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Avocado
> Year-Round IPM Program > Thrips
Avocado
Identifying Thrips and Their Damage, Other Thrips, and
Predatory Thrips
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Pest thrips
- Greenhouse thrips
- Avocado thrips
- Neohydatothrips burungae
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Other thrips
- Citrus thrips
- Western flower thrips
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Natural enemies
- Banded thrips
- Black hunter thrips
- Sixspotted thrips
- Franklinothrips orizabensis
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Names link to more information on identification
and management.
Pest thrips—Click on photos to enlarge
| Species, Adult |
Species, Larvae |
Damage |
Greenhouse thrips adult
Identification tip: Greenhouse thrips adult is black
with pale wings. This slow-moving species lives in groups,
unlike the solitary, fast-moving blackish predatory thrips. |
Greenhouse thrips larvae
Identification tip: Greenhouse thrips larvae are white
or yellow. At the tip of their abdomen they often carry a
droplet of dark excrement. |
Greenhouse thrips damage
Identification tip: Greenhouse thrips damage is pale
or whitish to brown discoloration with specks of black excrement
on the upper surface of leaves and on fruit in clusters. |
Avocado thrips adult
Identification tip: Avocado thrips adult has 3 red
spots on top of its head, and brown lines separating segments
on the upper side and underside of its pale yellow abdomen. |
Avocado thrips larvae
Identification tip: Avocado thrips larvae are white to yellowish, resembling
citrus and western flower thrips larvae. |
Avocado thrips damage
Identification tip: Avocado thrips damage develops
into brown scarring on fruit skins, often in a webbed pattern. |
Neohydatothrips burungae adult
Identification tip: Neohydatothrips burungae has
3 red head spots, closely resembling avocado thrips. However, N.
burungae is often darker and brown bands occur only on
top of its abdomen, not underneath. |
No photo available.
Neohydatothrips burungae larvae. |
No photo available.
Neohydatothrips burungae damage. |
Other thrips (not damaging to Avocado)
| Species, Adult |
Species, Larvae |
Damage |
Citrus thrips, Scirtothrips
citri, adult
Identification tip: Adult citrus
thrips lack the brownish bands found on abdominal segments
of avocado thrips.
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Citrus thrips larvae
Identification tip: Citrus thrips larvae are light orangish yellow to
white. They resemble avocado thrips larvae, but citrus thrips occur on avocado
only when it grows near citrus. |
Not damaging to Avocado. |
Western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis, adult
Identification tip: The adult of this common species can be black, brownish,
yellow, white, or orange. Its abdomen extends well beyond the wing tips at rest.
Western flower thrips has thick, bristly hairs at the tip of the abdomen, whereas
avocado thrips and citrus thrips do not. |
Western flower thrips larvae
Identification tip: Western flower thrips larvae are
orangish to yellow. On avocado they occur mostly on flowers
and leaves near blossoms. |
Not damaging to Avocado. |
Natural enemies
| Beneficial
predatory thrips |
Banded thrips, Aeolothrips fasciatus, adult
Identification tip: This predatory thrips is black with three broad white
bands on each forewing. It feeds on other thrips and pests, such as mites and
whiteflies.
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Black hunter thrips, Leptothrips mali, larva
Identification tip: This species is dark brown or black and adults have
white wings. It preys on mites and certain other pests, such as scales, and is
more active than similar-looking adult greenhouse thrips.
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Sixspotted
thrips adult
Identification tip: There are three dark blotches on
each forewing of this mite predator.
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Franklinothrips sp. adult
Identification tip: Franklinothrips orizabensis and F. vespiformis are predators of avocado thrips, persea mite, and other pests such as avocado lace bug. F. orizabensis is more common in avocado groves, but these Franklinothrips cannot be reliably distinguished in the field. |
Franklinothrips sp. larva
Identification tip: In comparison with avocado thrips
larvae, this second-instar predatory thrips has a more
oval shape and is darker yellow with an orange or red swollen
abdomen that appears as a colored dot to the naked eye.
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