And some of these species have a taste for palm trees, feeding on flowers and leaves by puncturing the surfaces to suck out sap. Thrips are not lethal to palms but the feeding of the adults can discolor and wilt leaves. In addition, in intensive infestations their unsightly black droppings can become noticeable on leaf surfaces. Description Thrips are extremely small insects. Identification can be a little difficult as the appearance varies according to the species.
Adults are either black or brownish with white, red or black markings.
The larvae are whitish or yellowish with red eyes. The thrips starts life as an egg deposited in plant tissue. Eggs hatch after a period of two to seven days. After hatching, the nymphs go through a series of stages, the final being pupation. Thrips mature very rapidly.