Management of the Western Flower Thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in Fruiting Vegetables (Report‪)‬

There are over 5000 described species of thrips (Thysanoptera). About 87 species of thrips are pests of commercial crops because they feed on leaves, fruits, and flowers causing discoloration, deformity, and reduced marketability (Mound 1997). Over 20 of these species of thrips are now cosmopolitan (Mound 1997), including recent invasive species in Florida, the chilli thrips, Scirtothrips dorsalis (Hood), and a legume pest, Megalurothrips mucunae (Priesner) (Diffie et al. 2008). Global trade in greenhouse plants rapidly spread the western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), around the world in the 1980s. The species is native to the southwestern US, and it is the key vector of Tomato spotted wilt virus (Kirk & Terry 2003). The insect and the virus emerged as the key pest problems of tomato, pepper, peanut, tobacco, and other crops in northern Florida in 1986. In 2006, the western flower thrips (but not the virus) emerged as a key pest problem in fruiting vegetables in central and southern Florida. The adults of F. occidentalis inhabit the flowers of tomato, pepper, and eggplant, where they feed on pollen and flower tissues. The female lays eggs individually in the small developing fruit of the flower. A small dimple sometimes surrounded by a halo remains in the developing fruit after egg hatch (Salguero Navas et al. 1991b). The dimple, but not necessarily the halo, remains on mature fruits. Direct feeding by larvae also causes aesthetic damage referred to as 'flecking' (Ghidiu et al. 2006). This damage occurs on the parts of the fruit touching a leaf or stem due to the cryptic habits of the larvae. Thrips damage can result in cull-out and lowering of grade of the harvested fruit, with tolerance based on price and demand in the marketplace. Plants infected by Tomato spotted wilt virus display chlorosis, necrosis,