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Cuban Laurel Thrips

Gynaikothrips ficorum (the weeping fig thrips, G. uzeli, is very similar)[3]

Cuban laurel thrips are slender dark thrips that feed on new Ficus leaves, making them fold or curl into pocket-like galls where the thrips live and breed.[1][2]

Group
Insect
Order
Thysanoptera
Family
Phlaeothripidae
US records
5 states
Sources
3 cited
Updated
2026-10-17
Ficus leaves curled into pocket galls by Cuban laurel thrips
Ficus leaves curled into pocket galls by Cuban laurel thrips. (c) reagan peschke, some rights reserved (CC BY) — via iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0
On this page
  1. Identification
  2. Look-alikes
  3. Where it lives
  4. Biology
  5. Damage and signs
  6. Health risk
  7. Control
  8. Related profiles
  9. Common questions
  10. Sources

How to identify it

  • Adults are large for thrips, about 2.6-3.6 mm (up to 1/8 inch), slender and dark yellowish brown to black.[1][2]
  • Larvae are translucent white to light yellow with red eyes; older larvae hold a dark tail tube pointing up.[1][2]
  • Eggs are cylindrical, smooth and translucent white, laid in clusters inside the folded leaves.[1][2]
  • Feeding leaves tiny sunken purplish-red spots on young leaves before they curl.[1][2]

Look-alikes

Look-alikeHow to tell them apart
Weeping fig thripsG. uzeli on weeping fig is so similar that UF notes it may be the same species spread by the nursery trade; NC State treats weeping fig as the host most often infested.[1][2]

Where it lives

Native to Southeast Asia, it occurs wherever Indian laurel fig (Ficus microcarpa) is planted; UF lists U.S. records from California, Florida, Hawaii and Texas, and infested indoor figs can carry it elsewhere.[2]

US map: public records from 5 states since 1990 (GBIF).

Biology and life cycle

Adults settle on new terminal leaves and start folded-leaf galls within 2 to 3 days; mating, egg laying and a full generation happen inside one gall.[2]

The life cycle takes about 30 days, breeding is continuous, and new adults leave to start galls on fresh growth; they are active fliers on hot days.[2]

Damage and signs

  • Hosts include Indian laurel fig, weeping fig, India rubber plant and other figs, and occasionally orchids and other plants when thrips are abundant.[1][2]
  • Galled leaves turn yellow and tough and drop early; trees are not killed, but their looks suffer markedly.[1][2]

Health risk

The thrips rarely bother people but occasionally bite.[2]

Control

Prevention

Replacing Indian laurel and weeping fig with a resistant Ficus is probably the best long-term fix.[2]

Traps and physical control

Clip off and destroy galled leaves and tender new growth; since the thrips can only use new growth, the remaining ones die before the plant flushes again.[1][2]

Biological control

In the Southeast the predatory bug Montandoniola confusa can cut populations by more than 95%, and UF calls relying on it the best option in landscapes; minute pirate bugs and lacewing larvae also feed on them.[2]

Pesticides

NC State suggests two or three thorough sprays of a product labeled for thrips on ornamentals about 5 to 7 days apart; UF trials found systemic soil drenches worked better than foliar sprays on thrips inside galls.[1][2]

Common questions

Why are my ficus leaves curled and full of tiny black bugs?
That's typical of Cuban laurel thrips, which fold new leaves into pocket galls and breed inside.[1][2]
Do Cuban laurel thrips bite?
Occasionally; they rarely bother people but can give a small nip.[2]
Will the thrips kill my fig?
No, but repeated galling and leaf drop make it unsightly.[1][2]

Sources

  1. NC State Extension, “Cuban Laurel Thrips (PDIC Factsheet).” content.ces.ncsu.edu/cuban-laurel-thrips (accessed 2026-10-15)
  2. University of Florida IFAS Extension (EDIS, Featured Creatures), “Leaf-Gall Thrips of Ficus, Gynaikothrips ficorum and G. uzeli (EENY-324/IN599).” ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN599 (accessed 2026-10-15)
  3. iNaturalist, “Gynaikothrips ficorum taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/270786 (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-10-17. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.