Cutting the crown will not prevent thrips since they are more often on the foliage than in the soil.

If all flowers are disbudded for 2-3 months, that's a start. Then to get the flying thrips, put up sticky cards.

Set up a clove of garlic planted just below the surface of the soil. The scent of garlic will inhibit thrips...and vampires!!!

Since your small collection does not call for beneficial insects, I would suggest either getting rid of everything, and washing thoroughly all equipment and the place where the plants are or trying to fight them.

Disbud--take all buds and flowers off for at least 2 months. Do not add other plants or violets to the area. Use the planted garlic as suggested, and the sticky cards for flying insects. Maybe you could isolate each plant in its own plastic sack to see which plant is hideing these monsters.

Thrips are bad in two ways, they suck vital juices from the plant and they carry other virus and bugs on their backs.

USUALLY thrips are not a hard insect to get rid of but plants must remain budless and flowerless for 3 months since they eat the pollon.

Nancy

Sounds like they are reinfecting each other. Those things do hop and fly. I had a small problem. Disbudding worked. Also I put the plant in a large plastic bag, out of sunlight-as mine are on window shelves). Once a week for three weeks I sprayed with insecticidal soap and neem oil. Don't give up. tish

Hello Detroit -

If you keep your windows open - they fly in through the window screen.

Disbud your violets, spray all your plants with whatever you have already - insecticide I mean, repeat it 2 more times week apart - and very possibly you are off the hook till next spring. And then you open the window again...

The damage starts as cosmetic - but they can give you really bad problems - as Nancy already explained. Systemic doesn't
reach the buds - that's why you need to disbud all. But -if they do not have the flowers - they will feed on leaves - and their larva can be in a soil - that's why spray 3 times so you get rid of all of them.

It is no ending battle- just because they fly in every summer.

Good luck

Irina

Nancy, I was under the impression that thrips can hide in the foliage for *months*. If so, what good would disbudding for only a couple of months do? If not, ignore the preceding.

Korina, pooped from *fast* lunch-time bike ride after being off my bike for two weeks...

'One begins to wonder if a lot of religious doctrine isn't just a way of encouraging men to be more like women. Seems to me things would go a lot more smoothly if everyone just admitted this, and got on with it.' ~Laurie R. King

Thanks for the advice. I was almost ready to start chopping. Need some clarification on treatment though. I understand disbudding, sticky strips and spraying, but do I need to drench the soil/spray soil surface or just spray the foliage? I guess I'm asking - are the thrips or eggs in the soil also??

Detroit -

They cannot be in soil forever - most of their life is on the leaves and blooms - aha - pollen is here - chomp-chomp-chomp...

if you repeat your treatment 3 times week apart - you do not let them mature and lay more eggs. So you do not need drenching. If you have fungus gnats - you do.

Yes - systemic helps - but it stinks. And you live with the poison in your house. I use systemics - Marathon - but I have a big collection and a plant room. If you have small kids or pets that can chew on your plants - possibly better to stay off. And use all the precautions when you spray. At least put protective glasses, gloves, cover your nose and mouth and rewash your clothes and take a shower afterwards.

Good luck

irina