We use cookies to make your experience better. To comply with the new e-Privacy directive, we need to ask for your consent to set the cookies. Learn more.
Resources
Latin Name: Neodiprion sp.
Common Name: Pine Sawflies
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:Most species in this genus are native to North America while a few are imported. These include the Introduced Pine Sawfly and the European Pine Sawfly.
Biology:
This genus of important pests includes about 35 species in North America. It includes both native and introduced species and heavily infested pines may quickly be defoliated and killed. Female wasps cut a slit in the needles using a saw-like plate and then deposits eggs in that cut. The larvae develop over 3 to 4 weeks and pupate on the needles in a crevice. Depending on the species there may be 1 to several generations per year.
Identification:The larva can be identified as a sawfly by the presence of 7 pairs of prolegs along the bottom of the abdomen, compared with only 5 pairs on moth larvae. The sawfly larva also has the behavior of slightly rolling the posterior
Latin Name: Eumenes sp.
Common Name: Potter & Mason Wasps
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:These are native insects in North America.
Biology:
This fascinating group of wasps is placed in the same family as the social paper wasps, but these are solitary wasps that make their nests from mud. Each “nest” strongly resembles a small mud pot, including the flared lip around the entrance, and within each pot a single egg is laid and the pot then provisioned with paralyzed caterpillars that the adult female wasp has gathered as food for her larva. Beetle larvae and spiders also are known to be preyed upon. The mud pots may be constructed with a hole in the soil or some other hidden cavity, but often will be within convenient grooves around a structure, such as sliding window tracks. The adult wasps feed on nectar and females are capable of stinging but would do so only in self-defense.
Identification:Latin Name: Scoliidae
Common Name: Scoliid Wasps
Other Names: Grub Hunter Wasps
Pest Details
Origin:These are native species in North America, with most species found in the southern states.
Biology:
These solitary wasps may resemble yellowjackets, but a close look shows their very hairy body and lack of a narrow waist between the thorax and abdomen. There are about 20 species in North America and all are parasites of scarab (June beetle) larvae. The female wasp detects a grub in the soil, digs down to reach it, stings it to paralyze it, and then deposits an egg on the grub. She may sting many grubs without even laying an egg on them, but the result is the death of the grub. Following ovipositing she digs deeper to create a cell for the paralyzed grub and for her offspring to develop in. Adult wasps visit flowers for nectar.
Identification:Adult wasps may be anywhere from ¾ inch to nearly 2 inches
Latin Name: Vespula pennsylvanica
Common Name: Western Yellowjacket
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:This is a native species in North America and can be found throughout the western U.S. and Canada.
Biology:
This is one of several species of yellowjackets referred to as “scavenger” species, due to their tendency to forage for human foods such as meat products and sugary beverages. Most of the 13 North American species, for the most part, restrict their diet to natural foods of honeydew, other insects, and similar sweet or protein sources. In warm regions a colony may continue from year to year, but where winters are cold the social structure breaks down in the fall with females mating and going into hibernation while all workers die and the nest deteriorates with weathering. The fertilized queen begins a new nest in the spring with around a dozen eggs, and once these have matured to new adults the workers
Latin Name: Dermacentor variabilis
Common Name: American Dog Tick
Other Names: Wood tick
Pest Details
Origin:This is a native tick in North America. It is most abundant in the eastern half of the country but also found in the Pacific Northwest, south into California, and in eastern Canada.
Biology:
This species is primarily a parasite of dogs, but will also readily feed on cattle, horses, humans, and other animals. It is a 3-host tick, with the larva and nymph stages prone to feed on small animals and the adults on larger animals. It is a known vector of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Tularemia, and a form of Ehrlichiosis. It also may cause tick paralysis due to a venom in its saliva. The life cycle can be completed from egg to adult in about 2 months if suitable blood hosts are available, but may extend over 2 years if necessary. Each stage – 6 legged larva, 8 legged nymph, and 8 legged adult – require a blood
Latin Name: Ixodes scapularis
Common Name: Blacklegged Tick
Latin Family Name: Ixodidae
Other Names: Deer tick
Pest Details
Origin:There are two major species of Ixodes ticks in the United States, I. pacificus in the western U.S. and I. scapularis in the eastern U.S. These ticks are native to North America.
Biology:
Hard ticks in general have a two year life cycle, with eggs hatching to the 6-legged larva in the spring, these progressing to the second instar nymph stage which overwinters, and these progressing the following year to the adult tick. There is usually a single blood meal at each stage, with the tick remaining attached for several days to over a week. After fertilization by the male, and a blood meal, the female hard tick produces a single batch of up to several thousand eggs, and then she dies. These eggs are usually placed into a secluded crevice of some sort, and this may be within a structure.
Latin Name: Rhipicephalus sanquineus
Common Name: Brown Dog Tick
Latin Family Name: Ixodidae
Other Names: Kennel tick
Pest Details
Origin:Apparently this tick is native to North America, and it occurs most often in states with warm climates. It also occurs into Latin America in the tropical and subtropical areas.
Biology:
The brown dog tick is a common pest of dogs, but possibly does not attack humans at all. However, it can be a serious nuisance in the home when pets are infested. It is potentially a vector of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Hard ticks in general have a two year life cycle, with eggs hatching to the 6-legged larva in the spring, these progressing to the second instar nymph stage which overwinters, and these progressing the following year to the adult tick. There is usually a single blood meal at each stage, with the tick remaining attached for several days to over a week. After fertilization by
Latin Name: Amblyomma americanum
Common Name: Lone Star Tick
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:This tick is a native in eastern North America and is found from Texas north to Iowa and east along the Atlantic coast as far north as Maine.
Biology:
This tick is a potential vector of Ehrlichiosis and Tularemia. It seems to be found most often in dense forest areas where thick underbrush is present. The bite of the tick often causes a large circular rash similar to that of Lyme Disease, but the Lone Star Tick to date has not been shown to be a vector of Lyme. It feeds readily upon many animals, including household pets and humans, and it can be a relentless tick when searching for a blood host. The preferred host appears to be livestock such as cattle. It is a 3-host tick, with the larva and nymph stages dropping off the host animal once engorged and seeking a secluded place to digest the meal and molt to the next stage. Development
Latin Name: Ixodes pacificus
Common Name: Western Blacklegged Tick
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:This tick is a native species in western North America.
Biology:
This species replaces the Deer Tick (I. scapularis) in the western U.S. and western Canada. It is the principal vector of Lyme Disease in the west and may be found in most habitats, including forested areas where it often will be on moss-covered trunks of trees, in scrub areas, grasslands, and high brush. It is active throughout the year where the temperatures are mild and may spread Lyme Disease in the winter as well as the summer. Early stages feed on smaller vertebrates that are close to the ground, such as lizards and small rodents, while adults feed on larger animals such as deer, coyotes, livestock, and humans. The much lower incidence of Lyme Disease in the west is thought to be tied to the feeding on fence lizards, which may have an ability
Latin Name: Gynaikothrips ficorum
Common Name: Cuban Laurel Thrips
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:The genus of these thrips originated in Oriental regions but this species is now found throughout the world in tropical countries. It is found in the Caribbean and in the U.S. in Florida, Texas, California, and Hawaii.
Biology:
Species of Ficus are the most preferred host plants, but this species also attacks orchids, citrus, eucalyptus, viburnum, and other foliage plants. . Feeding is heaviest on the underside of the leaves, leading to distorted foliage, discoloration, and ultimately yellowing and loss of the leaf. While host plants are rarely killed the damage causes a serious loss of aesthetic value. Males are rare or even unknown and reproduction is by parthenogenesis. The larva and adult both feed by piercing the plant surface and ingesting plant fluids. They also may “bite” people when they