All fields that are planted to cotton this year, or were planted to cotton last year, must be trapped. If you know of cotton fields in an active eradication area that are not being trapped please contact eradication personnel or your local County Agent and let them know where these fields are located . There are several different species of thrips that attack seedling cotton. Some of the more common species include tobacco thrips, flower thrips, western flower thrips, and soybean thrips. Although it is not practical to distinguish between these species in the field, species can affect control results, especially when western flower thrips are present.
Thrips are the smallest insects to attack cotton.
Many species of thrips have ovipositors that allow them to insert their eggs into plant tissue, much like tarnished plant bugs. Eggs hatch into slender bodied larvae that eventually develop to a pupal stage. For most species of thrips found on cotton, the pupal stage occurs in the soil. Thrips feed on a variety of plants, including many weeds, and can often build to high numbers early in the year. When these hosts begin to senesce or dry down, adult thrips take wing and are moved by wind currents.