Florida Growers Monitoring Spread of Invasive Thrips Species
April 5, 2023 
A close-up of Thrips parvispinus damage on a pepper leaf; Photo: University of Florida
An invasive thrips species first detected in Florida in 2020 has since spread significantly across the state. What once was isolated to greenhouses now has begun to harm a wide range of plants, including those in residential landscapes.
The insect, Thrips parvispinus — commonly known as pepper thrips — is one of the smallest thrips species in Florida. Its size makes it challenging to detect. The tiny insects fly and hop from plant to plant, rasping the plant with their mouth parts and sucking the sap. Feeding on the plant restricts the plant’s growth and reduces crop yields. Researchers don’t know of any viruses this species transmits, but often, thrips can transmit viruses between plants, killing the plants.
“In order to minimize any kind of negative impacts, we started warning people right away that this pest had made its way to Florida,” says Lance Osborne, University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) entomologist at the Mid-Florida Research and Education Center in a recent blog post from UF/IFAS. “We better be careful. This insect is notorious for damaging peppers around the world, but now it has moved from the greenhouse to the environment and has established itself in several areas around the state.”
Currently, scientists don’t know of any effective predators or other biologicals that attack Thrips parvispinus in Florida, and chemical control has been very difficult. That makes early detection and prevention even more important.
“While damage symptoms are the most noticeable indicators of its infestations, they may not appear until after the plant has sustained considerable harm,” says Muhammad “Zee” Ahmed, USDA research entomologist. “As they say, prevention is always better than cure, and this is particularly true when dealing with Thrips parvispinus.”
The research team including Ahmed, Cindy McKenzie of USDA, and UF/IFAS Extension agent John Roberts, conducted a survey of garden centers in Palm Beach County to understand how widespread the pest is. Eight out of nine stores entomologists visited had the pest. In November, a south Florida grower lost an entire pepper crop to the pest valued at more than $1.3 million.
“At first, the damage can mimic mites and can be misleading,” Osborne says. “The control methods are not the same and without proper treatment, these thrips can take out a whole crop.”
Entomologists encourage growers to scout often and inspect their plants carefully.
“It isn’t that the sky is falling but we have to pay attention to this and not ignore it,” Osborne says. “Growers of any crop should be aware. This insect seems to have a fairly broad host range. This won’t just impact peppers and ornamental plant growers.”
Growers who detect Thrips parvispisnus should immediately report their findings to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Division of Plant Industry. Then, researchers can work with growers to help manage the pest and develop the best treatment options available.
A new website developed in collaboration between UF/IFAS and USDA provides detailed information on the insect’s biology, early detection, and damage symptoms with detailed videos and images.
Learn more in the original post here.
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