Onion Thrips Control
Biological Control for Onion Thrips (Thrips tabaci)
Onion thrips (Thrips tabaci) are
- Small 1/16th inch (slightly smaller than western flower thrips)
- Range from pale yellow to dark brown
- Lay their eggs in plant tissue
- Females can lay up to 200 eggs in their lifetime
- Can be 5 to 8 generations a year
Onion thrips overwinter in legume or grain fields, in weedy areas, and in onion bulbs left in the field. Outbreaks are most likely to occur in the summer when it's hot and dry.
Onions thrips prefer to feed on newly emerged leaves and intensive feeding results in a silvery white stippled appearance. Thrips also feed on pollen and can be found within blossoms. Onion thrips can vector dangerous plant viruses which is another reason for control.
Sound Horticulture offers several options for biological control of thrips. You can use Amblyseius cucumeris in sachets or to sprinkle on foliage. Orius insidiosus is a good generalist predator on flowering plants. For use in the soil or growth media use the predatory mite Stratiolaelaps scimitus and entomopathogenic nematodes. Read more about these predators on our website and talk to us about a thrips control strategy that works for you. Shop Thrips Control Below
Thrips ID key, Ontario Floriculture
Onion Thrips, Utah State University
Onion Thrips, Penn State Extension
