Megalurothrips usitatus (Bagnall) is an invasive thrips that was first detected in Florida in March 2020. The pest is causing damage in snap beans throughout south Florida, and specialty legumes are also infested. Studies were conducted to compare development on snap bean (variety Caprice) and lablab bean plants. Megalurothrips usitatus was collected from south Florida and reared under contained conditions. Females (1-3 day-old) were placed on either Caprice or lablab seedlings in a Petri dish and allowed to oviposit for 24-hours before being transferred to a new seedling. This was repeated for five days to collect information on the number of offspring produced per female per 24-hour period on each host. Plants were then observed daily for fourteen days and the number of larvae, prepupae, pupae, and adults was recorded. Adults produced by the first set of females were placed into separate Petri dishes and observed until death. Preliminary observations indicate no significant development on the two host types.
