Abstract: 【Aim】 To clarify whether the population explosion of mango thrips is influenced by their migration between hosts in the flowering and fruiting stages of mango. 【Methods】 The population dynamics of thrips in open and netted fields with and without weeds, and different orientations (east, south, west, north and central positions) of open fields of mango orchards were regularly monitored by using sticky traps and direct investigation. 【Results】 In the flowering and fruiting stages, the number of thrips increased significantly with the coming of flowering stage in open fields with and without weeds. In netted fields, the number of thrips increased from the flower-fading stage to the fruit setting stage and kept constant in other stages. The number of thrips trapped in open fields was always significantly higher than that in netted fields. The population of mango thrips reached a peak from the flower-fading stage to the fruit-setting stage. The number of thrips in mango trees was positively correlated with the number of thrips trapped by sticky traps. From inflorescence emergence to the initial flowering stage and the flowerfading stage to the small fruit stage, the numbers of thrips in the south position of mango orchards were significantly higher than those in the central position. 【Conclusion】 The population explosion of mango thrips in the flowering stage of mango is mainly due to the migration of thrips from other plants.

Key words: Thrips, mango, host plant, migration, population growth, flowering and fruiting stages