Korina,

Don't fret! Thrips are pretty easy to get rid of, unlike some of the other bugs.

If you have just noticed them, you have done the right thing.

First of all, isolate all new plant material coming into the house. You can get thrips very easily just through the window screen or on your own hair or clothes.

Disbud--truly disbud for at least two months. That means pinching off every bud. Since this is where thrips feed, from the yellow pollen sacks, reproduction will slow down if they starve to death.

Place the pot inside a garbage bag for twenty-four hours with a sticky No Pest Strip to get rid of the fliers.

Should there be eggs, however, more thrips will develop and these are the ones you hope to starve to death.

No chemicals are necessary since you don't have a green-hous size collection.

It is too bad you won't have flowers on that plant for 2 months, but this is necessary if you want to get rid of them.

Smile! You don't have Soil Mealies or mites, which are much, much harder to get rid of.

Nancy

Thanks Nancy. Shame it's not quite as easy as the flea collar, but it's not bad. Now, to find the strips.

Um, they fly? Eeep.

Korina