('''Thysanoptera''') are tiny, slender Insect s with fringed wings (thus the scientific name, from the Greek ''thysanos'' (fringe) + ''pteron'' (wing)). Other common names include '''Thunderflies''' or '''Thunderbugs'''. Thrips species feed on a large variety of sources both plant and animal by puncturing them and sucking up the contents. A large number of thrips species are considered pests, because they feed on plants with commercial value. Some species of thrips feed on other insects or Mite s and are considered beneficial, while some feed on fungal spores or pollen.
Thrips are generally tiny (1 mm long or less) and are not good flyers - though they can be carried long distances by the wind. In the right conditions many species can explode in population and swarm everywhere, making them an irritant to humans.
The word is used in both the singular and plural tenses (as in '''sheep'''). So while there may be many thrips there can also be a solitary thrips. The word '''thrips''' is from the Greek, meaning '''Wood Louse'''. (Ref: Kirk, W. D. J. (1996). Thrips. Naturalists’ Handbooks 25. The Richmond Publishing Co. Ltd.).
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