Question
This year we have been fighting thripes from the start. I have sprayed with some effect but not as productive as i had hoped. We have 45 bushes in the yard and most have had an adverse effect with this little pain in the buds>>>>> What do you do to kill these little...........pests? I have a wide variety in the yard.

               Help!!!
               Jesse

Answer
The thrips that damage your roses are in there because female thrips made a small slit in the bud or new growth tissue, then laid her eggs. After a few days, the eggs hatch and go about sucking plant fluids until they get fat enough to pupate, commonly in the soil. One species, the Western Flower Thrips, sometimes pupates in plant litter or protected areas on the plant as well.
Eventually they emerge as a flying adult, mate, and the process renews. This whole life cycle, from egg to adult, takes only about two weeks during warm weather, and about a month in cooler weather.
Damage to the rose bud is most noticeable in light colored roses, although thrips may attack all roses. If the buds open at all, the petal edges may look brown or discolored. Sometimes the buds will only partially open. Sometimes, the buds will simply wither.
Because thrips are so tiny they can hide from most sprays so you have to use a systemic type insecticide that gets into the sap of the rose and when the trips sucks on a petal it sucks up the poison as well. They also pupate in the ground around the rose bush so don't forget to spray all around the bush about one foot out from the base and that will get rid of many more. Thrips only cause trouble for around 6 weeks. Hope this helps. Lynnette