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Latin Name: Polyphylla sp.
Common Name: Lined June beetles
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:At least 2 dozen of these native beetles occur in North America.
Biology:
The life cycles and habits of this group are similar to those of the June and May beetles in the genus Phyllophaga. The adults feed on many different plants, including the needles of pines and foliage of other plants, and the larvae feed on the roots of grasses, nursery plants, some agricultural crops, and ornamentals. Peak emergence of these beetles is often in May through June, as their common names suggest. Life cycles require from 1 to 4 years to complete, with 3-year cycles the most common for our pest species. The larvae may move up and down in the soil periodically during the year to coincide with winter temperatures or hot and dry summer temperatures. Winters are spent deeper in the soil as either second or third instar grubs. Adults
Latin Name: Cyclocephala sp.
Common Name: Masked chafers
Other Names: Northern masked chafer, Southern masked chafer
Pest Details
Origin:These are native insects in North America.
Biology:
This genus represents another large group of important turf pests, with over 21 species in North America that are widely distributed. Within the genus two species stand out as the most important, the Northern and Southern masked chafers. The Northern occurs across the northern U.S. from New England to California and the Southern is common in the southern states south into Central and South America, and ranging north into the Upper Midwest states. Adults emerge and are active from mid June to late July, often coming to lights at night in large numbers. Adult beetles do not feed. The females then burrow into the soil to deposit up to 14 eggs. The larvae then feed on roots of plants as well as thatch and other organic
Latin Name: Phyllophaga sp.
Common Name: May or June beetles
Other Names: June bugs, White grubs (the larva)
Pest Details
Origin:At least 152 species in the genus Phyllophaga occur as native insects in the United States and Canada, most in the eastern half of the U.S., and according to some sources there may be up to 400 species in North America. There are 100 species in Texas.
Biology:
While there are a great many species in the genus very few are pest problems. Of the 100 species in Texas, for example, only Phyllophaga crinita poses serious problems for turf. Seven different species are pest problems in the Northeast. Adult beetles feed on a wide variety of ornamental trees and shrubs as well as fruit trees. Oak trees seem to be preferred host plants, while adults of some species will also feed on the blades of grasses. Peak emergence of these beetles is often in May through June, as their common names suggest.
Latin Name: Dendroctonus ponderosae
Common Name: Mountain pine beetle
Other Names: Black Hills beetle, Rocky Mountain pine beetle
Pest Details
Origin:This beetle is a native insect in western North America, from Mexico to British Columbia.
Biology:
This is considered to be one of the most destructive of the bark beetles, with 10 or more species of pines known to be fed upon and killed by it. The adults attack living trees and bore egg galleries in the cambium that may be up to 3 feet long. The larvae then chew feeding channels outward from the egg gallery, easily girdling trees when the infestation is heavy. In addition, a fungus may be introduced when the adult beetle enters and this fungus is capable of further blocking the vascular system of the tree. Trees typically turn brown and die the following year. There is one generation of the beetles each year.
Identification:The adult beetle is about 5 mm long and black.
Latin Name: Hylurogopinus rufipes
Common Name: Native elm bark beetle
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:This is a native beetle in North America.
Biology:
This native beetle attacks elm trees, in particular American, Siberian, and Chinese elms. Adult beetles overwinter in chambers at the base of elm trees, emerging in the spring to fly to dying or recently killed branches of elm trees where the female burrows under the bark, bores a gallery in that area, and deposits eggs along both sides of this channel. The larvae then burrow outward from this egg channel to feed in the cambium of the tree. New adults emerge from these trees carrying the Dutch Elm Disease fungus on them, Ophiostoma ulmi, and fly to new, healthy trees to feed on the bark, creating small holes and infecting these new trees. The fungus then moves through the vascular system of the tree, resulting in sudden wilting of the foliage and death of the tree. There is
Latin Name: Sciopithes obscurus
Common Name: Obscure root weevil
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:This is a native species in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S.
Biology:
Like many other ornamental weevils the females of this species create a small egg chamber by folding over the margin of a leaf, then depositing several eggs in that chamber. It feeds on a wide variety of ornamental and agricultural plants, the adults feeding on the foliage and the larvae feeding on the roots. They are a particular pest on rhododendrons in the Pacific Northwest, as well as on strawberries and in nurseries and greenhouses.
Identification:Adult beetles are from 5-7 mm long and cylindrical in appearance. They have a very short snout with the elbowed antennae arising near the end of the snout well in front of the eyes. They are an overall mottled brown color with a distinctive wavy darker band across the wing covers
Latin Name: Anomala orientalis
Common Name: Oriental beetle
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:This beetle is native to eastern Asia and was introduced into the Hawaiian Islands on the island of Oahu before 1908, where it has been a serious pest of sugarcane. It was then found in the mainland U.S. in 1920 in Connecticut, presumably in nursery stock from Japan. It now ranges from North Carolina to the New England states.
Biology:
The adult beetles do little damage with their minor feeding on flowers, but the larvae are potentially serious turf pests, with over 50 grubs per square foot commonly found. The larvae overwinter as the last stage, feed again in the early spring and pupate in June. The adult beetles are then present through the summer months and are active in the daytime.
Identification:The adult beetle is about ½ inch long and with the typical scarab beetle shape of well-rounded elytra, rounded thorax flattened
Latin Name: Pachyrhinus spp.
Common Name: Pine needle weevil
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:These are native beetles in western North America.
Biology:
The larvae of these beetles feed on the roots of the plants while the adults feed on the needles, often on the tender growing tips, resulting in stunted growth and even distorted growing areas that become bushy. Several species are found in western North America. Adult beetles overwinter in litter below the trees, emerge in the spring, and females deposit eggs by gluing several needles together and depositing the eggs in rows within these needles. When the eggs hatch the larvae drop to the ground to feed on the roots. The life cycle will normally take 2 years in northern regions.
Identification:The adult beetles are about ¼ inch long and have elongated, cylindrical abdomens with the wing covers fairly wide at the front end. The thorax
Latin Name: Euplatypus sp.
Common Name: Pinhole bark borer
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:About 7 species of these native beetles occur in North America and are found throughout the U.S. and into southern Canada.
Biology:
This small group of tree-infesting beetles formerly was placed in its own family, the Platypodidae, but has recently been included in the Curculionidae. The females burrow into hardwoods and conifers to create narrow galleries in the wood, then introducing a fungus that grows within the galleries as food for the beetle larvae.
Identification:The adult beetles are generally very small, from 2 to 8 mm long depending on the species. They are narrow and cylindrical, the prothorax is constricted at its middle, and the antennae are very short and with the last segment greatly enlarged.
Characteristicts Important to Control:
These are fairly uncommon beetles that do little damage to trees.
Latin Name: Conotrachelus nenuphar
Common Name: Plum curculio
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:This is a native species that is widely distributed east of the Rocky Mountains in North America.
Biology:
The adult beetle feeds on many kinds of fruits in the “stone fruit” groups, including plum, peach, and cherry, as well as apples, peaches, and blueberries. It also feeds on the flowers and foliage. The feeding creates holes in the fruits that then encourage fungus to grow as well, destroying the fruit. The female cuts small holes in the fruit to deposit her eggs and the larvae then feed within the fruit as well. The adult stage overwinters in leaf litter and other debris on the ground.
Identification:This distinctive weevil is about ¼ inch long and very compact looking with large lumps, humps, or raised areas over its wing covers. The color is very dark brown to black with patches of white or yellow, particularly at