Technique for Collecting Thrips for Use in Insecticide Efficacy Trials

An affordable device comprised of off-the-shelf parts, initially called the “Small Insect Aspirator” was developed to gently collect western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), from a rearing colony for use in insecticide efficacy trials. This device allows for a designated number of thrips to be placed onto any experimental test plant. The device is a battery-motorized driven aspirator comprised of two pieces of copper tubing (6.0 mm in diameter) attached to a copper housing, which contains a threaded plastic lid and glass vial (20-mL). The aspirator is fully portable when attached to a battery-driven vacuum device, which allows researchers to efficiently collect thrips in outdoor field situations. When turned on, the vacuum gently pulls western flower thrips (adult and larval stages) through the copper tubing and deposits them into the collection vial. The vial is then detached and sealed with a threaded lid until the collected thrips are deposited onto experimental test plants.