Effectiveness of colored sticky traps for collecting onion thrips, Thrips tabaci Lind. in citrus

Field trials were carried out in 2011 and 2012 in the Adana Province, Turkey in order to determine the effectiveness of sticky traps of four different colors (white, yellow, blue and green) against thrips (Thysanoptera) in "Okitsu" Mandarin trees. Onion thrips, Thrips tabaci Lindeman (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) appeared on the sticky colored traps and in flowers more often than other identified thrips species. Most of the T tabaci were captured by the colored traps at trees' blooming stages and to a lesser extent at fruiting stages. Significantly higher numbers of T. tabaci were captured on the white color traps than on other color traps, therefore the effectiveness and efficiency of white color traps, in comparison with blue or green color traps, was proved. In addition, white color traps attached to the south or east sides of outer branches trapped significantly higher numbers of T. tabaci. This is more likely to be attributed to the host plants of the thrips which surrounded the experimental area