Grain Thrips vs Fall Armyworm

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Grain Thrips Fall Armyworm
Scientific Name Limothrips cerealium Spodoptera frugiperda
Order Thysanoptera Lepidoptera
Family Thripidae Noctuidae
Size 1.2-1.8 mm 32-40 mm wingspan
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Herbivores Omnivores
Regions Europe, Asia, North America Americas, Africa, Asia, Oceania
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Grain Thrips

A widespread pest of cereal crops including wheat, barley, and oats. Adults are dark brown and migrate in swarms during warm summer days.

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Did You Know?

On hot summer days, grain thrips swarm in enormous numbers and are colloquially known as "thunder bugs" because they seem to appear before storms.

Fall Armyworm

A highly destructive migratory moth whose caterpillars can devastate entire corn and cereal fields in days. It has recently spread from the Americas to Africa and Asia.

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Did You Know?

Fall armyworm moths can migrate up to 1,600 km in a single generation carried by wind currents.