Thrips: Microcephalothrips abdominalis

Symptoms of damage

• Infest the flower heads.
• Lacerating the sepals and petals causing abrasions
• Heavy infestation - damage to corolla, stamens
• leading to premature flower drop.
• It transmits the tomato spotted wilt virus, necrotic spot virus to many floricultural crops. 

Identification of the pest 

• Adult - slender, white to black in colour

Management

• Grow resistant varieties like
• Chandrika, Bangalore Local Yellow Double, M-7, Pankaj and Yellow Star.
• Field sanitation. 
• Remove weeds that harbour virus from inside and outside the greenhouse.
• Yellow or blue sticky traps can be used for mass trapping of thrips.
• Blue traps - more effective for mass trapping than yellow traps.
• Release of nymphs and adults of predatory minute pirate bug, Orius insidiosus.
• Spray dimethoate 30 EC @ 1 ml/litre or fenitrothion 50 EC @ 1.0 ml/litre malathion 50 EC @ 2 ml/litre
• Application of spinosad very effective against thrips .