Due to the difficulty of collecting thrips in the field, laboratory rearing is essential for the development of basic research on biology and control. The objective of the present study was to develop a technique to rear Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) under laboratory conditions. Insects were multiplied on plants of Canavalia ensiformis (L.) enclosed in an acrylic container, and pollen was offered as a supplement to the adults. The ranges of temperature and humidity inside the rearing container were 25 to 28(0)C and 80 to 95%, respectively. The development time from larva to adult was nine days, and each female produced a progeny of 14.3 larvae. The longevity of females was 8.3 days, and the viability of the larvae and pupae was 83 and 90%, respectively. Females that were kept in groups for a period of 96 hours for mating and oviposition produced 22.5 larvae each. Between 50 and 150 second-instar larvae were obtained per leaf, after seven days of incubation in the rearing system. The technique for rearing F. occidentalis developed in this study is a feasible way of obtaining large numbers of thrips for experiments on biology and on methods of control of this pest.
Insecta; thrips; western flower thrips
