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"Thrips cocktail" getting better with age
by Dr.Richard Lindquist and Jeff Dobbs, Technical Service

The most important aspect of thrips management is to have a scouting and monitoring program. By using such a program you will be able to keep track of population trends. This will help you decide not only how often to apply pesticides but which pesticide or tank mix to use. Some of the pesticides and tank mixes are best used when thrips numbers are low, are found only on leaves and not in flowers. Others can be used in a so-called “rescue” program. A monitoring program should include sticky traps, indicator plants and plant inspections.

The pesticides and pesticide tank mixes used for control have been divided into two categories:

1. Those that can be used to reduce a well-established western flower thrips population, or on crops that are especially susceptible to impatiens necrotic spot virus (INSV) or tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV); and
2. Those that are not so-called “rescue”pesticides and which are best used when thrips numbers are low (determined by your scouting and monitoring program), to help prevent populations from increasing, or on crops where virus infections do not occur.

For a complete list of pesticides and pesticide tank mixes that can be used to reduce an established western flower thrips population, click here.