Environment

Gorse thrips.
Source: Landcare Research Biocontrol agent:
Gorse thrips

Scientific name:
Sericothrips staphylinus

Target weed:
Gorse
Ulex europaeus

What do gorse thrips look like?

Adults are about 1-2 millimetres long, and black. The juveniles are creamy yellow and similar in shape to the adults.

What about their lifecycle?

Gorse thrips can complete several generations during the warmer months of the year. Each generation can be a short as 5-6 weeks.

Adult females begin laying eggs in gorse stems in spring. The juveniles suck out the cell contents of the plant leaving small white spots and a mottled, blotchy appearance to the foliage. They feed and have several moults before becoming prepupae and then pupae which are also creamy in colour.

Where are they extsablished?

Gorse thrips (Cornish strain) are present on gorse, one kilometre along the dunes south of the Tip Rd beach ramp at Uretiti, south of Whangarei.

When and how are gorse thrips best harvested for redistribution?

The best time to look for gorse thrips is on new growth around November-January when there are no flowers and hence no flower thrips to confuse you. Collect thrips by beating bushes with a stick over a white sheet – transfer at least 300 thrips to new sites.