Learning Opportunity: Keeping Thrips parvispinus Out of Your Greenhouse

By Nick Matysik|August 11, 2025

In floriculture, new research is always underway to help combat the latest iteration of thrips, and Thrips parvispinus in particular. So, what kind of insights does the latest research provide to growers to better refine their pest management practices toward Thrips parvispinus?

American Floral Endowment‘s upcoming webinar on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025, as part of its ongoing Grow Pro series, will cover new studies on Thrips parvispinus biology and behavior, and sustainable integrated pest management (IPM) practices adapted from research findings. Topics of the webinar will include:

Findings from trials aiming to reduce Thrips parvispinus populations.
How new treatments are evaluated for their impact on plant growth.
The life cycle, behaviors, and preferred sites of Thrips parvispinus.
Sustainable solutions to minimize pesticide use while enhancing pest control.

The featured speaker for “IPM Strategies for Thrips parvispinus Management on Greenhouse Ornamentals” is Dr. Rose Buitenhuis, a Senior Research Scientist and Program Leader at the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre. Buitenhuis has led the Biological Crop Protection program since 2010, with responsibilities to develop and implement biocontrol technologies for the management of arthropod pests and the support of sustainable crop practices in horticulture production. Buitenhuis received her Master of Science (M.S.) in biology at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands and her Ph.D. in entomology at Laval University of Québec. Her prior work experience includes a post-doctoral fellowship at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and on biological and cultural control of western flower thrips on greenhouse flower crops at the University of Guelph.

Willing participants can register for the webinar directly through Zoom or by visiting the Grow Pro Webinar series page on the AFE website, where information on future webinars in the series can be found. Recordings of all past Grow Pro webinars can also be found on the AFE’s YouTube channel. Additionally, the full calendar schedule of the Grow Pro Webinar Series can be viewed below: