Yes, Raid will help and putting a tray full of plants into a garbage bag sprayed with Raid should help as well. Or you can put a sticky yellow No Pest Strip in the bag as well to catch the fliers.

Several suckers will come into the center area. Choose the one closest.

Mites would have hard, brittle leaves, deformed flowers and leaves that show excess hairiness.

I recommend my book, Insects, Pests and Diseases of the African Violet Family. This contains descriptions and symptoms of each pest or insect as well as gives several ways to control the insects.

Nancy

Nancy,
Thanks for the reply. Where can I purchase you book? Through AVSA?
Mary Beth

If you get the AVSA magazine, there is an advert there to order. Or maybe try ebay, green thumb press.

Someone told me about a violet grower she knew puts the no pest strips in a sterofoam cooler and puts the plants in there. I thought that might be easier than a trash bag and they don't cost that much. Or I guess you could get a larger used cooler at a yard sale and use that just for plants. Just a thought.

Also since I had that soil mealy scare several months ago, I'd been using the granular marathon and haven't seen a thrip since! tish

Tish,
Were can I purchase granular marathon? How do you use it, mix it in the soil or on top of soil?
Thanks,
May Beth

Nancy R will curse me...I probably shouldn't have posted about the marathon. It is a serious insecticide for bigger problems, I don't think I read anywhere that it's recommended for thrips, I was just saying in passing that I hadn't seen any since I had used the marathon for my other problem. Marathon is systemic and it takes time for the chemicals to really get into the plant tissues to where it might have effected the thrips. You need something to work faster. At one stage, they are living in the bloom, so you need to debud all those beautiful blossoms (it's okay, the next time it blooms, it will bloom doubly beautiful for you). Then you could spray with the insecticial soap (can get this at Walmart, Home Depot, etc, it's Safer or Schultz brand)...be sure you don't let the crown center of your plant stay wet with the liquid, you want to dry that out with kleenex or paper towel, if you don't it will rot! that happened with me once. I would try the no pest strip or spray in the bag first before I'd use marathon.