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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In Case You Missed It: “Scouting your Ornamental Crops like a Pro” Webinar is Now Up!

If scouting has been a challenge for you or your employees in the past, you’re a new IPM scout, or you feel like you could use a refresher, then this webinar is for you!

This recorded webinar is applicable to garden retail centres as well as ornamental and some nursery crop producers. I cover topics such as how best to spend your time, tools of the trade, what data you should be recording, as well as tips and tricks from the pros!

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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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Save On Energy Webinar: Battery Energy Storage System Safety for Greenhouses

This post was originally written by Abigail Wiesner, Acting Greenhouse Floriculture Production Specialist.

Join Save On Energy, offered through the Independent Electricity System Operator (ISEO), for an upcoming webinar exploring the safety of battery energy storage systems on May 14^th 2024 from 1:00pm to 2:00pm. Keep reading to learn how to register.

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New Chemical Control Option for Thrips and Whitefly

Thrips-tabaci-female-1-1024x683 A new pesticide is available for greenhouse ornamental production in Canada that has shown potential for effective suppression of difficult-to-control thrips and whitefly species.

But to keep this new tool effective, growers will have to use this chemical wisely. Keep reading for efficacy data on ornamental crops and best management practices for incorporating this chemical into your IPM toolbox.

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Attention IPM Scouts: a brief guide to hand lenses.

Handlens Ever wonder if you’re using the best hand lens for the job to investigate pests in your greenhouse? Curious about the pros/cons of different styles? Then read the following post from our friends at Penn State:

http://sites.psu.edu/frost/2017/09/05/a-brief-guide-to-hand-lenses/