Dora-Igot Nancy's book a couple of weeks ago and there is a whole chapter on Thrips! They have resillient life and reproductive cycles--the females can lay eggs that will hatch--even if they have not mated! Thrips just might be the AV equivalent to cockroaches! Sounds like you are doing the right thing-- you just need to keep after them. I'll let the experts take over from here...

You will see good news soon, I believe. If you have disbudded every flower and every bud and keep them that way for two months, you are on the right trail.

Thrips spread terrible viruses that have no cure. You have to destroy the plants affected with those viruses.

Control:

Biological--buy Lady Bugs ($25.00)

Natural control: Thrips don't like garlic. A liquid mixture containing garlic or just garlic cloves spread around the plants may help. Garlic won't hurt the plants but thrips go crazy with the smell.

Insecticidal Soap (Safer's or other) may help but must be sprayed since once dried it is non-effective. Spray twice a week.

Neem oil may help

Chemical control:

Permethrin concentrate.
Talstar
Cyfluthrin granules
Carabyl (Sevin)
Dimethoat 25 WP
Conserve
Avid (overkill)

Try natural controls first with your disbudded plants. Resort to chemicals only if you think it is absolutely necessary.

Nancy

The book arrived yesterday and I spent over an hour last night just soaking all the wealth of information into my head. What a fantastic resource Nancy, Thanks! This was money well spent and an incredible investment in not only my hobby but in my sanity.

Yesterday, I managed to scoop up about 30 ladybugs from the ceiling in my son's room. I was successful in getting most of them transferred onto my plant stand. They are having a feeding frenzy and my daughter is excited that they are "eating the frips, momma."

One question that has come up and I keep forgetting to seek some feedback upon is...if I have new plants that came home in sealed zip lock bags (the entire cup/babyfood jar and everything is inside the gallon size zip lock bag) then do those plants have thrips too?

I have some plants that have been in bags since mid November that are bursting in the pots and need to be repotted but the bags have been sealed all this time. How likely is it that the thrips have gotten into these plants too? I don't see buds/blooms on any of them but admittingly, I have not opened the bags and looked through the bunches of leaves and some of them are trailers that are the size of my fist by now. I have been fearful of opening the bags because of my infestation.

Your thoughts?

Dora

It was said:
"Chemical control:

Permethrin concentrate.
Talstar
Cyfluthrin granules
Carabyl (Sevin)
Dimethoat 25 WP
Conserve
Avid (overkill)"

Indoors? YIKES!!!!

Beyond that, "Carabyl" should be carbaryl; "dimethoat" should be dimethoate.