I don't have Chili Thrips, but I have regular ones. What are you spraying, and how often? Are you spraying just the buds and blooms? That is what I spray, and with an infestation, I have used the Ortho insecticide (it changes names). This year for the fist year I have been using Conserve SC. I don't know how well it would work in this situation.

Good luck.
Sammy

Chili thrips are a whole different and worse situation than 'our' thrips. And they are a growing menace to the enjoyment of roses in Florida.

Unless someone from central or southern FL comes on, you're going to have to contact folks in your area who are fighting chili thrips. The ARS website www.ars.org will lead you to rose societies and to some competant Consulting Rosarians.

Chili thrips have only recently become a problem in Florida, but have been a major worldwide problem for some time. Not just in roses, but in (duh) chilis and other crops as well as in fruit trees. Google scholar only has only 10 references for "chili thrips" but has 346 for Scirtothrips dorsalis, the thrip that is a chili thrip.
Very few references are for the problem on roses, but there are several from India because they are a problem in greenhouse rose production there.
You can tell it's a growing problem in North America; they are starting to try to make traps to track the spread (and looking for chilis that have some resistance.)

Is there any chance you could attend the meeting linked below early in August and tell us what's new?

Here is a link that might be useful: Pictures for the rest of us

On the website above there's a long list of chemicals that are approved for use in Florida.
And I found the article I remembered. It's the first of the two on Chili Trips on the link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Central Florida Rose Society articles

why do I get something that looks like Egyptian hy--- when I try to read article?
thanks

Ann, of the 2 MerryGro roses I got last fall from FL. 1 came with BS and 1 came that showed up with a problem in April that Baldo ID as chili thrips. Gemini's BS reappeared at the same time. After looking at your pics you gave on that site I'm now seeing these curled leaves on various roses and discolorations. I put it down to unknown pests and rose slugs and kept thinking it was other things. I never could get them ID as other pests because I couldn't find what was responsible.

Too bad MerryGro is still not in business to take into account for this, I tried at the time to complain and even about the fact they had the FL stamps they passed pest inspections when one obviously had chew holes. So, though I thought I'd taken care of the problem, it's still in my garden. This is the rose that Baldo ID in the spring.
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Leslie

Merrygro is still selling. (see a recent thread here.)
Leslie, Contact the FL dept of agriculture AND the CA import people.

Leslie, yup, that's exactly what chili thrip damage looks like. I buy this stuff from Walmart, it's called EXPERT, and it's got imadoclopid and pyrethin. When I have an outbreak, I spray every three days times three. Then I just add it to my regular Bayer spray routine.

Sad to say, I went without the insecticide for three weeks because of all the handwringing about bees and whatnot, and now my garden is full of chili thrips again. Grrr.

I haven't found an effective way to control them either, so I quit trying. I just don't think it's good to be using a lot of insecticides, and I'm sure they'll become resistant to them anyway. I am getting very discouraged with trying to grow roses because of them. There are some rose that don't show the damage, but very few.

I sure wish someone could figure out a way to control them, either with a bacterium or sterilization.

okay, please forgive my inexperience. I dont see damage in that photo above. can someone tell me what I should be seeing. the light colored leaves look like new growth to me.

michelle

Michelle, there is damage, notice that the leaves are not smooth, but bumpy on the new growth. I had a feeling the became resistant to the dust, so I guess I must switch things around until I can buy conserve. Hey Michelle you live in florida and you dont have chili thrips?

I don't understand - does the damage harm the rose? Or is it just "unsightly?"

Carol
:)

Well, if you grow roses for the flowers, then yes, chili thrips harm the rose. Because they attack new growth and foliage the rose can't make any flowers during a severe infestation.

Eventually, the canes turn yellow and then croak. (Unfortunately, I know this through bitter experience!) I lost three roses this way before Trospero on this forum finally clued me in to the problem.

I have thrips, had them all summer now. And after looking at those pics in the link Anne posted I just might have these chili thrips. The foliage on some of my roses, especially my seedling look just like the ones in the above photo. I have been using the Bayer Insect and Mite Control (link below) and it has helped alot but I am also spraying the ground around the roses too.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bayer 3 in 1 Insect and Mite Control

Ramblinrosez,
Please call your county extension agent or your state deparment of agriculture and have them collect and ID which thrips you have.
This is really a must do, because of the many, many plants that are susceptible to chilli thrips. And the crops grown that are at potential risk.
The links in the article and the article itself can bring Co Extension Agents up to speed and then entomologists with the state can do their thing.

jorge, I dont think I do. I have searched and searched and have never found anything but the occasional spider and of course my resident native green lizards and cuban anoles.

I have a couple of new very young don juan's who are planted in the hottest spot surrounded by concrete against a west facing wall. although they dont appear to have bugs the blooms appear to have burned edges and frankly just look odd sometimes, but I dont think they have thrips. and the rest of my roses look normal except for B.S.

tell me, does that new growth eventually turn dark green?

michelle

Hi Anne,

Well I managed to get some pictures of some of my roses that I think might have these thrips. I see them mostly in the blooms, although not as much as I have seen a few months ago, they have disappeared quite dramatically. And like I said in another post, it might be because of all the spiders that just suddenly popped up. Now here are some pics of the foliage, does it look like thrips? Most of these are my seedlings.
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Ramblinrose, that looks like beautiful, perfect foliage to me. I don't see any thrip damage to the leaves.

In my garden, thrip damage makes the leaves look shriveled and almost curly and wrinkled. When it's really bad, new growth will be nonexistant.

Really? Well thanks ehann that is good to know, and a big relief. I really thought the color was off on these plants.

Hey I have an "idea" might sound really stupid, but what if I spray RAID to kill the thrips, or will it kill or burn my roses?

Jorge-- You can buy house & garden aerosols and garden aerosols, but using one that isn't formulated for plants could result in spray burn.

Ramblin'-- the only thing I see wrong with your foliage is a red leaf just under a flower bud that is warped and rolled. This is usually a sign of incipient powdery mildew.

Thank you michaelg, appreciate your advice very much.