Due to their small size, cryptophilic behavior, and high rate of reproduction, thrips are difficult to control using
classical biological control. Only two families of
parasitoid hymenoptera are known to hunt them, the
Eulophidae and the
Trichogrammatidae. More effective biocontrol agents include members of the
Anthocorid bugs
and the Phytoseiid mites, who are small and slender enough to penetrate the crevices that thrips hide in while feeding, and prey extensively on eggs and larvae. For this reason, many growers are occasionally forced to make limited use of
pesticides to control thrips populations in the field and in greenhouses.