Chilli thrips on peppers
Pepper is chilli thrips' namesake host and one of its favourites, and it is the crop where most of the predator work has been done. In laboratory tests the Swirski mite ate 4.6–6.3 chilli thrips larvae a day, far fewer adults. In a Florida strawberry field trial its performance was variable, so treat it as a greenhouse tool and start before damage shows. In greenhouse cages, sprays of the fungus Metarhizium F52 cut numbers on pepper by 84–93%.
At a glance
- Damage
- Bronzed, curled new leaves; scarred buds and fruit
- Type
- Sap feeding
- Settings
- Garden, Field, Under glass
- Threshold
- See profile
- Release
- Amblyseius swirskii
- Rate
- 25–100 /m² per release; 100–300 /m² on hot spots (the site's Swirski mite rate)
How to confirm it
Tap the newest shoots, buds or flowers over white paper. Look for pale yellow thrips about 1/25–1/16 inch (1–1.6 mm) long, with dark fringed wings and a row of dark marks down the abdomen. Unlike flower thrips, which mainly damage flowers, it targets young leaves and shoot tips. Naming the species for certain takes a specialist.
Identification, lifecycle, degree days and every control option are on the full Chilli thrips profile. Not sure it is this pest? Answer four questions about the damage.
Work it out
How many do I need?
Carries Amblyseius swirskii and pepper through so nothing is re-entered. Open the calculator →