PUPATION SITES OF SCIRTOTHRIPS CITRI (THYSANOPTERA, THRIPIDAE) AND POTENTIAL MANAGEMENT THROUGH INCREASING MORTALITY OF INSTARS ON THE GROUND

Release of laboratory-reared citrus thrips, Scirtothrips citri (Moulto n), onto branches of citrus trees, and capture of falling larvae on st icky sheets, suggested a significant proportion of pupation on the gro und. Field experiments were performed with individual trees caged in o rder to exclude the possibility of random migration of S. citri from t ree to tree. Preventing adult emergence from the ground by covering th e ground beneath the canopy with sticky plastic sheets resulted in est imates that between 49 and 90% of S. citri adults emerge from the grou nd. Emerging adults from soil sample collected in the field and from a n artificial sand and leaf-litter substrate in the laboratory indicate d that most S. citri emerge from leaf-litter or a shallow soil depth. Results have implications for development of future management strateg ies for S. citri.