Although greenhouse growers’ thoughts in late summer tend to turn to pests of poinsettias, thrips are never fully forgotten (being the #1 pest and all).
Ever since a bunch of new thrips began invading North American greenhouses a few years ago, proper thrips identification has become a necessary evil. If you missed our Vineland/OMAFA Thrips Identification Workshops in 2024, have no fear. Ashley Summerfield from the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre has compiled much of the workshop content in a series of easy-to-follow videos. Keep reading for what you’ll need and links to the videos.
About These Videos
The videos of the Thrips Identification Workshop were made by the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre, in collaboration with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (OMAFA), and are applicable to both greenhouse floriculture and vegetable crops.
Disclaimer: the appearance of any products in these videos does not constitute endorsement by OMAFA or the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre. Videos contain current information as of the initial release date. Some products or procedures that were not available or widely used at the time of filming were not included in these videos. Any products featured in the videos may currently be unavailable or discontinued.
All the videos can be found on my Thrips Identification Video Playlist on my ONFloriculture YouTube channel. Make sure to check out all the other excellent “how-to” videos there while you’re at it!
Video 1: How to Build an Aspirator for Collecting Thrips
Initial Release Date: 2024
Details: Watch this video first to help you collect adult thrips from plants and flowers for identification. It can be difficult to identify thrips stuck on sticky cards, so when teaching yourself thrips identification, it’s always best to start with fresh specimens. After collection, put them directly in alcohol or in the freezer to make sure they are good and dead and won’t crawl away while you try to work with them!
More information relating to this video:
- Where to purchase an aspirator, if you don’t want to build one: https://shop.bugdorm.com/index.php?cPath=2_28&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw8diwBhAbEiwA7i_sJajMMevXGLvldWok6JtwVCV4qqsSKzjQnNe3UJpFQwyceN40k6IzaBoCJDQQAvD_BwE
Video 2: How to Choose a Microscope for Greenhouse Use
Initial release date: 2025
Description: Before you start your adventure in thrips species identification, you’ll need to purchase a basic dissecting microscope. This video walks you through the pros and cons of different models. (Hot tip: enjoy the outtakes at the end!)
Video 3: Introduction to Thrips Identification
Initial release date: 2025
Description: This video is a brief introduction covering why and when to ID thrips found in greenhouse crops, and the creation of our simplified identification key designed for growers and IPM professionals.
Video 4: Thrips Life Cycle and Anatomy
Initial release date: 2025
Description: This video is a brief overview of the thrips life cycle and life stages. It also goes over thrips anatomy, and how to differentiate male and female thrips, which will be important knowledge for the next video (how to use a key to identify thrips species).
Video 6: How to Use Our Thrips Identification Key
Initial release date: 2025
Description: This video is an overview of how dichotomous keys work and includes a step-by-step walkthrough of our Simplified Thrips Key for Growers, developed by the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre and OMAFA. (So go grab some thrips, your microscope and print off a colour-copy of the key before watching this video!). We also discuss best practices and tips to help you identify thrips found in greenhouse crops.