Males are slightly smaller and paler than females. The flower thrips' delicate egg is inserted completely into the plant tissue and it is cylindrical and kidney-shaped, with a smooth pale or yellow surface. Immature thrips are yellow and resemble adults except for lack of wings. Prepupae are pale and have wing buds and antennae which are to the side or front of the head.
Pupae are also pale and have longer wing buds and antennae which bend back over the head.
Because of their small size, flower thrips are carried over large areas by frontal wind systems. They have even been trapped at altitudes of 10,000 feet. Flower thrips are found throughout North Carolina with peak migration during the first week of June. Flower thrips have been collected from 29 plant orders including various berries, cotton, day lilies, field crops, forage crops, grass flowers, legumes, peonies, privet, rose, trees, truck crops, vines and weeds. They seem to prefer grasses and yellow or pale blossoms.