APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY AND ZOOLOGY, vol.55, no.1, pp.71-81, 2020 (SCI-Expanded)
Field trials were carried out in 2014 and 2015 in fields of cukurova University Research and Implementation Area, Adana province, Turkey. The experiment was set up in an Okitsu mandarin orchard. Half of the mandarin orchard was left as weedy, and the other zone was mowed regularly and cleared of weeds. Two trees were selected in each plot, for a total of 10 trees in each main plot. One inflorescence representing four cardinal directions was tapped on a white tray. The common and naturally growing weed species were sampled at weekly intervals for thrips and predatory bugs in weedy plots. Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) and Thrips tabaci Lindeman (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) were the most common thrips species on citrus and weed flowers. Both species were significantly more abundant on flowers of citrus in non-weedy plots throughout the sampling period. The predatory bug Orius spp. (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) was significantly more common on flowers of mandarin trees in weedy plots. High densities of F. occidentalis and its predatory bug were often recorded on flowers of Vicia villosa. This study suggests that V. villosa could be used as a trap plant for thrips and a banker plant for Orius.