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The western flower thrips [Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande)] is an invasive pest insect in agriculture. This species of thrips is native to the Southwestern United States [1] but has spread to other continents, including Europe, Australia (where it was identified in May 1993 [1]), and South America via transport of infested plant material.
Many flower-dwelling species bring benefits as pollinators, with some predatory thrips feeding on small insects or mites. In the right conditions, such as in greenhouses, invasive species can exponentially increase in population size and form large swarms because of a lack of natural predators coupled with their ability to reproduce asexually ...
The 'eastern' part of its common name is due to its common occurrence to the east of the Rocky Mountains, whereas the habitat of western flower thrips extends through the entire United States and Canada. [2] It is challenging to distinguish the various species of thrips, without resorting to microscopic examination. [2]
The chili thrips, Scirtothrips dorsalis, is an Asian pest on many crops, including chili peppers, roses, strawberry, tea, ground nuts, and castor bean. The western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis , has recently expanded its range from western North America to large portions of Europe and Asia through the trade of greenhouse plants.
It is used as a control agent against thrips on avocado trees. Together with F. vespiformis it has been marketed in Europe as a control agent against thrips in greenhouses. F. vespiformis also feeds on mites, nymphs of a whitefly species and the larvae of an agromyzid fly. F. megalops has been used for thrips control in "internal landscapes".
It is largely spread by the insect vector of the western flower thrips. The virus infects more than 648 species of plants including important horticultural and agricultural species such as fuchsia, tomato, orchids, [2] and lettuce (especially romaine). As the name implies, the main symptom on plants is necrotic spots that appear
Flower thrips can be agricultural pests in either two species of thrips in the genus Frankliniella: F. tritici , Eastern flower thrips F. occidentalis , Western flower thrips
Dicyphus hesperus has also been tested as a biological control for the western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis) on tomatoes. It was effective at reducing the number of thrips but when the ratio of predator to prey was too high (>1:10), some damage was caused to the tomato fruits by D. hesperus. [7]