Management and Resistance Monitoring of Avocado Thrips and Persea Mite

Persea mite was discovered attacking avocados in southern California in 1990. Avocado thrips was found in two isolated avocado groves, one in Orange Co. and the other in Ventura Co., in June 1996. Since then, these have become the two major arthropod pests of avocados in California although populations of each can vary in severity a good deal from year to year. Although it was an unusual year, according to Witney (2009), estimates of direct losses from avocado thrips damage to fruit and control costs for this insect combined to exceed $50 million in 2006.