Feeding damage can reduce the sale value of crops produced, and in sufficient numbers, kill plants already aggravated by environmental stress.

[13] Nymphs entering the metamorphic process drop off of the plant during the first of two propual stages, and then complete their development in loose soil or leaf litter at the base of their host - but have been observed to pupate in any dark and humid crevice low on the plant, including bark and the folds of tightly packed lower leaves[15] or flowers.

[13] In temperate regions where the temperature falls below the critical lower threshold, non-diapausing adults are reported to overwinter in the soil or apical buds.

[23] Physically manipulating the host by removing preferred feeding sites has been shown to reduce thrips density on the plant, but also to increase the relative rate of between-plot dispersal.

Chili peppers did not arrive in India until the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries with Portuguese traders,[25] so the host upon which S. dorsalis was first described cannot be the point of origin.

[citation needed] It spread rapidly throughout the contiguous region of southeastern Asia fairly early, and there are many historical instances of these thrips attacking key crops on a regular basis.

By that point it had already become fairly established beyond its precinctive range, had been intercepted at South African ports in 1986,[36] noted as a pest in Kenya by 1997,[37] and infesting cotton in Côte d'Ivoire by 1999.

[41][42] However, interceptions of this insect at a Miami port under the calyces of pepper from St. Vincent in 2003[41] inspired the USDA to act in order to predict and prevent the pest's arrival.

Prolonged feeding by thrips curls tender leaves and buds, and will turn fruits and flowers from bronze to black in color, rendering the plant material unmarketable.

[37] When thrips feed in high enough densities, or in sufficiently dry climates, this process results in the eventual desiccation and death of their host plant.

Systemic neonicotinoids such as imidacloprid were once considered to be sparing of beneficial insects and natural predators, and recommended for integrated pest management of chilli thrips, especially when used as a soil soak or drip irrigation product[citation needed].

The past decade has revealed that neonicotinoids can seriously impact beneficial insects, especially bees, through effects that are not immediately apparent - even at trace concentrations[citation needed].

Tests of these products show that they are mediocre control agents, but may be useful in rotation with other insecticides or in combination with spray oils[citation needed].