Veronica Yurchak, Vegetable Specialist, University of Maryland; vjohnso4@umd.edu
Congratulations to Leah Fronk and others for correctly identifying this as thrips damage. Thrips problems typically increase in many different vegetable crops as they migrate out of recently harvested small grains and hot summer weather sets in. When controlling thrips, particularly western flower thrips, be sure to rotate insecticide chemistries to reduce the risk of resistance development. Lannate, Radiant, and dimethoate provide excellent control of most thrips. Neonics including imidacloprid, acetamiprid, and dinotefuran, as well as Entrust, Torac, Rimon, and Beleaf also work well. Radiant and Beleaf are also very good options for western flower thrips.
