Saldut, I'm thinking that the sticky traps may be your best bet! there are praying mantis' but they have too much of a huge appetite, lol! and they eat everything! Ladybugs, bees, you name it! And maybe a tiny thrip is not going to fill up the huge appetites of those carnivores. The sticky traps you can hang in suspended dixie cups covered with fabric netting so that other good insects don't get caught in them (such as ladybugs and bees)

I've got quite a lot of thrips in the past, but I just protect my blooms with hot wax pepper spray and let the thrips eat the leaves should they choose to. This only works for thrips. Cucumber beetles are not afraid of pepper spray at all. I spray in increments before the buds open. Once the buds open, I leave all else alone, because I want the bees to visit my roses.

Serena, how about Safer insecidial soap?

Hmmmm, Zyperiris, I've never tried Safers on thrips. Theoretically it could and should work, except a thrips' life cycle is so fast and unlike rose slugs and other crawling pests, thrips will very quickly fly away (hence the sticky traps are the most effective). Plus the season is quite long from the beginning of June to the end of August so you can quickly go broke trying to chase those thrips with a spritzer alone. I just live with the thrips because they really don't cause all that much damage in my garden unlike some climates and regions. In fact the insects cause very little damage, so I just let them be. So long as they leave my blooms alone, I am fine with everything-- that's why I've only had to use hot wax pepper spray as a deterrent. But I'm thinking that Sally/Saldut has a real bad problem with the thrips or else she wouldn't have written. I definitely think that sticky traps are the fastest way to get control the thrips because of the "flying away" issue.

Biocontrol

Arbico

These are two sources for bio control. Minute pirate bugs are thrip predators and they usually show up where there are thrips. They also have green lacewings and other predators. I've never tried ordering from here, so can't say how buying predators works, but it's worth a try.

I've purchased predator insects from Arbico. They ship quickly. I bought beneficial nematodes and they come on a sponge that's activated by water. Not sure how other predators are shipped.

Thank you kind folks, I sure appreciate the response, and will follow-up on the 'beneficial insects' web-sites..... one is in Arizona and I'm not sure where the other one is located... but when I was Googling, a lot of the sources seemed to be in Calif. or Oregon, which seems a long way to ship insects, etc., and I was hoping to find a vendor in Fla. or the SE.... please Serena, can you tell me what is the 'hot wax pepper spray', is is something you cook up in the kitchen or is it commercial.....?? I'd sure appreciate the recipe !!! So far, I have been cutting off the buds with the thrips and putting them in the trash, in a bag.... but will try a different approach; last year I had an assault from the thrips and resorted to spraying with Bayer 3-in-1, twice... and it worked.... but this year I am hoping to stay 'no-spray' if possible..... Thanks again for all the help, sally

There is a company dealing in biocontrols in New Hampshire. They weren't located close to me, but the package got here fast. I can't remember whether the price included an overnight shipment or was a 2-day delivery, but anyway, the delivery was fast. Nematodes do better if kept cold and they came in a very thick styrofoam box with an icepack inside; they were still chilled upon arrival. That company does carry other benefical organisms too, so I'm planning to go back to them for anything else along those lines that I want to order.

I've tried to post that business name and website address, but have been blocked with a message saying that this forum has been spammed by them. I seriously doubt that. They are a reputable company, and you ought to be able to find them through searching at Google as if you were trying to buy beneficial nematodes in the state of New Hampshire.

Best wishes,
Mary

Wow, I am so impressed by everyone's helpfulness with the beneficial organisms. Definitely great food for thought, lol! Sally I wrote back right away on your email too! so hopefully everything will work out great for you. Yeah, Bonide's commercial hot wax pepper spray stays on the buds far longer instead of just washing off right away. So far it's been working wonderfully in our non-stop rains and even the lilies are doing well....Got very minor thrips damage on rose leaves because I don't spray the leaves so I do know that the thrips are still in my garden in spite of constant non-ending rains and flooding....so that hot wax pepper is still going good and strong for my blooms and buds.

Thanks Mary, and thanks Serena.. I'm going tomorrow to HD and Lowe's and see if they carry the Bonide Hot Wax Pepper Spray, and if not, I'll read labels and go on Google....... I like the idea of organic control, but am thinking that any 'beneficial insects' just are too slow for here, I Googled and the suppliers seem to have just the Lacewings eggs, so that means they have to hatch first, after they are shipped, and my roses will be devastated by then... we have this very high humidity in the 80s-90s also temps. in the mid-to-high 90s and all these nasty insects just burst out on the scene, they love it, so I need to do something like NOW.... I went out this morning and cut off the buds that show signs and put them in the dumpster, and then the spray should help with future pests.... Thanks, kind folks, I appreciate all the help and information, sally

Sally I am not far from you (Tampa) and as I mentioned above bought bugs from Arbico. I don't know where they are located, but shipping certainly didn't harm the beneficial nematodes. Which reminds me, I need to order again. They are great on fleas and ants outside.

Here's another site that has Beneficial insects.

Here is a link that might be useful: Beneficial insects

Thank you drudadunat, thank you jim1961, I'm thinking the Hot Wax Pepper Spray would do the trick, apparently the parrifin wax in the spray holds the hot peppers on the plant and of course the bugs can't stand the peppers, I know in my garden I have some cayenne peppers and bugs don't go near them.... I have called the local Nursery that is listed on the Bonide site and they are going to try and get the spray for me, or I can mail-order it from several sources.... I don't know if I got most of the thrips when I cut the canes way back, I am not seeing a lot of new damage, so maybe it is subsiding.... but they sure do a lot of damage and I want to be ready, so am getting the spray, in case they come back... I sure appreciate all the help you kind folks have offered, I now have Lists and web-sites I never knew existed and can refer back to, Thanks again.... sally

Someone here once described taking blue plastic cups, smearing the inside with STP oil treatment, and putting them upside down on stakes in the garden. Thrips are attracted to the color of the cups I guess and get stuck in the STP. I haven't tried this yet though I bought the STP and the cups. Didn't have much thrip trouble last year but am seeing enough this year to try this remedy.
Linda

Thank you Linda... another GWer suggested using sticky sheets, they are all good ideas... but I called a local Nursery listed by Bonide as a dealer of the Hot Pepper Wax Spray, and she has ordered-in some for me, Willow-Tree Nursery here in St Pete... so I'll get myself out there and pick some up and try it and let you-all know... but I have been cutting off the canes that show thrip damage, and I suspect they are the dreaded chili-thrips from the look of the leaves.... so it may be awhile before I can possibly see any results.... but it advertises that it also is good for other pests, on veggies as well , and is safe..... so it will be a wait-and-see kind of thing...... Thanks, sally