Insects primarily use olfactory and visual cues to locate host plants. Understanding these cues has led to the development of products that are now extensively used in agricultural production to manipulate the behavior of pest insects such as thrips. This paper reviews domestic and international research on the behavioral manipulation of thrips and the plant volatiles and optical features used by thrips to locate preferred host plants. It also summarizes research on the physical, chemical and ecological manipulation of thrips, and the use of the “push-pull” strategy in thrip management. Finally, it discusses the effective use of lures to control thrips and problems in lure development.