This project with Strawberry Growers New Zealand is focusing on the control of thrips, in particular the species Frankliniella intonsa (intonsa). This pest continues to be a limiting pest of strawberries in mid-summer in the Auckland and Waikato regions, leading to a high percentage of unmarketable fruit for four months during this period of the year.

The project will involve landscape scouting for intonsa thrips to determine which plants the thrips population builds up on prior to migrating onto strawberry crops in mid-summer.

The second component of the project will test the effectiveness of three different predatory insects, or biological control agents, in controlling pest thrips, particularly intonsa. The efficacy of a minute pirate bug, a green lacewing, and predatory mites against intonsa thrips will be investigated on strawberries in a greenhouse setting.

Intonsa thrips are also known to be pests of vegetable crops, meaning knowledge from the project may also provide a biocontrol option for these crops.

Read an article about the project here.