Call the number on the label to see if they can offer any useful information.

protect and feed????

skip the fert part.. and just solve your problem ...

ken

From the UCDavis fact sheet on thrips: "Imidacloprid (Bayer Advanced Tree & Shrub Insect Control, Merit) commonly fails to provide satisfactory thrips control, and imidacloprid generally is not recommended for thrips."

They suggest using a spray product that contains Spinosad: "Spinosad (Captain Jack’s Deadbug Brew, Green Light Lawn & Garden Spray with Spinosad 2, Monterey Garden Insect Spray) is generally more effective against thrips than the products above. Spinosad lasts 1 week or more and moves short distances into sprayed tissue (has translaminar activity) to reach thrips feeding in protected plant parts. Adding horticultural oil to the spray mix can increase its persistence within plant tissue. This insecticide is a fermentation product of a naturally occurring bacterium, and certain formulations are organically acceptable. Spinosad can be toxic to certain natural enemies (e.g., predatory mites, syrphid fly larvae) and bees when sprayed and for about 1 day afterward; do not apply spinosad to plants that are flowering."

btw, 'the products above' were in reference to insecticidal soap and horticultural oils.

I don’t know if Photina is a plant whose flower are attractive to bees and other pollinators, but the main ingredient in this Bauer product., Imidacloprid, is one of the class of insecticides called neonicotinoids that is toxic to many pollinators such as bees, and since it stays in plant tissues for a long time, you will be poisoning any pollinators that come to your plants. There is also research that shows that insectictivorous bird populations decline some in areas with high levels of Imidacloprid. So if it isn’t the most effective on thrips and causes harm to the visitors to your garden, all the more reason to not use it.

@NHBabs I was aware of the issue with bees, so I waited for all flowers on the Photinia to die before starting this process. The thrips should be in full force around July so that gives me two months to get the insecticide absorbed.

@Gardengal48 I had seen that caution, but I really did not want to do a spray. I'm not qualified to do it myself, and I really do not want to pay a professional $200 per spraying for several go-arounds. Some other vendor had tried this Bayer product on my Photinia last year and it seems to have partially resolved the issue. I wanted to give it one last try.