Thrips parvispinus has become a serious pest of tropical ornamental crops in North America since 2020. Due to the severity of the damage, IPM strategies are needed to complement chemical control until an effective and economical biocontrol program can be developed for this pest.
Mass trapping through traps, lures, or trap plants can be an effective strategy for thrips. We’ve already seen that mass-trapping cards really help with this pest (more on that later). It seems that trap plants may also be an effective strategy when used properly in vegetative crops.
Thrips parvispinus, sometimes referred to as Pepper Thrips, has become a serious pest of tropical ornamentals such as mandevilla, diplodenia, hoya, schefflera, and anthurium since it was first discovered in Florida in 2020.
Although pesticides are available for this pest, active ingredients are limited in ornamentals. Not surprisingly, resistance has already been seen in this pest to Success (spinosad, Group 5), Delegate (spinetoram, Group 5), and Ference (cyantraniliprole, Group 28) in Ontario.
Read more at onfloriculture.com