Keeping pests out of your home is always more difficult during the summer months, when a variety of insect and rodent pests invade properties in search of water and shelter. The tiny insects known as thrips can be particularly troublesome to deal with, especially when they find their way into the LCD screens of TVs, laptops, and computer monitors.

What Are Thrips, And How Do They Get Into LCD Screens?

Thrips are a diverse category of many different species of insects, with one thing in common -- they are all tiny. The largest species usually top out at about half an inch in length, while the smallest are less than half a millimeter long. They are a common agricultural pest, and swarms of thrips can devour crops, but they are also commonly found in residential properties, especially homes with large, lush lawns or abundant houseplants.

Because the smallest thrip species are so tiny, they can easily find their way through the tiniest cracks and gaps. Unfortunately, this allows them to infiltrate LCD screens, which are made from multiple layers of liquid crystal, glass, and plastic. The thrips are attracted to the light given off by your screen, and crawl inside through miniscule gaps between the screen and its surrounding bezel.

If they sneak into the first layer of your LCD screen, beneath the transparent glass or plastic layer, they will both visible and distracting whenever you use your screen. Once inside a screen, thrips are almost impossible to remove without completely disassembling the screen. These tiny pests do not live long, so if the thrips in your screen die, you may be left with permanent black dots marring your screen.

How Do I Keep Thrips Away From My Screens?

Because thrips are impossible to remove from screens without having the screen professionally (and expensively) disassembled, it is essential to keep them out of your home in the first place.

You should inspect any houseplants you bring into your home, with a magnifying glass if necessary, to make sure they are not infested with thrips. Make sure fly screens attached to vents, doors and windows are undamaged, but bear in mind that the mesh may not be fine enough to keep out the smallest thrips.

You may also want to avoid using laptops and portable TVs outside during the summer months, especially if you live in a rural area or have a lot of vegetation in your yard or garden. 

If you are still finding thrips in your home and/or in your screens, you should call in a professional pest control service. Experienced pest control technicians can inspect your home and figure out how thrips are finding their way inside, and will check your houseplants and outdoor plants for signs of hidden infestation.

To keep thrips out of your home and your screens, your pest control service can apply long-lasting, residual insecticides to key areas, such as lawns and access points into your home. They can deploy sticky traps to catch flying thrips before they cause any trouble, and seal wall cracks and other thrip access points with expanding, insecticidal foam.

Keeping pests out of your home is always more difficult during the summer months, when a variety of insect and rodent pests invade properties in search of water and shelter. The tiny insects known as thrips can be particularly troublesome to deal with, especially when they find their way into the LCD screens of TVs, laptops, and computer monitors.