PEST-Chilli Thrips

Pest Spotlight Factsheet: Chilli thrips have quickly jumped onto the radar of many horticulturalists in Western Australia despite having been present in northern Australia for around 20 years. The first complaints from home gardeners in the Perth metro area were received in approximately 2020. This was followed by table grape growers the following year and by berry growers in 2021/22. This highly polyphagous pest, with a wide host range of 225 plant species, is known around the world to be notoriously difficult to manage and can cause significant economic damage to horticulture.

Chilli thrips have quickly jumped onto the radar of many horticulturalists in Western Australia despite having been present in northern Australia for around 20 years. The first complaints from home gardeners in the Perth metro area were received in approximately 2020. This was followed by table grape growers the following year and by berry growers in 2021/22. This highly polyphagous pest, with a wide host range of 225 plant species, is known around the world to be notoriously difficult to manage and can cause significant economic damage to horticulture.