Pacific Pests, Pathogens & Weeds - Mini Fact Sheet Edition

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Onion thrips (117)

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Photo 1. Silvery-white feeding patches on the leaves of shallot from infestations of  the onion thrips, Thrips tabaci.

Photo 2. Adult Thrips tabaci are about 1.5 mm long with red eyes.

Photo 3. Colours of onion thrips, Thrips tabaci, vary from yellow to brown, through green; compare Photo 2.

Photo 4. Adult thrips, Thrips tabaci.

Summary

• Worldwide distribution. On onions, a preferred host, but infestations also occur on onion relatives, beans, brassicas, carrot, cotton, cucurbits, legumes, papaya, pineapple, potato, tobacco, tomato and many ornamentals. At least 25 plant families are infested.
• Thrips pierce cells and suck up the contents, leaving white specks. They spread viruses.
• Spread is by flight from weeds, on air currents, and in the trade in bulbs. 
• Natural enemies. many predators.
• Cultural control: nurseries far from field crops; inspect transplants carefully; avoid planting new crops next to old, and not downwind; remove weeds and “volunteers”; mulch; use yellow sticky cards to check for thrips; collect plant trash and burn after harvest; 2-3-year rotations.
• Chemical control: soap, white or horticultural oils, neem or spinosad; note, thrips have developed resistance to many pesticides, which will kill natural enemies.

Common Name

Onion thrips

Scientific Name

Thrips tabaci

This mini fact sheet is a part of the app Pacific Pests, Pathogens & Weeds

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