Males are rare. Females can reproduce with or without mating.
They breed continuously and produce several times a year.
Eggs are white and approx 0.25 mm long and are deposited on the underside of leaves or on the stem.
After approx 14-18 days the larvae emerge and begin to feed.
Adults live 35+ days.
Habits
Thrips feed on flowers and foliage, damaging them as they do so.
Found on many plants and flowers in the greenhouse eg fruit & vegetable plants such as tomato, cucumber or banana plants, flowers such as begonias, chrysanthemum and hydrangea but also found on cacti.