Can’t identify pest/problem

Hello, will appreciate any insight or tips but I’m fairly new to growing and been humbled by a few obstacles in my short lived experience. Ive had to break out the black trash bags twice due to spider mites and PM it’s not worth it to save a flowering crop IMO who wants to smoke that crap.
To the problem, I’ve recently become aware of thrips and what to look for, I never noticed or thought anything of it till a friend pointed out a small tan brownish scale/barnacle on the stems. I’ve sprayed and haven’t seen any trace since. Scraping it off with a fingernail you can notice where the stem is bruised and been tapped for nutrients..... ok with that said I move onto my clones, healthy green when in the dome, rooting in 10 days.... transplant to 1 gallons and a day later don’t look so happy.
Upon inspection I noticed purple dots almost like eggs on the main stalks and can tell the purple has entered the stem and it rots the stem from that point up.
To overcome Ive simply topped the clones and gotten rid of the infected parts.. are these thrips just in a different stage?? No purple spots on my mature established plants/mothers
I’ve scoured the internet trying to identify this issue and no avail.
WHAT IS THIS?! Thanks
IMG_1685.HEIC

New to using a forum, not sure how to post a pic. It’s not just copy paste

https://www.icmag.com/ic/attachment.php?attachmentid=449700&stc=1&d=1521142983
That work?

Never give up. PM and bugs are part of the equation, and there are safe ways to get them to the finish line, that usually always sometimes work. Thrips are a one to two spray thing, with spinosad. They are not a threat to crops, unless mismanaged. PM, is a constant, but with best ventilation and cleaning practices followed, it rarely rears it's ugly head again. I can't really make out anything in the photo, doesn't look bad... keep em green.

Bummer you can’t tell much from the pic . I already disposed of the bad parts to try and get a better one. Thanks for the reply , if I didn’t have problems what fun would that be?? It’s a journey of knowledge and tears. Like they say If it were easy....

I agree it’s hard to tell from the pic but anyone else give me a hint? Or seen such a thing... I’ve researched just about every pest and their eggs and where they are laid... I got nothing ...

Did you tried looking at the pests with a lupe or microscope? Then maybe you can describe them better or find similar ones in pictures.

If in doubt just use a little horticultural or insecticidal soap for starters.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insecticidal_soap

Hopefully, that works.

Scale? It is very recognizable if you google a few pictures.