Using Banker Plants as an Additional Tool in Strawberry Integrated Pest Management

The invasive Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood;(Thysanoptera: Thripidae) is currently the most significant pest of strawberries in Florida. Managing this pest is challenging due to its low susceptibility to many commonly used insecticides. As an additional management strategy, we propose using flowering plants (banker plants) to attract naturally occurring predators of thrips, which can help suppress S. dorsalis populations in field strawberries.