Got Tropicals? How to Detect and Monitor for Thrips parvispinus.

*Figure 1.* Thrips parvispinus female. Photo by A. Summerfield, Vineland.

In a previous blog post, we talked about which pesticides can control Thrips parvispinus if you end up with an infestation from imported plant material.

But how do you figure out if this invasive pest is in your facility in the first place? And, if so, what’s the best way to monitor their populations?

After working with this pest for the last 1-2 years, researchers like myself have figured out which monitoring methods are most effective. This can help you identify the problem early, begin a management plan, and monitor the efficacy of your controls.

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REMINDER! GrowON Webinar Thursday July 27th: Comforting Lies and Unpleasant Truths about Pesticide Application

Ever wonder why you spray the label rate of a pesticide, and you just don’t see good control? Does it have to do with your application method? Your crop? Or something to do with the label rate? According to Dr. Jason Deveau, OMAFRA’s Application Technology Specialist, the truth lies somewhere in between…

Join our latest GrowON Webinar on Thursday, July 27th, where Jason discusses the pitfalls behind generating pesticide labels, and how growers of horticultural crops can help improve pesticide efficacy on-farm.

This is a great webinar for growers of greenhouse floriculture, greenhouse vegetable, nursery and cannabis crops.

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Poinsettia Pest Management Pointers: Receipt Through Potting Up.

Poinsettias are here! In the next few posts we’ll be breaking down production into into 4 key growing periods: Receipt/Propagation, Early Production, Late Production, and Finishing.

This post on propagation will cover things you can do now to treat pests and diseases in your cuttings to prevent BIG problems later. And make sure to check out Dr. Chevonne Dayboll’s previous post on ensuring cutting quality.

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Upcoming GrowON Webinar: Comforting Lies and Unpleasant Truths about Pesticide Application Methods

This is a great webinar for growers of greenhouse floriculture, greenhouse vegetable, nursery and cannabis crops.

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Pesticides for Parvispinus: Results of an On-Farm Trial

*Female T. parvispinus (left) on a mandevilla flower; a smaller male (yellow, right) can also be seen.*

Although the invasive pest Thrips parvispinus continues to threaten tropical ornamental crops, the good news is that the sky isn’t falling. Producing crops like mandevilla, schefflera and hoya is still possible, at least in a closed greenhouse setting.

Although developing a reliable biological control program for this pest is probably a few years off, a suite of pesticides is available in the U.S. and Canada to successfully manage T. parvispinus.

This post covers these pesticides, their relative efficacy and demonstrates outcomes when used in an 8 month on-farm trial in mandevilla.

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Cleaning Out Your Greenhouse Today can Save You Pest and Disease Headaches Tomorrow.

Now that Victoria Day weekend has come and gone, many floriculture greenhouses find themselves with a rare period of empty compartments or benches before fall crops go in. Similarly, many vegetable greenhouses extending their growing period are facing their first crop clean out. Now is the perfect time to consider a thorough cleaning of your greenhouse to prevent pest issues going forward into the new crop. But this can seem like a daunting task.

OMAFRA and the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre have produced a how-to video on greenhouse clean-out and disinfection that can help you know where to start.

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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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Should you Tank Mix Your Pesticides? The Answers are “Mixed”.

Will tank mixing pesticides give you better efficacy? Save you money? Can tank mixing HURT your crop in any way? How do you know if two products are compatible? And, how do you know if you’re legally ALLOWED to tank mix two products?

This post covers all these questions and more, with some great links to other resources to boot!

This article was written by Jason Deveau (OMAFRA Application Technology Specialist) and Mike Cowbrough (OMAFRA Weed Management Specialist – Field Crops). The original post can be viewed on the Sprayers 101 website. New guidance on Health Canada’s federal tank mixing policy can be found here.

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GrowON Webinar “Squeaky Clean Start to 2023” Now Available on Demand.

Getting off on the right foot in the new year is important personally AND in your greenhouse, especially when it comes to pest management.

Two of our Canadian greenhouse experts gave some great talks on where, when and how to sanitize in your greenhouse to avoid pest outbreaks, and new research findings on dipping vegetative cuttings to reduce incoming pests.

If you missed this webinar last week, see how you can watch a recoding of this Grow ON Webinar, below.

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Upcoming Webinar: “Squeaky Clean Start to 2023”

Getting off on the right foot in the new year is important personally AND in your greenhouse, especially when it comes to pest management.

Join two of our Canadian greenhouse experts for some great talks on where, when and how to sanitize in your greenhouse to avoid pest outbreaks, and new research findings on dipping vegetative cuttings to reduce incoming pests.

More details can be found below on how to register for this joint event between Michigan State Extension and OMAFRA’s Grow ON Webinar series.

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