Effective Mass Trapping For Summer Thrips, Part 3: Should You Add Lures?

Kendra van der Wier positioning a mass trapping card with a thrips lure. Photo by OMAFA.

This post was written by Kendra van der Wier, Greenhouse Floriculture Summer Research Student for OMAFA.

Parts 1&2, written by Dr. Sarah Jandricic, covered why to trap and when, as well as ways to improve mass trapping by choosing the right colour and placement.

This post covers my summer research project looking into the utility of thrips lures. What kinds of lures are there, and do they work on multiple thrips species? And are they worth the extra expense?

This post helps answer these questions for 2 common pest thrips species – western flower thrips and onion thrips.

Stay tuned for more work on lures for mass trapping Thrips parvispinus, another aspect of my research project.

Continue reading “Effective Mass Trapping For Summer Thrips, Part 3: Should You Add Lures?” →

“Sticking” it to high populations of thrips in greenhouse crops.

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Can patterned tapes significantly improve thrips catches?

You’ve likely noticed by now that thrips populations are especially high because of the hot, dry summer. Many growers are noticing their usual biocontrol programs can’t keep up, and further defenses are needed this year.

The use of mass trapping strategies may be the key to getting an edge over thrips. This post discusses the latest research on mass trapping of thrips in ornamentals, including patterned sticky tapes and the use of pheromones.  

Continue reading ““Sticking” it to high populations of thrips in greenhouse crops.” →