A field experiment was conducted to track the daily population trends and occurrence of the flower thrips Megalurothrips sjostedti Trybom and Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), and their indigenous natural enemies Orius spp. and Ceranisus menes (Walker), infesting French beans. French beans in monocrop or interplanted with six companion crops (Zea mays L., Coriandrum sativum L., Tagetes erecta L., Brassica oleracea var. acephala L., Daucus carota L. and Capsicum annuum L.), and two chemical insecticides, methiocarb (Mesurol 500SC) and L-cyhalothrin (Karate 1.75% EC), were evaluated for their effects on the abundance of flower thrips, throughout the day, at 1-h intervals. The average population peak of thrips was found to occur at around 1300 h, but each species had different peak periods. Adult F. occidentalis populations peaked at midday and adult M. sjostedti populations at 1500 h, while the larvae of the two thrips species peaked at around 1300 h. Orius spp. were the most abundant natural enemies and their populations peaked at around 1400 h. Ceranisus menes population also peaked at around 1400 h.

A total of 17 species of Hemiptera were collected from sorghum with compact panicles during the 1982 and 1983 cropping seasons at Samaru and Kano, Nigeria. The most important species based on time of appearance and abundance were Eurystyhis rufocunealis, Campylomma angustior and C. subflava. Paramixia suturalisand Taylorilygus vosseleri occurred in high numbers only at Samaru in 1982. Significantly more Orius spp. were collected at Kano. These species represented 95 % of all hemipterans collected.

The number of spiders per panicle were significantly lower at Samaru, up to three per panicle, than at Kano, up to 10 per panicle, in 1983. There was no relationship between the number of spiders and the number of hemipterans at Samaru, but at Kano a significant positive relationship was observed between the number of spiders and the number of immature hemipterans. The spider families Dysderidae, Thomisidae and Salticidae represented 80% of the spiders collected.