Bug Clear Gun for Fruit & Veg, Neudorff Bug Free Bug and Larvae Killer), fatty acids (e.g. We believe that WFT do not overwinter outdoors in Massachusetts but WFT are known to overwinter in soil and clover in the Mid-Atlantic states and southern Pennsylvania. This is vital to the development of an effective and “sustainable” WFT management program. Western flower thrips can be difficult to manage for a number of reasons. Blue sticky cards are more effective in detecting thrips than yellow sticky cards. There are many insecticides registered for WFT, but overuse of pesticides can lead to resistance in the WFT populations you are trying to control. Thrips transmit both types of viruses in greenhouse and field crops. Pest description and crop damage Adult western flower thrips (WFT) are very small (about 0.04 inch long at maturity), slender insects with fringed wings. Brownbridge M., M. Skinner and B. L. Parker. They release Orius on and around these planters. Adults however, do not transmit the virus to their young and there is no transmission from adult to egg. management program will only work if you diligently scout your crops. Try not to overfertilize plants, as this can lead to more thrips damage. These ways may be called the pesticides "mode of action". Three to five applications in a seven to 10-day period may be needed to obtain sufficient kill when WFT populations are “high” and there are different life stages (eggs, nymphs, pupae, and adults) and/or overlapping generations present, which occurs mainly from spring through late fall. Information on pesticide use is available in the current New England Greenhouse Floriculture Guide, A Management Guide for Insects, Diseases, Weeds and Growth Regulators. Use sticky cards to monitor adult thrips. Van Driesche R.G., K.M. White sugar at a rate of 1 pound to 100 gallons, dissolved first in warm water, then added to the tank mix. By stimulating feeding, the thrips had more contact with infected spores on treated leafs, resulting in better control. Some thrips are beneficial because they kill other pests to your plants, so you want some thrips on flowers. (Release rate: 10 mites per square foot), Apply Amblyseius cucumeris in bulk formulation to flats and benchtop pots, and to easily reached hanging baskets. Identifying the species of thrips may reveal that it is harmless in certain situations and no control action is needed. Toward the end of the second larval stage, the thrips stops feeding and drops or enters the soil or leaf litter and becomes a prepupa, which is a nonfeeding stage that lasts one or two days before pupation. Stack New England Greenhouse Floriculture Guide, A Management Guide for Insects, Diseases, Weeds and Growth Regulators. Brown or black-edged lesions will develop on the edges of thrips feeding scars within three days if a tospovirus has been transmitted. It is believed that the sugar is an insect feeding stimulant. both species use pollen as a food source so when plants begin to flower, this can be supplemental food for these mites, especially if thrips levels are low. In one study, white sugar added to Beauveria bassiana (Botanigard) increased mortality by 20 percent. Place the cards just above the crop canopy in an even pattern throughout the entire greenhouse. Lyon S. 2002. Both companies have separate kits available for testing for INSV and TSWV. WFT exhibit thigmotactic behavior, which means the body is in constant contact with a surface. In cotton this species was found to be a predator of spider mite eggs (Gonzalez and Wilson 1982, Hunter and Ullman 1989, Kindt et al. Flower-feeding thrips are routinely attracted to bright floral colors, especially white, blue, and yellow, and will land and attempt to feed. Western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis) prefer to feed on developing plant tissues such as growing tips and flower buds. Read on for some practical and effective suggestions to manage these destructive pests. How to Kill Thrips. Western flower thrips can be difficult to manage for a number of reasons. Visual inspections can be improved by blowing lightly into the blossoms or growing points. Flowers and leaves have a characteristic “silvery” appearance due to the influx of air after the removal of plant fluids (Figure 4). These are the two stages that acquire the tospoviruses (mentioned below), which are then transmitted by adults. In Massachusetts greenhouses, WFT can be found year-round whenever temperatures are favorable for their development and plants, including weeds are available for food. NATURAL ENEMIES Natural enemies include Orius, Geocoris and Nabis species and also the larvae of lacewings, but all these are general predators. Mention of a pesticide does not constitute an endorsement of any product and any omission from this list is unintentional. Using On-Site Test Kits to Detect Tospoviruses On-site test kits can be used to determine whether or not tospoviruses are present in greenhouse plants. Control is not usually necessary because western flower thrips rarely cause economic damage. Long Island Horticulture News. Therefore, blue cards are best used in thrips-sensitive crops. different age structures or life stages simultaneously over the course of the crop production cycle. Floral Facts, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA. Below are some key points to contemplate when implementing a pest management program against WFT: • The first line of defense in any pest management program is sanitation. Adjacent crops such as grapes and citrus can also harbor thrips. During feeding, saliva is injected into the plant cell and the contents withdrawn. p. 14-16. This implies that one mandible is usually longer than the other. Tolerance levels or damage thresholds determine the damage that is likely to occur at a particular population level. (Release rate: 10 mites per square foot). First and foremost, to effectively manage WFT, it is critical to develop a scouting program, which combines the use of yellow or blue sticky cards to monitor adult population trends, and visual inspection of crops to assess infestation levels of the nymphal stages. ImmunoStrips from Agdia Inc 30380 County Rd. This is where scouting helps time applications of pest control materials accordingly. A contact insecticide such as horticultural oil can be used outside the perimeter of the greenhouse prior to mowing or using herbicides. Western flower thrips is a key pest of most floriculture crops. As such, those materials with translaminar properties are more likely to be effective in killing WFT in terminal or flower buds. New England Floriculture Inc. (. Thrips can devastate fields and reduce yields as much as 50 percent. Overlapping generations of thrips within a greenhouse may result in continuous virus transmission. The maxillae then ingest the fluids from the cells, but not directly from the vascular tissue. Biological control methods, should not be used when either TSWV or INSV is already present in the greenhouse. This was also true for sunflowers, which were also susceptible to powdery mildew as well as thrips damage. W… Sprays applied to control thrips disrupt biological control of other pests such as twospotted spider mites, lygus bugs, whiteflies, and other insects. Floral Notes 13 955: 8-10. Releases must be … Connect with UMass Extension Greenhouse Crops & Floriculture Program: UMass Research and Education Center Farms, Conservation Assessment Prioritization System (CAPS), Extension Risk Management/Crop Insurance Education, North American Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative, Civil Rights and Non-Discrimination Information. Other agents show promise as biological pest control, including the fungus Metarhizium anisopliae, and the mirid Dicyphus hesperus. Adult WFT are about 1/16th of an inch long, and are long and narrow shaped, like grass seed. Discard tomato spotted wilt virus infected plants. Thrips feed by piercing plant cells with their mouthparts and sucking out their contents. However, research by Raymond Cloyd, Kansas State University showed that the addition of brown sugar and other sweeteners to lure thrips from hiding does not work and in some cases can cause the growth of black sooty mold. As the weather warms, make 3-4 weekly releases of 1 Orius per 10 sq. Treating at short intervals more than one time will control overlapping generations and reduce populations. The drawback to using ornamental pepper plants is that the peppers need to be removed to keep plants continually flowering which is necessary to maintain the Orius population. Managing vegetation in and around lettuce, biological control, and cultural practices are important in reducing the potential for damage from western flower thrips. This mite performs better during warmer temperatures (summer) and in addition to thrips, it also consumes whitefly eggs. Corporation) for his feedback regarding the industry perspective on managing WFT. Pesticides are often used to control western flower thrips ( Frankliniella occidentalis) in horticultural crops. If the cost of slow release packets is too high, baskets can be treated with imidacloprid (Marathon®). * Mention of specific products in this article does not constitute an endorsement. Growers sometimes ask about adding sugar to their tank mix to improve the effectiveness of the insecticide. WFT damage plants by feeding on leaves and flowers. The second instar nymphs migrate to the base of a plant and enter the growing medium to pupate. WFT is the most prevalent species of thrips in Massachusetts greenhouses. The pupal stage does not feed and is very tolerate or immune to most pest control materials used to regulate WFT nymph and adult populations. The use of yellow sticky traps will help to detect emerging adults. General symptoms include leaf spots, necrotic areas, mottling and ringspots or target marks. However, the screening material for WFT is so fine that proper ventilation is a challenge and this limitation should be considered. To accelerate the development of WFT pupae in the soil, and eliminate the emerging adults, close greenhouse vents and keep the house heated and empty for a week or more between crops. This will avoid unnecessary applications of pest control materials, which reduces selection pressure and thus the potential for resistance. Winged adults are weak fliers but may be carried on air currents and employee's clothing. Begonias and poinsettias are much less susceptible to damage and thresholds are much higher. 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