The harvest/bug conundrum

[Gingerbeard]

Can't take pictures, at the moment.
I have thrip. They're getting along pretty good on my fans. They don't seem too interested in the sugars.
There is 50%, or better, amber on sugars and not more than 10% on the buds with a minor percent clear. All else, on the buds, is milky. The hairs are 95% ginger. Colas and buds are the largest and tightest I've grown. My GDP is getting some P. Fans are looking like it's fall. Which it is. Go figure.
I won't mention how long they've been in flower because I'm not exactly sure and can be off a week in any guess I make.
Like I said, the damage is on the fans. I don't see much of any on the sugars, nor any thrip. They don't seem interested in leaves with trichomes.
Some of my weed will get smoked. What doesn't get blasted will go in my vacuum chamber. I will be pulling a vac, flooding the chamber with argon, vac, argon, before pulling a final vac. Whatever goes in crawling should die.
Do I harvest? That's what I've been leading up to. It's the best looking stuff I've grown.

[Going2fast]

Sorry mybrodude gonna need pics. Seriously though sounds like your close. Tasters choice. Pics would help though

[Ckbrew]

I would rather harvest a few days early over loosing the whole crop.

[Gingerbeard]

I'm doing real good this time, G2F. Being real patient, like. I have 10 yo-yo's and 11 other colas being held up. There are a few more I can't quite get to but are as healthy as anything else.
My gut tells me to wait. Thrips are on about 40% of what I have in my tent, mostly on one. Since I don't see any of the little green pecker-woods on the buds, I'm going to listen to my gut.
The camera situation is this. Mine is better than 12 years old. It has been giving me error fits on my memory card. The mirror or lens or whatever inside the camera body has taken on a distinctive haze. Romantic, maybe. I can work through those two issues. The one I will not work through is spending $38.99 (plus tax) for four AA batteries at the liquor store for a camera that will be replaced next Friday.
The time-in-flower is vague because I flip by height, not time. Keeping track of time seems like a lot of work. Writing shit down, and shit. Bah!

[Going2fast]

Right there with you on the keeping track thing. Ok so here's what I would do. Since your this close. Test nug and heavy defoil. Cut anything off that's appetizing to them. War of attrition type shit. Ain't gonna hurt if your only a week or two out.

[Gingerbeard]

Woo-hoo! Neighbor dab buddy came over for dabbing. Used his phone for some pics.
No direct thrip damage pics. If you don't know what it looks like, google does.
Hardly a bit of amber showing. More in person.

[Going2fast]

Nice garden you got there. I'd say turkey done under the circumstances. What kind of terps you getting from the GDP?

[Gingerbeard]

Can't do it, Mando Calrissian. I opened everything up and had a few moments of dabversation with neighbor. It's not WPM bad. Not septoria bad or spider mite bad. Seems smearing the thrip'd leaves gets rid of them.
You see, I tend to panic. I have had late flower debacles. Another week in the observation ward will do wonders.

[Blowdout2269]

I had a horrible thrip problem a last year. Just couldn't shake the little bastards. Had blue and yellow stickys everywhere, tons of fans, diatomaceous earth on any soil or floor surface that would remain dry/wind free. Not much in the way of results.

I finally resulted to shaking and ISO treatments almost daily. But sure as hell, as soon as I'd stop they were back.
Same as you, they really only went after the fan leaf.
If I remember correctly, I just tuffed it out and then finally harvested a tad early.

Good luck homie!

[Gingerbeard]

Seeing as how alcohol dissolves trichomes, I've never been a fan. Even diluted treatments. I like vinegar and water. A light mist and lots of fans.

[DW2]

Gingerbeard, have you tried spraying the leaves with hydrogen peroxide (3% solution) to, at least, drive them off to harvest?
That is a mighty nice lookin' crop you got there, I hope you can get it harvested!
Good luck!

[Gingerbeard]

I might be using a solution of vinegar and H2O2 if I hadn't run out of the latter DW2 . It's always been a favorite.

[Blowdout2269]

Me aswell. But vinegar seemed to do absolutely nothing for me. I do dilute to 50/50 and use a piece of paper in my other hand to shield as much as I could.

[johnb1963]

when you do harvest, i would definitely do the 4 bucket bud wash. it will get rid of all the bugs and bug poop.

[Gingerbeard]

I blast my weed for resin. I won't be getting any bodies or turdles in the final product as everything passes through a 20 micron screen and coffee filter.
The bugs aren't everywhere. I can sequester the damaged from the not-so-damaged.