Effective Mass Trapping For Summer Thrips, Part 2: Colour, Placement and Duration

Yellow or blue – that is the question. Photo by A. Summerfield.

Part 1 last week covered WHY to trap and WHEN to it’s best to put up your cards. This post goes over trap colour and placement to optimize thrips catches while reducing effects on natural enemies.

Although I’ve talked about this in older posts, I’ve put this data in context of what we know now, in terms of the various thrips species that invade Niagara greenhouses. I’ll also be sharing some data on card duration.

If that isn’t exciting enough for you, next week’s Part 3 will discuss whether or not using lures is worth it to increase thrips catches.

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Mass Trapping For Summer Thrips, Part 1: Why Trap and When to Start (Answer: This Week!)

Sometimes your thrips biocontrol program is working great. Other times, it seems to get completely overwhelmed.  Thrips can get out of control in Summer, when fall crop production is ramping up. This is where mass trapping can really help.

This post will cover where thrips come from, which species we find on cards, and when the best time is to add mass trapping to your thrips IPM program.

And stay tuned for Part 2, which will cover ways to optimize your mass trapping!

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How-To Video of the Week: Mass Trapping for Thrips and Other Pests

Are your thrips numbers on the rise?

Thrips often get out of control in summer, when fall crop production is ramping up. But why is this?

Although some thrips enter your greenhouse via plant material (think tropical thrips like Parvispinus), common thrips like western flower thrips and onion thrips mostly enter your greenhouse through vents and doors.

Continue reading to learn when your thrips are likely to spike in your greenhouse, as well as how to effectively use mass trapping to combat thrips and other pests.

Continue reading “How-To Video of the Week: Mass Trapping for Thrips and Other Pests”

Where Do Most of Your Thrips Come From? The Answer May Surprise You.

Are your thrips numbers on the rise?

(This post was co-written by S. Jandricic and A. Summerfield.)

Sometimes your thrips biocontrol program is working great. Other times, it seems to get completely overwhelmed.  Thrips often get out of control in Summer, when fall crop production is ramping up. But why is this?

Several factors can contribute to rising thrips numbers, but the major reason involves HOW and WHEN thrips like to invade your greenhouse. Read on to learn about this, and what you can do to stay on top of thrips this summer!

Continue reading “Where Do Most of Your Thrips Come From? The Answer May Surprise You.”