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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REMINDER: GrowON Webinar TOMORROW on Nematode Application and Efficacy!

On Wednesday, December 17th, please join Greg Bryant , Technical Lead at Beneficial Insectary, for an hour-long exploration of what nematodes can do, if you treat them right.

To attend, please continue reading and click on the registration link in the webinar poster or at the end of the post.

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GrowON Webinar, December 17: Worms at War – Maximizing Nematode Efficacy for Greenhouse and Nursery Crops.

As December winds down, thoughts are now turning to spring crops. This can include spring bedding crops or nursery plants coming out of their winter sleep. Both of these can bring onslaughts of pests like thrips, fungus gnats, shore flies and even weevils. Nematodes are an important natural enemy in fighting these pests, and are often the gateway into using more biocontrol. But are you using them to the best of their abilities?

Please join Greg Bryant , Technical Lead at Beneficial Insectary, for an hour-long exploration of what nematodes can do, if you treat them right.

To attend, please continue reading and click on the registration link in the webinar poster or at the end of the post.

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Missed our Recent Webinars on Cybersecurity and Invasive Thrips? The Videos are Now Online!

Part of running a greenhouse is keeping it safe – whether that be from hackers or from invasive pests! We recently recorded a webinar on cybersecurity for operational tech and smart devices – and why small businesses are a prime target. We also recorded webinars on Thrips parvispinus and Thrips setosus, the two invasive pests that have been affecting floriculture crops the past 4-5 years.

Keep reading to get more details on these webinars, and to view the recordings.

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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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Managing Pesticide Resistance in Greenhouse Crops

With July being the beginning of poinsettia season, as well as the time growers are starting many tropical plants for next spring, it’s time to be thinking about managing pesticide resistance. Pesticide resistance readily develops in populations of key greenhouse pests, including Bemisia whitefly, spider mites, and more. So how do we avoid an uphill run on the resistance treadmill?

Hannah Fraser, Horticulture Entomologist with OMAFA, shared her decades of experience battling resistance issues in fruit crop pests in a GrowON webinar recorded last summer. For those that missed it, I thought now would be a good time to post the video on the blog. (As always, you can find all of our previous GrowON webinars on the ONFloriculture Youtube channel.) Keep reading to watch the video as well as links to other resources on resistance management.

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Garden Mum Refresher 2025: Insect Pest and Disease Management

In case you missed it, earlier this week we talked about nutrient management and growth regulation/tracking for garden mums.

This post will focus on which pests most often affect garden mums in Ontario, and preventative actions you may want to take. Keep reading to learn more.

*A tarnished plant bug feeding on a bud of chrysanthemum, which can cause petal distortion. Photo by OMAFA.*

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Managing Million Bells: 2025 Updates

It’s that time of year again, when Million Bells (Calibrachoa) are being started in the greenhouse.

This post will discuss common insect and disease pests, such as aphids, thrips and black root rot and viruses.

Stay tuned for an upcoming post about production tips and tricks for this popular spring favourite.

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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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Upcoming GrowON Webinar: Managing Pesticide Resistance in Greenhouses

Greenhouse IPM practitioners have to produce high quality plants and produce with a more limited chemical arsenal. We also have to deal with several key pests that are known to readily develop resistance to multiple chemical classes, including thrips, whitefly and leafminers. So how do we avoid an uphill run on the resistance treadmill?

Hannah Fraser, Horticulture Entomologist with OMAFA, shares her decades of experience battling resistance issues in fruit crop pests with us in this next webinar.

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