Here's a picture of some buds I clipped this morning. Other bushes which have stopped blooming look sick. For 40 years my bushes have been mostly trouble-free, only sprayed a few times. Barely had any aphids or mildew this spring. And now this. it's very disturbing. Aren't these just UGLY??? I got a spray bottle of spinosad, clipped a bush down to just sticks and sprayed it. I clipped it because recently when in The Huntington neighborhood I noticed all their small roses at the entry gate were clipped down very short, 8"-ish. Maybe they clipped them and then sprayed. I have about 30 bushes and cannot do all with a little spray bottle. My hand was cramped doing the one bush. Maybe I'll get someone to come do it. I don't like to spray myself.

Yes chilli thrips may be a real problem on many levels. It will be interesting to see how it plays out the next few years. BTW, I am not convinced that imidacloprid does not transfer to flowers and is not toxic to bees and butterflies, etc.. "As a systemic pesticide, imidacloprid translocates or moves readily in the xylem of plants from the soil into the leaves, fruit, flowers, pollen, nectar, and guttation fluid of plants. Bees may be exposed to imidacloprid when they feed on the nectar, pollen, and guttation fluid of imidacloprid-treated plants. "Experts believe there are many possible causes of bee decline, including imidacloprid, and a recent bee malady termed colony collapse disorder (CCD). In 2011." Years ago I applied imidacloprid to daylilies that were covered with aphids. Weeks later I read about using daylily buds in salads. Wondering what they tasted like I popped one in my mouth. Yuk -- strong insecticide taste!!! I spit it out quick, but my tongue held the horrible taste for some time. At that point I decided not to use systemics anymore ... LOL. Later I stopped spraying insecticides on plants. After a couple of years of going chemical free I was really surprised how little insect damage the plants experienced by letting nature balance itself with good bugs taking care of bad bugs, hand picking, beneficial nematoes, and other non toxic remedies. Unfortunately, that may not happen for awhile with chilli thrips. So in the meantime we just do the best we can. Here is a link that might be useful: About imidacloprid ...

Chili thrips has been the diagnosis for roses here in Hawaii. If buying roses from the big box stores, which are usually supplied by local nurseries who get bare roots from the mainland, one must make sure to isolate their purchased rose and get rid of whatever problems it has (usually chili thrips and spider mites) before introducing to one's garden. Unfortunately our choices on the islands is limited if on a budget. Monterey has a smaller concentration of spinosad and is more readily available and affordable than the more expensive Conserve. I had mixed results with Monterey because I was following a regime of what i now consider chemical overload (imidacloprid, insecticidal soap, fungicide). Eventually split cost of the Conserve but have only resorted to using it once. I am half convinced though that using it plus the severe hot, humid sun and sporadic rain had caused damage to my generally healthy leaves. These past several months, since Feb or March actually, I've resisted spraying insecticide or fungicide at the first sign of trouble to let them get back to their natural state of defense. For me a steady schedule of chemical warfare doesn't make sense anymore so am glad I am off that cycle. If I get severely infested with chili thrips, I'll cut off the infected sections and use the lower concentration Monterey first. I prefer a foliar spray application because the damage is generally on the new growth and buds.

I've been waiting to see a response to this, because I have been finding something similar under my pots. I am not sure they are a problem, I have been able to attribute any damage to them. They don't look like aphids, are too bigs to be springtails ( plus they don't seem to hop). I assume they came in with my plants after their summer outside. As an aside, I seem to be developing a whole new little ecosystem under my lights this winter... this is the fifth type of critter I've come across this year. Six if you count empty snail shells in pots... Anyone? help us!