What to do about spider mites and western flower thrips in a growing southeastern strawberry industry?

The twospotted spider mite (TSSM, Tetranychus urticae) and the western flower thrips (WFT, Frankliniella occidentalis) are two key pests in many fruit and vegetable agroecosystems. In strawberries, TSSM is the most common arthropod pest in North and South Carolina and requires management on most farms most years. WFT problems are more sporadic but once they arise are very difficult to manage. Strawberry growers are eager for new strategies that can prevent and/or suppress severe infestations of these pests, and biological control approaches developed in California or Florida do not always translate to the climate and production systems common throughout the Carolinas. This presentation will discuss several years of ongoing research investigating the occurrence and population dynamics of TSSM, WFT, and their natural enemies. Additional experiments evaluating novel insecticides and augmentative biological control will also be discussed.