Western Flower Thrips

The western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis, is a tiny insect in the order Thysanoptera, native to the southwestern United States, with males about 1 millimeter long and pale yellow, and females slightly larger at 1.4 millimeters with color ranging from red to yellow to dark brown. It has become a globally invasive agricultural pest, having spread to Europe, Australia and South America through the transport of infested plant material, and it feeds on more than 500 host plant species including many fruit, vegetable and ornamental crops. Feeding and egg laying damage plant tissue, causing holes and silvery discoloration, and the species is the major vector of tomato spotted wilt virus, a serious plant disease, making it economically significant beyond its direct feeding damage.