Frankliniella thrips are serious pests of many crops worldwide, yet fundamental questions regarding their ecology remain unanswered. Large numbers of thrips will infest crops for a short period. These thrips are largely immigrants and their origin remains unknown. To understand the population dynamics of these species it is vital to know which plants they are reproducing on and the potential of these plants to contribute to population numbers.

We sampled wild hosts found in woodlands, fallow fields and along field margins within an agricultural research station in Quincy, Florida. Sites were sampled for one year. There is no taxonomic key for larvae so those collected were raised to adult in the lab to confirm their identity. In this way, reproductive host plants for specific thrips species could be identified. In addition, percent cover for each reproductive host plant was recorded and used to estimate the total cover in all the sites. Reproductive hosts of potential importance to thrips population dynamics at various times throughout the year were therefore identified.