Bug Identifier
Thrips (likely Greenhouse Thrips or Western Flower Thrips)
Community identification

Thrips (likely Greenhouse Thrips or Western Flower Thrips)

Thysanoptera (order level identification)

Order & Family
Order: Thysanoptera; Family: Thripidae
Size
0.5 to 2.0 mm (0.02 to 0.08 inches)
See this bug in the Encyclopedia

Natural Habitat

Found on a wide variety of plants, indoors and outdoors, greenhouses, and residential gardens.

Diet & Feeding

Feeds on plant juices by puncturing leaf, flower, or fruit surfaces with their Rasping-sucking mouthparts.

Behavior Patterns

Thrips are active crawlers and some species are capable of weak flight. They reproduce rapidly and can often be found in large numbers on the undersides of leaves or within flower buds.

Risks & Benefits

They are significant agricultural pests that cause cosmetic damage to plants and can transmit viral diseases; however, they pose no direct health risk to humans, though they may occasionally land on and bite skin causing minor irritation.