The thrips parvispinus is a "nearly invisible invader" from the Asian tropics which was first noticed in Palm Beach County in 2022 by attentive landscapers on tony Palm Beach Island, The Palm Beach Post reports. 

Initially, peppers were hit especially hard, with leaves curling and growth altered due to the infection. 

Anna Meszaros, the commercial vegetable production extension agent working with the University of Florida says the infection caught everyone off guard, and once detected it was "a code red, a 10 on the threat scale."

The invasive pest can feed off preferably ornamental plants, but also on vegetables, fruits, and even tobacco. Its tiny size, smaller than a pencil tip, and transparency make it nearly invisible to the naked eye. 

“It’s very small and it hides very well,” Muhammad “Zee” Ahmed, a USDA research entomologist who is working on early identification of the thrips tells Palm Beach Post. “If you miss them in the early stage, you will have a heavy infestation because they reproduce fast.”

A survey of Palm Beach County garden centers found that around 70 and 80% of centers were infested with thrips parvispinus.

Ornamental entomologist, Alexandra Revynthi says that despite the pest being present in over 17 countries, there is little research done on it, and due to its rapid expansion, they are unable to eradicate it. 

Solution

A study published in January provides early solutions to control the thrips.

"Out of 32 conventional and 11 biological insecticides, the researchers found a handful that killed or restricted feeding. The conventional insecticides have technical names, such as spinosad and pyridyl, and are mostly only available to commercial pest control companies. But mineral oil, sesame oil, and garlic oil were also found effective, and the study recommends rotating them with traditional insecticides. The testing is now moving from the lab to the greenhouse," says Palm Beach Post. 

“We are out in the fields every week monitoring and know what to look for now,” Meszaros said. “I’m optimistic.”

Image credit: University of Florida.