Citrus thrips larvae and adults feed on young leaves or fruit. They cannot survive on mature, hard foliage. They feed most often in narrow crevices created by folds in leaves or under the calyx of a fruit due to their thigmotactic behaviour. Damage around the calyx appears as silver white blemished areas when fruit is small, which may become brown when exposed to the sun later in the season. Severe scarring of fruit can occur up to 13 weeks after petal fall, after which the damage appears as scribbling and finally as stippling or russet in mature fruit. Young citrus plants can be stunted by severe foliage damage, all growth flushes must be protected for several years using chemical treatments. Even though citrus thrips is an important pest, it is unlikely to be on the fruit at harvest, so it’s not considered a quarantine risk on fresh fruit exports.