What is the tiny critter on the petal of this strawberry bloom?
Tobacco thrips (reduced wing form) crawling out of a strawberry flower at Clemson’s Coastal REC in Charleston.
Tom Bilbo, ©2024, Clemson Extension
This picture shows a tobacco thrips (reduced wing form) crawling out of a strawberry flower at Clemson’s Coastal REC in Charleston. There are several species of thrips that we find in strawberry flowers in SC, but for most farms and fields, the presence of these thrips does not usually indicate a problem. In fact, unnecessarily spraying for thrips can ironically select for the most pestiferous species, resulting in a thrips outbreak.
However, certain species can become a major issue on occasion, and the risks are highest in high tunnel and greenhouse systems. If you see thrips feeding on developing fruit (with symptoms of bronzing) or feeding on foliage, please alert myself or your local county agent. The reason is twofold: 1) thrips outbreaks can become extremely difficult to control once started, so a focused management strategy is desired; 2) there is at least one invasive species predicted to eventually establish in SC (chilli thrips) and the sooner an invasion is detected, the more likely we can manage it and possibly prevent its establishment in a given area.
