungus gnats, spider mites, mealybugs, thrips, and scale insects. Each one hides differently, causes different damage, and responds to a different first treatment. The fastest path to solving any of them is figuring out where the problem is showing up first, not reaching for a product. If nothing is moving and the pattern looks more like spreading spots, mildew, rot, or wilt, switch to the houseplant diseases guide before treating for insects. ...