Western flower thrips

Description

Western flower thrips larvae are wingless with thin, pale yellow bodies up to a millimetre long. Female adults grow up to two millimetres long, with yellowish heads, a single pair of feathery wings and darker abdomens with black tips. Male adults are smaller and a more uniform bright yellow.

Control

There are two major obstacles to effective control: this species develops resistance to insecticides more easily than other thrips species, and both the insects and TSWV can be hosted by a very large range of weeds and other plants.

Reducing possible sources of infestation by controlling weeds and using native plants that are poor thrips hosts around greenhouses or crops is a key control measure.

Predatory mites are playing an increasingly important role in IPM strategies and the introduction of Movento®, with its novel mode of action, has eased insecticide resistance pressure.