Thrips (also known as Thunderbugs)

Widely diverse, commonly found on or in flowers, leaves, and fungi; often enter homes through open windows or on indoor plants.

Mostly herbivorous, feeding on plant sap by puncturing surfaces; some are predatory on other small insects or feed on fungal spores.

They exhibit a distinctive hopping or fast crawling motion. Their life cycle involves an egg, two larval stages, two or three pupal stages, and the adult phase. They are known for 'swarming' in hot, humid weather (hence the name thunderbugs).

Primarily agricultural and garden pests that can cause leaf stippling and transmit plant viruses. To humans, they are harmless but can occasionally bite, causing minor, temporary skin irritation. Some species are beneficial as pollinators or predators of mites.