Timothy, Phleum pretense L., is an important forage crop in many western U.S. states. Thrips are an important pest of this crop. The effectiveness of field burning as an alternative management tactic for thrips is undocumented. Small-plot burn experiments were initiated with a hand-held torch in two fields in late winter 2007 and in one field on 5 March 2008. Thrips numbers assessed 2 weeks after burning. Grower-burned and nonburned fields were sampled post-burning for thrips on 20 March 2007 and 2008. In 2007, one experiment had relatively low overall abundance of thrips, and adults and larva were found only in nonburned plots. In the other 2007 experiment, more larvae were found in nonburned than burned plots, although adult numbers were similar. In 2008, the number of adults was greater in nonburned plots, while numbers of larvae were relatively low and were similar between burned and nonburned plots. There were no significant differences in thrips abundance between burned or nonburned grower fields during either year. Primarily brachypterous adults were found but both brachypterous adults and larva were found when sampling occurred later or in warmer areas. Timing of burning, in correlation with thrips phenology, was the most likely explanation for differences in population structure between years in burned plots. Population distributions were not aggregated over the spatial scales of these plot experiments. Burning was demonstrated as a possible short-term management tool, but other factors, in addition to burning, probably are important for regulating abundance in the long term.