Timing of halo spotting by flower thrips on table grapes

Flower thrips oviposit in newly developing grape berries and produce a halo spot. The halo spot consists of a small dark scar surrounded by whitish tissue. If too numerous, these halo spots either reduce the grade of table grapes or result in their being culled. Fortunately only a few varieties such as Almeria, Calmeria and Italia are ordinarily affected. The greatest damage potential occurs with Italia since the skin may split at the site of a halo spot during ripening and lead to bunch rot.