Evaluating Thrips Spray Programs in Florida Strawberry: Population Impacts and Fruit Quality1/20/2026
At the Florida Strawberry Growers Association’s Annual Tailgate in Dover, FL on January 14th, Dr. Jason Hamm of Florida Ag Research shared current findings from field work evaluating insecticide spray programs for chilli thrips management in Florida strawberry, with a focus on thrips populations, fruit quality, and practical sampling considerations.
Why early-season thrips management is a focal point
Chilli thrips populations can build quickly in the first third of the season. Early sprays do not always prevent damage to foliage, blossoms, and fruit, which is why the current strategy emphasizes early intervention—applications during the first month of establishment (before canopy closure) to improve coverage and delay population buildup. Field trials are currently underway at the Dover FSGA Research Site to refine early-season application methods under real-world conditions, including examining products and modes of action targeting oviposition, eggs, and immatures. Trial overview and what was evaluated In this study, ‘Ember’ strawberry was planted 10/20/2025, and five treatments were compared: four rotation programs plus an untreated check (UTC). 
Applications and Assessments
Assessment methods included:
Key findings (early-season conditions)
1. Population control vs. crop protection can diverge Across assessments focused on adults + larvae per flower, the data indicated that IGR-based approaches provided stronger thrips population reduction relative to systemic and contact products in this dataset. 
2. Fruit protection and marketable outcomes favored systemic programs in this early window
When looking at harvested fruit outcomes after three harvests, the presentation notes that a program with systemic products provided the best fruit protection under the early-season conditions observed. Marketable yield results were also summarized with an emphasis on early-season ROI dynamics, noting that systemic products can provide strong ROI compared to other rotations, though the untreated check performed similarly under these specific early-season conditions. 
3. Sampling location matters (flowers vs. foliage)
The work also addressed the practical question: Where should you sample, flowers or foliage? The dataset presented a comparison of adults + larvae per leaf and summarized percent control by program. Separately, the presentation’s conclusions noted more thrips found in blossoms vs. foliage in these plots.
Conclusions and Next Steps
The presentation closed with several clear takeaways:
Veteran entomologist to co-lead scientific programs alongside Research Director Dr. Balaji Aglave
Dr. Hamm brings two decades of experience in entomological research, innovation, and multiple biological systems. He earned his Ph.D. in Entomology from Louisiana State University, where he trained in Southeast U.S. crops, an MBA in International Business from the University of Delaware, and a B.S. in Biology from the University of Kansas. He has published more than 25 scientific papers and is a co-inventor of three commercial insecticides. At Ag Metrics Group, Dr. Hamm will oversee Southeast entomology and related field research programs to help advance new crop protection and biological technologies from early concept to commercial reality. His team runs insecticide development, efficacy, and grower-supported entomology trials across citrus, sugarcane, strawberries, fruiting and leafy vegetables, and tropical crops.  Drs. Hamm and Aglave examine strawberries at Florida Ag Research’s Dover, FL farm. “Dr. Hamm’s combination of scientific depth, industry experience, and leadership is exactly what our clients are looking for in a research partner,” said Dr. Balaji Aglave, Research Director at Florida Ag Research. “As a professional entomologist leading Ag Metrics Group’s Southeast entomology program, he oversees the insecticide development, insectary, and grower-supported entomological research at Florida Ag Research, designing high-value trials, generating reliable, decision-ready data, and protecting our sponsors’ proprietary information at every step.” Dr. Hamm’s work centers on high-pressure insect pest trials and practical, decision-focused insights for product development teams. These studies are conducted under rigorous, standardized methods with strict data confidentiality, so sponsors can rely on both the integrity of the results and the security of their proprietary information. He specializes in major regional pests, including Asian citrus psyllid, chilli thrips, spider mites, aphids, whiteflies, scales, mealybugs, and mango and pepper weevils. Dr. Hamm is a soft-bodied insect specialist with decades of work focused on laboratory and field trials with this important insect pest group.  Drs. Aglave and Hamm in Florida Ag Research’s Plant Pathology Lab. “With my background in global development programs, patent contributions, and advancement of new chemistries, I know how critical it is for innovators to trust their data,” said Dr. Hamm. “Florida Ag Research and Ag Metrics Group are known for tight, field-grounded science and responsive client service. I’m excited to help our partners generate clear product differentiation and move new technologies efficiently toward commercialization.”
With Dr. Hamm’s appointment, Florida Ag Research strengthens its entomology program and position as a scientific hub for the development of crop protection and biological solutions tailored to the unique pressures of the Southeast U.S. crop production environment. About Florida Ag Research Florida Ag Research, an Ag Metrics Group company, is an agricultural contract research organization specializing in field and greenhouse studies under Florida’s demanding production conditions. The company conducts efficacy, residue, agronomic, and specialty research across citrus, vegetables, sugarcane, small fruits, and other high-value crops. In addition, Florida Ag Research is deeply involved with Florida grower cooperatives, keeping their science focus and significant resources directed toward helping product developers identify opportunities and understand the numerous cropping challenges of the Southeastern U.S. marketplace. About Ag Metrics Group Ag Metrics Group is a leading American agricultural consulting and contract research organization with almost five decades of successful science investigations and grower extension activities. Serving a diverse clientele that includes product manufacturers, grower cooperatives, and governmental agencies, Ag Metrics Group operates across North America through its regional centers: Pacific Ag Research, Michigan Ag Research, and Florida Ag Research. For more information, visit www.AgMetricsGroup.com or follow them on Facebook and LinkedIn @AgMetricsGroup.  Florida Ag Research announced a new insecticide screening program for testing ovicidal efficacy against Chilli Thrips for the Florida strawberry industry. Candidate active ingredients include currently registered and new insecticides, acaricides, or other products that can disrupt the pest early in its life cycle. This Fall and continuing through Spring 2026, our Florida entomology team will be conducting focused laboratory and field bioassays that can provide manufacturers with confidential data of a product’s potential utility as a thrips ovicide.
As with other thrips species, Chilli Thrips (Scirtothrips dorsalis) inserts its eggs into leaf tissue where they are protected against most insecticide sprays and biological controls. In this scenario, new larvae continually hatch unchecked, infesting plant canopies and causing direct damage to the harvested crop. In contrast, ovicides strengthen commercial control programs by eliminating a critical pest life stage, which may lead to a reduction in the number of thrips sprays needed, conservation of biological controls, and improvement in resistance management (longevity) of products now in use. In addition to Chilli Thrips, ovicidal efficacy testing is also available for Western Flower Thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis) and several other key insect pests. Florida Ag Research combines state-of-the-art facilities with decades of expertise in entomology, greenhouse and field research, and custom bioassay designs. Our mission is to deliver independent, science-driven insights that manufacturers of ag products can use to refine their portfolios and ultimately contribute to commercial IPM strategies worldwide. Chilli Thrips Control in Strawberry: Comparison of Conventional and Organic Treatment Efficacy5/13/2025
Justification: Chilli thrips are increasing in severity and distribution in Florida’s strawberry industry every year, and reports of severe crop injury are commonplace in all strawberry production districts statewide. In warm fall years, Chilli thrips can become established in strawberry plantings during plant setting periods of overhead irrigations when foliar insecticide spray applications are not possible. Within the first trimester of the crop, most strawberry plantings are infested with rapidly increasing populations of these pests, with injury to foliage, blossoms and fruit evident by mid-season. This occurs despite repeated insecticide sprays or inundative releases of hundreds of thousands of predatory mites and/or beneficial insects. One strategy proposed is to apply insecticides (conventional or organically approved) as early as possible before plant canopies are established and spray coverage limits control. If insecticide materials could be used during the first month of crop establishment, thrips populations could be delayed, and plant damage minimized later in the season. This project seeks to test insecticide application methodologies during the critical crop establishment period under actual field conditions at the Dover lab.  Photo 1. Close up of Chilli Thrips (Scirtothrips dorsalis) on strawberry leaf (left) and the feeding damage on infested strawberries rated a 5 on a 0-5 scale (right) Methodology: Three experiments were carried out on naturally infested Brilliance strawberries transplanted in October 2024 at the Dover research station. All three experiments include untreated check plots and a grower standard foliar insecticide rotation.
Treatments: Conventional systemic insecticides
Organic products (1-2 applications)
Data Collection: Thrips counts on ten blossoms per plot were reported weekly. Feeding damage on fruit was rated on a 0-5 scale, where 5 is severely damaged (see photo 1). Early Season Chilli Thrips Counts* on FlowersPre-Plant dips for Cyantranilprole and Imidacloprid had the fewest thrips on flowers in the pre-plant conventional program.
Post-plant Conventional treated strawberries saw the fewest Chilli thrips on standard tank mix program.
Strawberry blossoms treated with experimental organic programs saw higher average Chilli Thrips than the standard and untreated plants.
*Time weighted average count, six week total pressure. Larvae, adult and combined counts analyzed separately Average Fruit Damage % Control
Pre-Plant: Imidacloprid as a Preplant Dip controls fruit damage better than standard, statistically (p<0.05)
Post-Plant: Night sprays were significantly less effective than sprinkler or drip applications for experimental treatments (p<0.05)
Organic: No significant differences for standard rotation or experimentals  Results: The abnormally cool temps in November and December delayed Chilli thrips establishment until mid-January at Dover. As a result, foliar populations remained very low for the first 5 weeks of the season and comparison of insecticide efficacy during crop establishment was not possible on leaves alone. However, beginning weekly in December, blooms were sampled along with foliage and Chilli thrips were recovered in low but quantifiable densities to compare treatments after plants had set and irrigations stopped. Conclusions: Chilli Thrips populations were low in 2024, limiting the conclusiveness of insecticide efficacy data. However, evaluations based on Chilli thrips presence in blooms and fruit damage indicated that the systemic insecticides Imidacloprid and Cyantraniliprole demonstrated efficacy against both nymphs and adults. Although efficacy was demonstrated rates used for dip and drench treatments negatively impacted plant growth and delayed crop development. The use of insecticide plant dips and drip chemigation methods is not recommended currently due to potential phytotoxicity effects. None of the organic insecticides tested provided observable control under the conditions of this study. Further research is planned for Fall 2025 to determine safe and effective rates for soil-applied insecticides and to reassess efficacy under higher pest pressure.
Want to find out more, download the full PowerPoint Presentation.
Highlighting Insights from the FSGA Field Day Presentation - Chilli Thrip Control on Strawberry1/15/2025
Today, at the Florida Strawberry Growers Association Field Day in Dover, FL, Dr. Frank Sances of Florida Ag Research (an Ag Metrics Group Comapny) shared key findings on Chilli Thrips Control in Strawberry: Comparison of Conventional and Organic Treatment Efficacy. The presentation offered a deep dive into:
Explore the findings of the presentation here (Click image below to view file):   Two pest issues are challenging Florida’s strawberry industry with reoccurring crop losses and very few effective and registered controls. The fungal disease Neopestalotiopsis, and the Chilli Thrips (Scirtothrips dorsalis), have become the primary pests of strawberries grown in the southeastern US. Since their introduction, the Florida Strawberry Growers Association has funded several of our annual studies with these pests. Currently, we are planning the Fall 2024 program at our small fruit research station in Dover, Florida. Neopestalotiopsis Trials: Secure A Spot in Our "Add-On" Program If you have a conventional fungicide or biofungicide in development, our “add on” trial program has openings for additional entries. Tractor foliar sprays will begin at crop establishment and continue through the critical Christmas-New Year period. This is when disease episodes are explosive and require repeated sprays to maintain control of fruit infections. Our trials document foliar and fruit diseases weekly and include several commercial standards for comparison with new test products. Trials can be conducted with these reliable natural infestations, or artificially inoculated for greenhouse or open field trials separate from the Dover program. Chilli Thrips Trials: Test Your Product's Efficacy Under Challenging Conditions Chilli Thrips establish immediately after planting despite a month of overhead irrigations for crop establishment. Rain fastness, knockdown efficacy, and systemicity are desirable product attributes during this period. Also, because daily overhead irrigations interfere with foliar applied product efficacy, we are including chemigation and preplant soil drench applications in our protocols with some products. Following crop establishment after sprinkler irrigations are terminated, we use conventional foliar tractor spray applications. Products applied at this time will test efficacy on larvae and eggs, plus knockdown efficacy against adult Chilli Thrips. To summarize, transplant dips, preplant drenches, chemigation via drip tape, and foliar sprays are all possible in our program. As with the Neopestalotiopsis program, we also have Chilli Thrips colonies to populate smaller focused studies in the greenhouse and lab. Join Our Fall Strawberry Program Today If your product has efficacy against Neopestalotiopsis or Chilli Thrips, please give us a call while we are filling slots in our fall strawberry program in central Florida. The industry is searching for products that can help prevent yield losses for this economically important crop in the coming season. There is a lack of effective control measures for both pests so trialing your potential solutions could benefit everyone involved. Please call Balaji Aglave directly at 1(813) 892-1104 or email him at [email protected] or Erin Downey [email protected] to discuss your needs for upcoming Florida trials. For questions regarding trial work at any of our other stations, please contact Brad Booker at [email protected].
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