BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF FUNGUS GNATS, BRADYSIA SPP. (DIPTERA: SCIARIDAE), AND WESTERN FLOWER THRIPS, FRANKLINIELLA OCCIDENTALS (PERGANDE) (THYSANOPTERA: THRIPIDAE), IN GREENHOUSES USING A SOIL-DWELLING PREDATORY MITE, GEOLAELAPS SP. NR. ACULEIFER (CANESTRINI) (ACARI: LAELAPIDAE)

1990 ◽  
Vol 122 (5) ◽  
pp. 975-983 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R. Gillespie ◽  
Donald M.J. Quiring
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Frankliniella Occidentalis ◽  
Western Flower Thrips ◽  
Predatory Mite ◽  
Flower Thrips ◽  
Fungus Gnats ◽  
Fungus Gnat ◽  
Greenhouse Cucumber ◽  
Crop Cycle ◽  
Hydroponically Grown

AbstractA soil-dwelling predatory mite, Geolaelaps sp. nr. aculeifer (Canestrini), introduced inundatively at a rate of 6000 mites per plant to the sawdust substrate of hydroponically grown, greenhouse cucumbers significantly reduced numbers of fungus gnat, Bradysia spp., larvae and adults over a 10-week period. Inundative introductions of 1600 mites per plant reduced emergence of western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), adults to about 30% of that in the controls over a 40-day trial. An inoculative introduction of 125 mites per plant to cucumber plants in selected rows in a commercial greenhouse reduced peak fungus gnat numbers to about 20% of those in untreated rows. These results suggest that a single inoculative introduction of Geolaelaps sp. nr. aculeifer, early in the crop cycle, would maintain control of fungus gnat populations in greenhouse cucumber crops at an acceptable level. This predator would also contribute to biological control of western flower thrips by reducing emergence of adults.

scholarly journals Effect of Plant-growing Media on Western Flower Thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis, Pupae and Fungus Gnat, Bradysia sp. nr. coprophila, Larvae under Laboratory Conditions

HortScience ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 55 (8) ◽  
pp. 1323-1326
Author(s):  
Nathan J. Herrick ◽  
Raymond A. Cloyd
Keyword(s):  
Frankliniella Occidentalis ◽  
Insect Pests ◽  
Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungus ◽  
Larval Mortality ◽  
Mycorrhizal Fungus ◽  
Western Flower Thrips ◽  
Arbuscular Mycorrhizal ◽  
Growing Media ◽  
Flower Thrips ◽  
Fungus Gnat

Western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis, and fungus gnats (Bradysia spp.) are major insect pests of greenhouse production systems. Both insect pests have life stages that reside in the soil or plant-growing medium: prepupae and pupae of western flower thrips and fungus gnat larvae. There are unsubstantiated allegations made by a manufacturer that certain plant-growing media that contain a bacterium, Bacillus pumilus, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus, Glomus intraradices, negatively affect the survival of western flower thrips pupae and fungus gnat larvae. Therefore, we conducted a study involving laboratory experiments replicated over time (2019 and 2020) to investigate the influence of the plant-growing media Pro-Mix BX + Mycorrhizae and Pro-Mix BX + Biofungicide + Mycorrhizae on western flower thrips pupae and fungus gnat larvae. All experiments involved placing western flower thrips pupae or fungus gnat larvae (second and third instar) into 473-mL deli containers with the different treatments (plant-growing media). A 5 × 4-cm section of a yellow sticky card was affixed to the lid of each deli container. After 21 days, the number of western flower thrips or fungus gnat adults that emerged from the growing media and were captured on the yellow sticky cards was recorded. The use of the yellow sticky card was an indirect assessment of western flower thrips pupal or fungus gnat larval mortality. We found none of the plant-growing media tested that contained a bacterium and/or arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus affected the survival of western flower thrips pupae or fungus gnat larvae. Therefore, greenhouse producers should be leery of information provided by manufacturers that does not contain valid, scientifically based data.

scholarly journals Anthocoris nemorum (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae) as predator of cabbage pests – voracity and prey preference

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie-Louise Rugholm Simonsen ◽  
Annie Enkegaard ◽  
Camilla Nordborg Bang ◽  
Lene Sigsgaard
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Plutella Xylostella ◽  
Frankliniella Occidentalis ◽  
Diamondback Moth ◽  
Western Flower Thrips ◽  
Potential Candidate ◽  
Model Species ◽  
Flower Thrips ◽  
Cabbage Pests ◽  
Cabbage Aphids

Laboratory experimentswere performed with adult female Anthocoris nemorum (Linnaeus) (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae) at 20°C ± 1°C, L16:D8, 60–70% RH to determine voracity and preference on cabbage aphids (Brevicoryne brassicae L.) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), diamondback moth larvae (Plutella xylostella L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) and Western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) (model species for cabbage thrips (Thrips angusticeps Uzel) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)). When offered individually, A. nemorum readily accepted all three species with no significant differences in consumption. When aphids and moth larvae were offered simultaneously, A. nemorum showed preference for the latter (numbers eaten and biomass consumed). When aphids and thrips were offered together, A. nemorum preferred thrips in terms of numbers eaten but preferred aphids in terms of biomass consumed. The results showed that A. nemorum is a voracious predator of B. brassicae, P. xylostella and F. occidentalis and can therefore be considered as a potential candidate for biological control in cabbage.

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