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.
The transformation from egg to adult can take place in as little as 11 days with three weeks as a general maximum. Thrips are not generally fussy eaters feeding on a wide variety of plants as well as palm trees. The first step in controlling thrips is finding them. Detection can be a challenge given the small size of the insect. Some sources suggest shaking suspect leaves or flowers onto white pieces of paper and then examining them with a magnifying glass.