Florida strawberry growers can use less pesticide and save money as they try to control a mighty pest known as chilli thrips, University of Florida research shows. An invasive pest in the southeastern United States, chilli thrips was introduced to the United States from Southeast Asia. The first report in Florida came in 1991 in Okeechobee County and then in 1994 in Highlands County. Sriyanka Lahiri, a UF/IFAS assistant professor of entomology, focuses on the potential damage chilli thrips can cause to Florida’s $500 million-a-year strawberry industry. Strawberries grow mostly in Hillsborough …
