The important aspect of learning predator-prey interaction is to find the functional response. This could help to measure searching efficiency and often being interrelated with the biological control effectiveness. Therefore, the functional response studies on two native ladybird beetles, Menochilus sexmaculatus (Fabricus, 1781) and Coccinella septempunctata (Linnaeus, 1758) (Coccinellidae: Coleoptera) against Thrips tabaci (Lindeman, 1889) was conducted in test tubes at 26±2 °C temperature and relative humidity 65±5 %. M. sexmaculatus exhibits a functional response with type III in all stages. The highest theoretic maximum predation of a fourth, adult female, adult male, third, second and first larval instars of M. sexmaculatus was estimated as 44, 39, 32, 25, 23 and 18 against onion thrips, respectively. However, C. septempunctata showed functional response type II in first and second larval instars whereas type III in third, fourth and adult females and males. The highest theoretic maximum predation of a fourth, adult female, adult, male, third, second and first larval instars of C. septempunctata was estimated as 72, 57, 46, 46, 46 and 13 to onion trips, respectively.

Keywords: thrips, ladybird beetle, biological control, type III.