Biological Control of Frankliniella intonsa and F. occidentalis by the Polyphagous Predator, Piocoris varius (Heteroptera: Geocoridae) on Sweet Pepper in Greenhouses

Abstract

We tested the effectiveness of releasing big-eyed bug Piocoris varius (Uhler) for control of two flower thrips, Frankliniella intonsa (Trybom) and F. occidentalis (Pergande), in sweet pepper greenhouses. Second instar nymphs of P. varius were released three times at the rate of 5 nymphs per plant per release. The release of P. varius suppressed the thrips density to low levels for 2 months, while the conventional chemical control was unsuccessful. The effectiveness of P. varius was not influenced by several applications of fungicides. P. varius nymphs were constantly found on the plant throughout the experiments and adults emerged 2 months after the release. Our result suggests that P. varius is a promising biological control agent of the flower thrips.