ScientificName: Thysanoptera
Description: Thrips are generally tiny (1 mm long or less) and are not good flyers.
Habitat/Food: They are pests due to the damage caused by feeding on developing flowers or vegetables which causes discoloration, deformities, and reduced marketability of the crop. Thrips also spread plant diseases through the transmission of viruses, such as Tospoviruses.
Life Cycle: To suvive the winter temperatures most thrips species over-winter as either adults or as pupae under ground litter. A typical flower thrips generation time will be from 7 to 22 days depending on the temperature. The eggs are about 0.2 mm long and kidney shaped, and may take on average 3 days to hatch. Thrips have 2 larval stages then go through a prepupal and a pupae stage, with the adults taking 1 to 4 days to reach sexual maturity.
Organic Control: Pyrethrins and many other plant oil based sprays will work well.
Interesting Fact: Thrips are commonly known to invade modern LCD monitors and LCD televisions.