Franklinothrips vespiformis
Franklinothrips vespiformis is a species of thysanopteraninsect in the Aeolothripidae family, native to Asia.
This thrips, which is 2 to 3 mm long in its adult stage, mimics ants in both its behaviour and morphology. Males, which look less like ants than females, are relatively rare. It is a predator, both in the larval and adult stages, of thrips and other insect species, notably whiteflies.
The species is used as a biological control agent. It has been marketed for this purpose in the EPPO region since 1990, mainly to control thrips (such as Frankliniella occidentalis, Echinothrips americanus, Parthenothrips dracaenae, Scirtothrips spp, Thrips palmi, etc.) in glasshouse crops, notably in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Portugal, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland.()
