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Ceranisus menes is an effective parasitoid of Thrips palmi. To determine whether C. menes reared on Frankliniella intonsa can develop and reproduce on T. palmi, we studied the effects of these two host species on development and reproduction of a thelytokous strain of this parasitoid in the laboratory. There was no significant difference in total developmental time of the parasitoid between the two host species. C. menes reared on F. intonsa were larger than those reared on T. palmi. The reproduction of C. menes was examined for three host treatments: (1) the parasitoid reared on F. intonsa was allowed to oviposit in F. intonsa (F. intonsa to F. intonsa), (2) F. intonsa to T. palmi and (3) T. palmi to T. palmi. Adult longevity and total fecundity of C. menes did not differ significantly among those treatments. This thelytokous strain of C. menes had a higher reproductive rate than both host species. We conclude that the mass-reared thelytokous C. menes strain using F. intonsa may be a viable option in controlling T. palmi.

Cage trials of an anthocorid predator, Wollastoniella rotunda Yasunaga et Miyamoto, as a biological control agent of Thrips palmi Karny were conducted in Fukuoka, Japan, under winter greenhouse production conditions. Females of W. rotunda were released on caged eggplants, and placed in two greenhouses on 27 October. The development, population growth, and effectiveness of W. rotunda were observed until early March. Results from the cage trials showed that W. rotunda successfully developed, reproduced, and suppressed T. palmi populations under the conditions found in winter greenhouses. During the experiment, one full generation and a second generation of adult predators occurred. The T. palmi population which was exposed to predators remained at a low density throughout the trial period, but it increased dramatically on eggplants without W. rotunda . The maximum difference between predator treatments and controls was approximately 10-fold by the end of January. Wollastoniella rotunda has the potential to be an effective control agent for T. palmi on eggplant, even during the winter in temperate regions.