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Moths (Turf & Ornamental)
Latin Name: Paleacrita vernata
Common Name: Spring Cankerworm
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:
This is a native species in North America.
Biology:
This destructive moth is found widely throughout the eastern half of the U.S. as well as in California and southern Canada. The females are wingless and deposit up to 250 eggs in clusters in crevices on the bark and stems of the trees they originated on, emerging in early spring from pupae buried in the ground. There is a single generation each year. The larvae feed on a variety of deciduous shrubs and trees, but can be particularly damaging to elm, maple, and members of the rose family such as apple, plum, and pear. When they first emerge from the eggs the larvae may “balloon” to adjacent trees by spinning silk that then carried by wind. It is reported that English Sparrows were actually introduced to the U.S. to feed on these caterpillars.
Identification:
The female is
Latin Name: Choristoneura fumiferana
Common Name: Spruce Budworm
Other Names: Spruce budworm
Pest Details
Origin:
This is a native moth in North America.
Biology:
This native moth is found throughout southern Canada and the northern U.S., feeding on and sometimes causing serious damage to fir and spruce trees. The first instar larva hatches from its egg and immediately spins a silk cocoon in which it overwinters, emerging to feed in the spring. Early stage larvae bore into older needles and later instars feed on young buds, twigs, or developing cones. They create a silk tube that incorporates cut off needles and then pupate within this tube. The adults are active throughout the summer months and there is a single generation each year. Severe outbreaks of the moth occur sporadically, with long periods of many years often separating them.
Identification:
This is a relatively large species of moth for the family, with adult
Latin Name: Heliothis virescens
Common Name: Tobacco Budworm
Other Names: Geranium budworm
Pest Details
Origin:
This is a native insect in the southern U.S. and is found also throughout Central America, the Caribbean, and into South America.
Biology:
The caterpillars are serious pests of a number of landscape flowers, including rose, but may favor the flowers of geraniums and petunias where they feed on the developing flower buds as well as the petals of the fully opened flower. They badly destroy or completely remove the flowers, leading to a loss of the aesthetic value of these plants. In agriculture they attack tobacco, as their name suggests, as well as alfalfa, cotton, and occasional other crops. This is primarily a warm climate pest that migrates to northern states with the summer months but overwinters and breeds most often in the southern states.
Identification:
The mature larvae are
Latin Name: Orgyia sp.
Common Name: Tussock Moths
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:
These are native species in North America.
Biology:
About a dozen different species of these destructive moths occur in North America and are common throughout the continent, feeding on many different ornamental and forest trees including conifers, oak, ash, poplar, and fruit trees. Heavy infestations are capable of completely defoliating large trees. Egg masses deposited on the bark of the tree overwinter with larvae hatching in mid to late spring, coinciding with bud break on the host tree. Adult moths will be present during the summer months and there usually is a single generation each year.
Identification:
The hairy larvae are similar in appearance to the Gypsy Moth in some species, but do not have the distinctive tufts of color on top – 5 pairs of blue spots followed by 6 pairs of red spots. In some
Latin Name: Peridroma saucia
Common Name: Variegated Cutworm
Other Names: Pearly underwing
Pest Details
Origin:
This moth is a native of North America and is found coast to coast in southern Canada, throughout the U.S. including Hawaii, and south in Latin America.
Biology:
The larvae are general feeders on a wide variety of ornamental plants and agricultural row crops. While much of their damage is done by the typical feeding behavior of “cut” worms, where young plants are cut off at the base to feed on the foliage, these larvae also climb vines and trees to feed on fruit, vegetables, leaves, and buds of many plants. A complete life cycle is completed in 35-62 days in warm climates where there may be 5 generations per year and continuous activity throughout the year. In colder climates the pupa overwinters in the soil.
Identification:
The adult moth is relatively large with a wingspan of about
Latin Name: Datana integerrima
Common Name: Walnut Caterpillar
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:
This is a native species in North America.
Biology:
This is one of several species of moths in the genus Datana, and it is found throughout eastern North America west to Oklahoma and Texas, and has even been found in Arizona. The larvae restrict their feeding to trees such as walnut, pecan, and hickory, and outbreaks of the caterpillars may result in serious defoliation of the trees and forested areas. The female deposits masses of 120-880 eggs on the undersurface of a leaf. The larvae feed gregariously when young, skeletonizing leaves in small areas of the tree, but as they mature they spread out to consume entire leaves throughout the tree. A single generation occurs in northern regions and two generations may occur in southern states. When a tree is sufficiently defoliated the larvae will drop to the ground and seek out other nearby
Latin Name: Datana ministra
Common Name: Yellownecked Caterpillar
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:
This is a native species in North America.
Biology:
This species ranges widely in North America, occurring from British Columbia to Nova Scotia and California to the Northeast U.S., but uncommon in some places in between. The larvae feed on a variety of ornamental and forest trees, including oaks, birch, maple, and black walnut. They feed gregariously in masses of 30-100 individuals, defoliating entire branches before moving on to another. When disturbed they quickly raise their head and tail ends in a defensive posture. The moth overwinters as a pupa with the adults emerging in early summer, and several generations may occur each year.
Identification:
Young larvae are deep reddish brown with 6 white or yellow stripes running down the body, and with a solid black head and forked black tail end. A few long white hairs