Going to the Canadian Greenhouse Conference in October? Check out the “Mite Murder Mystery” Workshop Wednesday Afternoon!

What is it?

Not sure what pest mites you have in your greenhouse, or which of your predators are establishing? Join us for the Mite Murder Mystery to help you identify the victim and the perpetrator!

You’ll learn different sampling methods for mites and how to identify important mites in Canadian greenhouses using a simple illustrated key. We’ll also cover strategies for managing mite pests.

Read on for more details, including how to register!

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Join our LAST Thrips Identification Workshop on March 4th in SIMCOE!

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

If you’re interested in having someone in your greenhouse operation learn how to do this (so you don’t have to rely on technical reps or government specialists), then keep reading!

This will be our LAST in-person workshop, so make sure to take advantage of this free learning opportunity!

Read on for more details and how to register.

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Missed our Thrips Identification Workshop? “How-to” Videos are Now Available Online!

*Characteristics needed to identify thrips to species.*

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.

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Which Microscope Should you Buy for Your Greenhouse?

With new invasive species popping up, the need for growers to more closely inspect pests and damage is at an all time high. This has led to interest in on-farm pest identification.

When it comes to thrips identification, specifically, investing in a microscope is a necessary evil. But a decent microscope is now a LOT cheaper than it used to be. Here, we’ve provided a video to walk you through what features to look for.

The full post will also provide you with model numbers and links, to make microscope shopping easier!

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High Quality Photos for Thrips Identification: Rating Phone Attachments.

This is a guest post by Avery Johnson (former OMAFA summer student and current M.Sc. student studying Thrips parvispinus) and S. Jandricic.

Having difficulty identifying thrips on sticky cards and need clear photos to send to your consultant or extension agent? Don’t want to invest in a microscope? Well, you’re in luck, because we’ve done the legwork to find some good alternatives to get high quality photos.

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“How-to” Video of the Week: Plant Washes and Other Tools to Make Detecting Parvispinus Easier

*OMAFA Summer Student Avery Johnson demonstrating plant washes on-farm.*

In this week’s “how-to” video, we’ll explore using plant washes on-farm.

Plant washes are a simple but effective method to detect low levels of critical pests, such as Thrips parvispinus.

Once you’ve washed out your pests, we’ve also developed a quick “decision tree” to help you easily determine if you’re dealing with Thrips parvispinus or another thrips pest.

Keep reading to find the link to the video and additional resources.

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Potted Chrysanthemums 2024: Dips, Thrips and Threats

Every year at this time, growers start to think about strategies to minimizing western flower thrips on their chrysanthemum crops. This year, Thrips parvispinus is causing extra concern, given that chrysanthemum is one of its reported hosts.

Although there have been no reports yet of Parvispinus damaging chrysanthemums in North America, it’s still good to exercise a bit of caution. However, jumping the gun and spraying chemicals will likely just disrupt your biocontrol program for western flower thrips, leaving you with a bigger mess on your hands.

This post contains information on things you can do to put your mind at ease about all sorts of thrips this chrysanthemum season.

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Thrips Identification Workshop for Growers: Coming to an Ontario Town Near YOU!

It’s no secret that 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 are different depending on the thrips species you’re dealing with, the very FIRST step in learning how to manage these pests is proper species identification. If you’re interested in having someone in your greenhouse operation learn how to do this (so you don’t have to rely on government specialists), then keep reading!

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Thrips parvispinus (“Pepper Thrips”): The Importance of Inspecting Plants and Dipping Cuttings from Florida

I’ve written about the tropical pest Thrips parvispinus, now being called “pepper thrips”, infesting certain tropical ornamentals in Canada before. But it appears this pest has become widespread in Florida.

As Ontario sources much of its plant material from Florida, it’s a good idea to exercise caution, even on non-tropical plants. The known host range of this pest is evolving, and thrips have the potential to hitch-hike on less-preferred plant hosts and spread to more preferred hosts in your greenhouse.

Read on for information on the situation in Florida and what you can do to help protect your greenhouse from this pest.

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Thrips: Going Dark for Winter

It turns out thrips and I have something very important in common – we both like to change up our look depending on the season!

Although you (probably) have no trouble recognizing me with a change of hair colour, different colour morphs within certain thrips species can throw growers for a loop when it comes to identification.

Read on for which thrips like to shake it up seasonally, so you don’t get fooled.

This post was written by Dr. S. Jandricic (OMAFRA) and A. Summerfield (Vineland).

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