Hi First time: Below is a link to order predatory mites for thrips:

http://www.naturescontrol.com/thripspredatormites.html

Also marigolds help tremendously in curbing thrips. Marigolds attract mites plus yellow-jacket hornets. Yellow-jacket hornets are predators in Chicagoland garden.

Below is another site that sells bugs that eat thrips:

http://www.naturescontrol.com/thrip.html

On the rose forum there is a discussion about using plastic cups cover with oil to combat thrips, maybe this would also work for chili thrips. http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/3816744/omg-blue-cup-thrips-control-actually-works?n=58

I tried those colorful cups covered with oil in 2011, and that didn't work in my garden. The wasps are much more aggressive in consuming the regular thrips. Marigolds host these predatory wasps. Marigolds are also known as mites-magnets.

Thank you for posting this. I think I have thrips; some of the growth looks stunted and odd, buds small and have dark markings on them. I've been cutting off the bad foliage and buds and hoping for the best. I might get some marigolds.

"Marigolds are also known as mites-magnets."

strawchicago, the predatory mites that attack chilli thrips or...?

Hi FT-Gardner: I wonder the same. I re-read the 1st link:

http://www.naturescontrol.com/thripspredatormites.html

The above link sells predatory mites but gives zero field studies on roses to back that up: "A. cucumeris is known to eat onion and flower thrips, as well as several mite species (including cyclamen mites, spider mites, & broad mites)."

The below link sells 5 sticky blue-traps for $7 .. that's known to be effective in green-house. The problem with coating oil on a cup is it's not sticky enough.. I even tried STP oil, but that wasn't sticky enough to catch a large number of thrips.

http://www.naturescontrol.com/stuff.html#bt

Sticky Blue Traps
Similar to the original Yellow Traps, but work on insects that are attracted to the blue portion of the color spectrum. Customers report success using Sticky Blue Traps against Thrips & Leafminers. Especially recommended for use on roses.

**** From Straw: The first link is to sell predator-mites .. only proven effective in citrus thrips. I prefer the below UNBIASED link by University of CA Agricultural Extension, which stated tiny wasp eat 50% of thrips' eggs. I had seen bigger wasps in my garden chasing after flying thrips. Annual marigolds host wasp, an aggressive predator against thrips. I saw green lacewings on my yellow-Calendula (pot-marigold) perennial flowers.

http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7429.html

"Where thrips are a problem, learn whether that pest has specific natural enemies important in its control. For example, a minute pirate bug, Macrotracheliella nigra, and green lacewing larvae are important predators of Cuban laurel thrips. Euseius species mites are important predators of citrus thrips.

With greenhouse thrips in Southern California up to 50% of its eggs are killed by a tiny wasp, Megaphragma mymaripenne.

There is little research-based information on the effectiveness of releasing thrips natural enemies in gardens and landscapes. Releasing purchased natural enemies, in most situations, is unlikely to provide satisfactory thrips control."

http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7429.html

**** From Straw: I agree with the above, there's no point to buy predatory species if there's no plants to feed them. It's like folks buying ladybugs, but have zero perennials for ladybugs to hide and feed. In my 20+ years of growing roses, I never have thrip damage if a marigold is planted next to it.

In my last house of acidic clay, I planted at least 2 dozen marigolds around the rose-garden, I meant to keep rabbits away, and never had thrip problems either: lots of light yellow and light pink roses. In my present house of alkaline clay, the years which I planted the most marigolds: zero thrips, even on Frederic Mistral rose (known as Mr. Thrip) .. those are the same years which I found wasp-nesting in every corner, including my out-door lights !!