Thrips

Found worldwide in gardens, agricultural fields, greenhouses, indoor houseplants, and on cut flowers.

Herbivorous/polyphagous; feeds by puncturing plant tissues and sucking out sap and cellular contents.

Thrips are tiny, slender insects with fringed wings. They tend to hide in tight spaces, leaves, and flower buds. They reproduce rapidly, often through parthenogenesis, and can easily hitchhike on clothing, shipping materials, or indoor plant leaves.

They do not bite or harm humans, but they are major pests to indoor plants, crops, and ornamental gardens, often transmitting plant viruses like TSWV. Some predatory species of thrips can act as beneficial biological pest control.