Thrips identification workshop for growers

Recent outbreaks of thrips species other than western flower thrips (WFT) have made producing greenhouse crops in Ontario harder than usual. This includes species such as onion thrips, thrips parvispinus, and chrysanthemum thrips.

As control measures differ depending on the thrips species you’re dealing with, proper species identification is the very first step in learning how to manage these pests.

This Thrips Species Identification Workshop is designed to teach greenhouse growers and IPM practitioners how to correctly identify thrips species that may occur on their farms. This includes common species such as western flower thrips, onion thrips, and Echinothrips, but also exotic species that are being encountered more often in Ontario (e.g. Thrips parvispinus, greenhouse banded thrips).

This 3-hour, hands-on workshop is designed for growers with all levels of insect experience, including those who have never used a microscope before.

This joint workshop is being run by thrips-experts at the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre, OMAFRA, and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC).

This free workshop will be held on multiple dates and locations to accommodate as many growers and IPM practitioners as possible.

Please choose one of the following dates/locations when registering:

1. Vineland, ON: March 6th at Rittenhouse Hall, Ministry Building. (Tentative time: 9:00-12:30, with lunch to follow.)
2. Leamington, ON: May 16th, Ontario Fruit and Vegetables Growers head office (time TBD)
3. Niagara Falls, ON, as part of the Canadian Greenhouse Conference (CGC): Oct 9-10th (time and exact date TBD). Note: As this session will be part of CGC, attendance will require paying the conference registration fee.

How to Register: Please go to our events page for the Thrips Identification Workshop and follow the instructions to pre-register. Space will be limited – your spot will be confirmed at a later date.

What to do in the meantime
If you currently have a population of thrips that’s confusing you, and you have access to a microscope, your first step is to try your hand at OMAFRA/Vineland’s simple Thrips Key for Growers. Since its inception in 2015, dozens of growers and IPM consultants have successfully used this key to ID species of concern. We’ll be going over this key in detail in the workshop, as well as what kind of microscope to buy and how to collect and handle samples.

If you’ve looked at the key, and still aren’t certain about which thrips species you’re looking at, you can always drop or ship samples to Vineland Station to be identified by me ([email protected]) or Ashley Summerfield (Senior Research Technician, Vineland Research and Innovation Centre; [email protected]). In the Leamington area, please consult Cara McCreary ([email protected]) or Dr. Rose Labbe at AAFC Harrow ([email protected]).

You can also submit samples to the National Identification Service run by the Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes. Follow their instructions for submitting samples.