The western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis) – pest management

western flower thrips

The western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis, is a species native to North America, in the United States. It attacks plants grown in the field such as peach, apricot, plum, grapefruit, cotton, beets, beans, tomatoes, roses, carnations, gerbera, Parma violets, chrysanthemums, etc.

Description. The female has a variably colored body, from light yellow to dark brown, 1.2-1.9 mm long. The male is smaller, 0.9 mm long, colored in light yellow. The larva after hatching is white, turning yellow in the more advanced stages.

Biology and ecology. The western flower thrips overwinters in the adult stage in the soil and as a mature larva in vegetative buds and flower buds. The incubation period lasts 4-13 days, being strongly influenced by temperature variations. After hatching, the larvae cross the epidermis of the tissue, coming to the surface where they feed for 6-19 days.

Attacked plants and damages. In general, the larvae and adult females are phytophagous, feeding by sucking the intracellular juice or the pollen and nectar. On the leaves of the attacked ornamental plants, one can notice the existence of a silver color, due to the deformation of the attacked tissues. The pest causes significant damage to the crops of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, or some flower species (carnations, gerbera, chrysanthemums) in the greenhouse. When the attack takes place before flowering, the flower buds no longer open. The attack of thrips is often confused with the attack of mites.

Control: The use of blue traps is recommended.

Recommended products

Read carefully and follow the instructions on the label of each product

In case of strong attacks, it is recommended to apply control chemicals, using insecticides such as:

Recommended products

Read carefully and follow the instructions on the label of each product
×

We help you
to take care of your plants

If you haven't yet found solutions in our articles or previous discussions, start a new discussion and our experts will help you.

New discussion about

The western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis) – pest management
The western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis) – pest management

Your information:

Your name must contain a maximum of 30 characters. If you would like to pass on the details of the problem you are facing, please complete the other fields.

The maximum document size is 59 MB.

Add
It helps if you attach some Images or Clips maximumm 15 sec


Want to know more?

Our specialists participate in the discussions of the armuro community with useful information and solutions.
If you want, you can start a discussion about the problem you are facing.
Read the discussions