I've started getting a few thrips, time of year I guess, nothing serious yet....

Used to use Savona liquid soap as a repellant, but have read not to use with essence...

I imagine the savona would coat the leaves, so the essence wouldn't be able to colonise, and vice versa, but the savona would kill the essnce???

I am using essence every 7 days still....

Or is there another type of repellant, or insecticide I can use safely?

Monk..x

Any ideas?

'Fraid not mate

The few times I have had them I use these little fellas..Predatory mites (Amblyseius species) can be obtained from some mail order suppliers of biological controls for release in greenhouses or on house-plants to control thrips

Suppliers of biological controls go to this link

the work really well ............

also Alternative Pesticides

Several alternative pesticides are available for controlling thrips. Sulphur, insecticidal soap, and diatomaceous earth have all demonstrated efficacy in suppressing thrips in several crops. Being contact pesticides, however, their effectiveness in onions would probably be limited, because the thrips can hide between the leaves. In contrast, three applications of superfine sulfur are recommended at monthly intervals in fruit crops for spring thrips control. Lime sulphur has also been suggested as an alternative.

Spray formulations of the biological agent Beauvaria bassiana are also useful for thrips control. The agent is a fungus that grows and reproduces in the host; therefore, effective control may not be observed until 7 to 10 days after application. B. bassiana is most effective when used early, before large thrips populations have built up.

The botanical pesticides garlic, rotenone, ryania, pyrethrum, neem, and nicotine have been suggested for thrips control. Another botanical presticide, sabadilla, also has a record of controlling thrips and is suggested when other botanicals fail. Organic growers should be aware that nicotine and other tobacco-based pesticides are prohibited in organic production. The formulations of many other botanical products are also prohibited, and organic producers are encouraged to consult their certifier before purchasing them.

Noted organic proponent J. Howard Garrett recommends use of a homemade botanical spray formulated from garlic and pepper. Garrett's garlic/pepper tea is made by liquefying two bulbs of garlic and two cayenne or habañero peppers in a blender 1/3 full of water. Solids are strained out, and enough water is added to make one gallon of concentrate. Garrett mixes ¼ cup concentrate with two tablespoons of vegetable oil and enough water to make 1 gallon of ready-to-use spray mix. ( A commercial product called Hot Pepper Wax®, containing capsaicin (the active ingredient of cayenne pepper), is also recommended for thrips control. A highly refined horticultural oil can be used during the growing season for control of thrips and several other insects.

Spinosad may also be useful in controlling thrips in the field. Spinosad is a recently discovered insecticide, derived from the fermentation of Actinomyces bacteria commonly found in the soil.
Organic Standards has recommended that spinosad be allowed in organic production. Organic growers should consult their certifier before using.

Always follow label instructions when using any pesticide, and keep in mind that the decision to use a pesticide should be made only when other approaches to pest management fail to provide adequate crop protection. Again, be aware that some "natural" pesticides may be unacceptable or limited in certified organic production. Check with a certifying agent before purchasing or using any such products.

hope it helps ....

e2a ..... want to watch them this year ..there having a bumper season ..........

e2a spelling

Hi,

Seems you're at a catch 22 Thrips can harbour many diseases, once they start nibbling at your plants they can inject the diseases straight into the plant sap, this in turn leads to more problems

Biological control is always a good method for any organic gardener. The problem being is that it can be slow for the Amblyseius cucumeris to get to work, they normally come in small sachets with a small colony in each, these breed within the sachets and release the predatory mites over a period of approx 6 weeks or so (personal experience has never seen any last as long as 6 weeks just so you know ). If you have a pretty bad infestation then the number of these predatory mites that you would need is quite alot to gain any kind of control in your room. That said, once these have got a grip then they really are the best course of action, but do need topping up at regular intervals in order to maintain the control.

As you're aware there are lots and lots of pesticides available on the market today. If you are going to use any, be sure that they do not contain fungicides....sulphur for example kills most if not all fungal and bacterial be it beneficial or not. So try to avoid these where possible.

I can not reccomend any such pesticide unfortunately, but I am sure some here will be able to advise What I will say is that you should leave 10 days either side of spraying a pesticide and using the essence, the reason for this is that the pesticide may have an adverse affect on the essence i.e. kill off the beneficial species, so kinda like throwing your money down the drain. But I know some on here have used pesticides one day and a few days later carried on with the essence programme with no side effects and still noticeably working for them. Trial and error as the saying goes

As for soaps, not really a good idea as yes it leaves a film over the cuticle, good for preventing smaller insects trying to penetrate into the tissue but not good for the essence as it can not come into contact with the tissue to get to work.

Hope this has been of some or little use.

Scotts Bug Clear Concentrate. Sure this was recommended in a post somewhere.

Thanks, just the info I was looking for, missed it when you first posted...

Thanks for all the other replies, very interesting too.

Monk...x