Thrips Monitoring – April 25 – May 1

Here is an update on thrips monitoring from UGA Extension Peanut Entomologist Dr. Mark Abney:

There were very few tobacco thrips on our traps last week. What does that mean ? It means there was no large migration/dispersal of thrips last week. It does not mean that peanuts that emerged two weeks ago will not have thrips on them, and it definitely does not mean that peanuts going into the ground this week are at reduced risk for thrips damage. We need to keep an eye on our fields as they emerge and especially as they get a few weeks post emergence when at-plant insecticides may begin to run out.

Questions have come in about the use of imidacloprid on twin row peanut. As mentioned in an earlier post, there are two formulations of standalone imidacloprid available (2F and 4.6F) and one premix formulation of imidacloprid and a nematicide (Velum Total); the rates are different for the three formulations. Check the label of the product you are using to be sure the rate is correct. The amount of product that can be applied per acre does not change with single vs. twin row patterns. That means that in twin row patterns, each twin row will have half the amount of product that would go under a single row. I do not have any data from trials where imidacloprid was applied under twin rows. We are currently testing this and other thrips management practices.