Synergistic Effects of the Red Light and Blue Traps on Control of Thrips palmi (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)

The melon thrips (Thrips palmi) is a serious insect pest of vegetables and ornamental plants. To control and monitor this thrips, blue traps are widely used. We previously reported that irradiation of cucumber plants with red light-emitting diodes (660 nm) causes T. palmi to avoid the plants. Here, we evaluated the responses of T. palmi adults to a cucumber plant in an experimental arena with either a transparent sticky trap or a blue sticky trap, without or with illumination by a red LED panel. When T. palmi were introduced into the arena, the number of thrips attracted to the plant was lowest in treatments using the red light and blue trap. On the other hand, when T. palmi were inoculated on plants first, most thrips stayed put on the plants. Placing both red LEDs and blue sticky traps in greenhouses before the thrips invade the greenhouse from the outside might effectively control T. palmi.