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Latin Name: Rhyacionia Sp.
Common Name: Pine Tip Moths
Other Names: Pine shoot moth
Pest Details
Origin:There are many native species in North America, along with the imported European Pine Shoot Moth.
Biology:
At least 2 dozen species of these native moths occur in North America, along with at least one species native to Europe, Rhyacionia buoliana – the European Pine Shoot Moth. This species is reported from southwestern Canada, the Pacific Northwest, Utah, and most of the northeastern U.S. It occurs throughout Europe as well as into South America. The larvae bore into the new shoots of pines and fir trees, causing the death of that shoot. They also may feed within older tissues and cause distortion and twisting of the ends of the stems. They do not kill trees, but do cause disfigurement and abnormal growth, including the growth of many new stems. The larva spins a bit of silk around the base of the needles
Latin Name: Schizura concinna
Common Name: Redhumped Caterpillar
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:This is a native species in North America that is found throughout the U.S. and southern Canada.
Biology:
The moth overwinters as a mature larva in a cocoon on the soil, pupating in the spring and emerging as the adult moth in April and May. The larvae feed on a wide variety of ornamental and agricultural trees, but is the most active on Liquidamber (sweet gum), walnut and plum, where the gregarious feeding of the larvae results in large areas of skeletonized leaves at the outer ends of branches. More mature larvae may move away from the group and feed on the entire leaf. Females may deposit up to 200 eggs and there can be 4 or more generations per year.
Identification:The common name is descriptive of the caterpillar, which has a bright red, slightly raised hump on top of the third body
Latin Name: Estigmene acrea
Common Name: Saltmarsh Caterpillar
Other Names: Salt marsh moth, Woolly bear caterpillar
Pest Details
Origin:This is a native moth in North America.
Biology:
This common moth is found throughout Canada, the U.S., and into Mexico. The larva is a familiar furry caterpillar found as it rapidly runs across patios and walkways. The larvae have an amazing ability to feed on just about anything, including many weeds such as pigweed, fennel, mallow, and nightshades, as well as a great many ornamental shrubs and trees and crops such as apple, cherry, tobacco, tomato, onion, lettuce, corn, and many others. Mature larvae overwinter and resume activity in the spring when they pupate. There will be from 1 to 4 generations per year depending on the temperature and region. Females deposit eggs in one or two clusters with up to 1,200 eggs in a single cluster, attached to the host plant.
Latin Name: Crambus sp.
Common Name: Sod Webworms
Other Names: Lawn moth
Pest Details
Origin:These are native species in North America and various species may be found in every state and in Canada and Mexico.
Biology:
There are nearly two dozen different species of small moths that feed on grasses and which are referred to as “sod webworms”. They are found in at least 10 different genera, but the genus Crambus comprises the majority of these moths and will be used as the example here. Female moths haphazardly drop their eggs while in flight, particularly when seen fluttering over an area. Some species may land and rest in the turf to deposit their eggs, and several hundred eggs per female will be common. Larvae immediately create burrows from bits of leaves and soil held together with webbing, and they tend to remain within this tube during the daytime and often while feeding. Most species feed on the crown and blades above the
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