Thank you for the help and feedback, I appreciate it.
Great questions, I didn't take any close ups of the leaves with the camera today, but considering I have some damaged leaves, it would make a good research project on thrips with an article displaying what they can do.
I intend to remove the damaged foliage anyway because it's an unpleasant sight and could possibly cause some kind of unforeseen plant problems later on. It's a risk I would rather not take. I'll get some acceptable close ups under better light and incorporate the photos into a post about thrips damage.
The 3D printed containers definitely come in handy. The material is printed in PLA (polylactic acid) which is a biodegradable thermoplastic aliphatic polyester substance that is made up of renewable cornstarch products. Which is pretty cool but it will break down over time.
I'm not sure how long it will take, but I have had some vases in the sun almost every day this summer and there's been no noticeable melting or breaking down of the compound, so my guess is these little trays will last a couple of years at least.
Thanks, looking forward to shots of the insect damage! I've got some yucky spots showing up on some of my leaves at the moment, and wonder if they look anything like yours. Mine aren't holes, though, they're more like grayed out flakey-shaped irregular spots. I'll also get some pics. In the meantime I've sprinkled on a fresh dose of diatoms!
So the plastic isn't food safe, I guess? What I think would be really cool is hemp-based resins rather than what I assume is petroleum.