Citrus thrips

Scirtothrips citri

Adult citrus thrips are small, orange-yellow insects with fringed wings. During spring and summer, females lay about 25 eggs in new leaf tissue, young fruit, or green twigs; in fall, overwintering eggs are laid mostly in the last growth flush of the season. Overwintered eggs hatch in March about the time of the new spring growth. First-instar larvae are very small, whereas second-instar larvae are about the size of adults, spindle-shaped, and wingless. They feed actively on tender leaves and fruit, especially under the sepals of young fruit. Third- and fourth-instar (propupa and pupa) thrips do not feed and complete development on the ground or in the crevices of trees. When adults emerge, they move actively around the tree foliage.