The County of Los Angeles’ Agricultural Comminssioner/Weights and Measures Department has declared Myoporum Thrips (Klambothrips myopori) a new agricultural pest for Southern California, though the pest has been found as north as the Bay Area in 2008. This new pest has been a problem in San Luis Obispo county and the surrounding areas. Damage to the myoporum shrubs, trees, and groundcovers can be seen throughout the coastal areas of California as the pest and infested plant material spreads via human interaction.
You can identify this particular thrips because it will be present on Myoporum only (as far as recent data has shown). The adults are like the above picture: 2-2.5mm, shiny brown to dark brown, with wings and long posterior tube. The larvae vary from white to orange and are wingless.
There has not been much research on this pest because in some areas the plant species that K. myopori damages is considered a weed. Myoporum has been placed on the invasive species list in some areas of California. Myoporum can be considered invasive because it is drought tolerant, generally pest free, and they tolerate pollution and disturbance well and have competitively spread into native environments. Paradoxically, for those who consider Myoporum to be a weed in most situations, this pest may be the exact answer to your prayers to control the spread of this invasive weed in a no-spray effort. The same characteristics that make it a competitive weed are exactly what makes Myoporum an ideal ornamental plant. However, the Thrips do not differentiate between species of Myoporum and can invade a homeowners' garden easily if their host plant is available.
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