Current status and management of melon thrips, Thrips palmi Karny (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in south Florida

Melon thrips, Thrips palmi Karny, is a significant pest of all vegetable crops in South Florida except tomato.  Its feeding damage can cause scarring on fruits, bronzing of leaves and finally total defoliation of the host plants.  To meet this challenge growers have been using insecticides of all chemical classes, but often with no positive results. Very few registered insecticides are effective in controlling this pest. Radiant is the only chemical insecticides that provides effective control of melon thrips. Due to the frequent use of this product over two decades, growers have been facing failure in controlling melon thrips by using Radiant. As an effort to develop an effective management program new insecticides of various mode of actons have been tried in the present study.