THRIPS! Can I use Safers End All?

[Orchid grower]

Hello,

I found 3 thrips on one of my orchids flowers and 1 on another. I believe they are thrips based on how they looked and after searching online. Most of my orchids produce sap but I noticed the orchid that had 3 thrips had a lot of sticky stuff on the leaves. Like a big drop in one area.

I have Schultz Insecticidal Soap and sprayed my infected plants and wipes down all of my other orchids leaves and inspected them very closely with the insecticidal soap.

I found this other product and want to know if anyone has experience with it and if it is safe to use on my phalaenopsis.

Safer's End-All Miticide/Insecticide/Aracicide 1L Ready-to-Use Spray.
It contains Active Ingredients: potassium salts of fatty acids 1%, pyrethrins 0.01%

I also put yellow sticky traps in some of the pots.

Please help me!!!!!! Thanks!!!

[Roberta]

The ingredients are basically insecticidal soap, and pyrethrin. I would think that it would be safe for the Phals, best to keep it off the flowers unless the label says it's OK, but give everything else a good bath. There are "bigger guns" if this doesn't do it (spray at least once a week for 3 weeks or more to get succesive generations)

[Orchid grower]

Originally Posted by Roberta

The ingredients are basically insecticidal soap, and pyrethrin. I would think that it would be safe for the Phals, best to keep it off the flowers unless the label says it's OK, but give everything else a good bath. There are "bigger guns" if this doesn't do it (spray at least once a week for 3 weeks or more to get succesive generations)

Thank you Roberta! When you say "good bath" what exactly would that mean? Should I be be spraying them thoroughly all over? Or letting them sit and soak in a larger pot as they are being watered and spray thoroughly so the water and spray mix?

Thanks!

[Roberta]

Spray tops and bottoms of the leaves. The product is already mixed, so you don't want to add water... spray and let it dry.

[Keysguy]

Good god, you could see them?
Something tells me if you saw a few thrips, there are hundreds or worse.

I had one experience with thrips and beat them into submission with Orthene. Dilute as directed and direct spray application weekly for three consecutive weeks then once quarterly. It is a systemic and long lasting and the initial 3 week blasts will ensure you have nailed each life cycle and gotten them entirely eliminated.

Works great but 1 drawback is IT STINKS......wear mask, eye protection and gloves.

[Clawhammer]

You cannot beat thrips without also spraying or removing the flowers. Systematics don't accumulate in sufficient quantities in flowers. I don't believe thrips will munch on phal leaves.

Azamax worked for me. Once a week for 3 weeks and remove all flowers and buds (or isolate those plants and spray buds).

Thrips wreaked havoc on my AV collection.

[Keysguy]

When I had my thrip attack I did not remove flowers or buds. Obviously didn't help the flowers at that point but if buds were just forming when I sprayed they actually bloomed out fine. That's how I knew I had won! Haven't seen one since and that was 3 years ago.

[jldriessnack]

I have used endall effectively and with no damage to my orchids on phals, ludisia, coelogynes, oncidiums, brassias, and paphiopedilums.