The insects belonging to insect Order Thysanoptera are tiny, slender, agile and possess fringed wings. They are commonly called thrips, thunderflies, or thunderbugs. The term Thysanoptera came from the Greek words thysanos and pteron. The former means "fringe" and the latter means "wing". The complete classification for these insects is Phylum Arthropoda, Class Insecta, Order Thysanoptera. Insects belonging in this Order manifest gradual metamorphosis. Most species reproduce through parthenogenesis. Currently, as much as 5000 species of these insects have been described and identified.

These insects use piercing and sucking mouthparts to feed on varied plant and animals sources. They also possess cup-shaped feet which extend bladderlike organs that are adhesive. They are very small, with body length extending only up to one millimeter. Because of their small size, they can be easily carried by the wind. This is an advantage because thrips are not good flyers. However, when grouped in large numbers, they can be irritating to humans. Some species of thrips do not have wings. Instead of wings, they have four wing-like structures that are narrow, featherlike and fringed with hairs.

Thrips are considered pests when they destroy and feed on plant and animal sources with commercial value. They are beneficial when their food sources are mites, insects, pollen, or fungal spores. Other types of thrips can transmit viruses thru the flowers, plants and other foliage from which they derive their food (onion thrips, grass thrips, greenhouse thrips, pear thrips, etc).