Determination of the diurnal pattern of melon thrips, Thrips palmi Karny (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) movement in field and greenhouse condition

Melon thrips is an economic pest of vegetable crops around the world. This is the major pest of vegetable growing areas in South Florida, where it infests crops such as snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), eggplant (Solanum melongena), squash (Cucurbita moschata), cucumber (Cucumis sativus). The flying time and height of the thrips within the day were determined using yellow sticky traps at four different heights (2, 3, 4, and 6 ft) on a wooden pole (10 ft) in the eggplant field. This study was also conducted inside the shade house under a semi-controlled condition using snap bean plants. The number of thrips was higher from 1000 to 1200 hours EST than any other time within the day. However, in the shade house study, thrips numbers were higher from 1000 to 1400 EST hours. Furthermore, thrips number were found higher in 1 foot and 2 feet height above ground level, near plant canopy. However, the number of thrips was recorded at 4 feet in the shade house study. During this study, climatic factors such as temperature, precipitation, and wind velocity influenced the flight behavior of thrips. Considering several environmental factors, monitoring flight behavior is critically important for developing efficient traps and identifying a suitable time for insecticide application.