The western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pargande), a globally invasive species, was first reported in Beijing in 2003; it currently occurs only in a few areas in China. Considering its devastating effects, a rapid and simple method for the identification of this species would facilitate decision-making regarding plant stock movements, help in preventing its introduction and spread to non-infested areas. There are several methods in use to identify F.occidentalis, including morphological identification, computer-assisted identification by using compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or artificial neural networks (ANN). Molecular identification methods based on RAPD analysis, COI gene sequencing, RFLP associated with COI, cyt b, ITS-1 and ITS-2 genes as well as protein-based analysis including Mab-ELISA and SDS-PAGE have been developed. Recently, species-specific primers based on genomic DNA (SCAR marker) or mtDNA COI, as well as real-time quantitative PCR-assisted by SCAR or COI markers have become available. New identification methods derived from gene chip and DNA barcoding are in development. Of the available methods, techniques utilising gene chips and DNA barcoding are expected to give more stable and reliable results and will be the most practical methods in identification of the western flower thrips and other alien species.