ABSTRACT

Various traps were evaluated for capture ofwestern flower thrips, Franklinella occidentalis (Pergande). More thrips were attracted to blue sticky cards compared with yellow or white cards. With the addition of blue light emitting diodes (LEDs) thrips numbers on blue cards increased 2.2 fold. The numbers of thrips caught per 10cm² on blue sticky cups were 2.4 times more than on blue sticky cards. Blue LEDs increased the efficacy of blue sticky cards for catching thrips and maybe useful in greenhouses for monitoring and thrips control. The higher trap catches and reduced costs indicated that blue sticky cups would be the better choice for thrips monitoring and control.