Control of Echinothrips americanus on lima bean by Franklinothrips vespiformis crawford using supplemental food

Supplemental food application to crops as a resource for generalist predators has shown utility for promoting their establishment and persistence leading to enhanced biological control of target pests. The decapsulated cysts of the brine shrimp Artemia franciscana are seeing increased use over other supplemental foods due to lower production costs and may reduce risk of enhancing pollen-feeding pest populations. This study assessed the use of Artemia cysts as a supplemental food for enhancing biological control of Echinothrips americanus Morgan using the predator Franklinothrips vespiformis Crawford on greenhouse lima beans. The global economic threat of E. americanus is rising due to few effective biological control options against it, but large predators such as F. vespiformis may overcome some of these challenges. Our results showed that F. vespiformis is an effective predator of E. americanus. However, Artemia cysts application did not enhance biological control of E. americanus (e.g., the number of pest thrips on bean plants). This was likely due to the strong predatory response exhibited by F. vespiformis. Aligned with our predictions, Artemia cyst application promoted the persistence of F. vespiformis in the crop. These findings demonstrate that Artemia cysts provided as a supplemental food for F. vespiformis is a promising tactic for the long-term management of E. americanus.