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Latin Name: Maladera castanea
Common Name: Asiatic garden beetle
Other Names: Oriental garden beetle (prior to changing name to Asiatic garden beetle)
Pest Details
Origin:This is a native of Asia, but it was discovered in 1921 in New Jersey, and now is found commonly in a few Northeast states and occasionally south into South Carolina.
Biology:
Adult beetles are known to feed on over 300 different kinds of plants, potentially consuming entire leaves except for the mid-vein. Preferred food plants include shrubs or trees such as rose, box elder, viburnum, and barberry, and flowers such as aster, dahlia, chrysanthemum, and sunflower. They also attack some food plants such as cherry, peach, strawberry, carrots, and others. The larvae may be a serious pest of turf, and infestations of up to 126 larvae per square foot have been found. Adult beetles hide in or on the ground during the daytime and feed on plants at night, appearing in greatest
Latin Name: Sphenophorus spp.
Common Name: Billbug
Other Names: Bluegrass billbug
Pest Details
Origin:These are native insects in North America.
Biology:
Several species of billbugs in this genus are important pests of turf. An eastern species is a major pest of Kentucky bluegrass, as well as feeding on ryegrass and fescue, and two western species tend to be pests more often on zoysiagrass and bermudagrass turf. Early stage larvae feed within the grass stems and then move to the soil as older larvae, feeding there on the roots. Adult females deposit eggs directly into the stems from early spring through the summer months. There is one generation per year. The adult beetles also feed on turf, and in the fall move into leaf litter or thatch to overwinter. They also may end up inside structures for the winter.
Identification:Adult beetles are about 3/8 inch long and have a relatively long, stout, curved snout with the antennae
Latin Name: Ataenius spretulus
Common Name: Black turfgrass ataenius
Other Names: Black fairway beetle
Pest Details
Origin:This is a native insect in North America.
Biology:
This species is one of over 63 species in North America in the genus Ataenius, but most species are not pest problems, feeding on a variety of organic materials including animal dung, decaying plant materials, and others. The black turfgrass ataenius is a turf pest that is found throughout the U.S. and southern Canada, with most southern and western states only reporting it as present there. The most serious damage to golf course turf occurs in the upper northeastern regions from Colorado to Minnesota to the east coast south to Virginia. It is primarily a golf course pest as it feeds on the roots of bluegrass and bentgrasses. The larvae feed on the roots, leading to wilting and then death of the turf in small to large patches. There are 1 or 2 generations
Latin Name: Otiorhynchus sulcatus
Common Name: Black vine weevil
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:It is believed that this beetle is native to northern Europe, but it has been present in North America since at least 1835. It now is found throughout the world.
Biology:
This beetle typically has only 1 generation per year in outdoor environments, but as a pest in greenhouses may have 2 generations. The larvae overwinter and resume activity in the spring, finally pupating in late spring. Adult beetles emerge in early summer and females deposit eggs throughout their life, placing them on the soil or in leaf litter near the base of plants. In some cases the adult beetles overwinter and resume activity in the spring. Adults and larvae will feed on a wide variety of ornamental plants, the larvae feeding on roots and the adults feeding on the foliage. Only females are known for this species, as it is parthenogenetic,
Latin Name: Agrilus anxius
Common Name: Bronze birch borer
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:This is a native beetle in North America.
Biology:
This serious pest restricts its attacks to various species of birch trees, and is particularly damaging to white-barked species such as European white birch and Paper birch. It prefers trees that are in weakened condition and may not successfully penetrate into the cambium in healthy trees that can fill the larval tunnel with sap. The life cycle takes 1 year in southern states and 2 years in cooler northern states. Adult beetles are active in early to mid summer, the females depositing eggs into crevices in the bark. The late stage larva overwinters and pupates in the spring.
Identification:Adult beetles average about 3/8 inch long and are narrow and cylindrical. The color is from deep olive green to black with metallic bronze reflection. The larvae are typical of
Latin Name: Diaprepes abbreviatus
Common Name: Diaprepes root weevil
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:It is believed that this beetle is native to the Caribbean, and was imported into the U.S. around 1960 on plants from Puerto Rico. It now infests the Southeast U.S. west to Texas and on a regular basis is intercepted in shipments of plants in California.
Biology:
This weevil is a serious pest of citrus, but also feeds on more than 279 plants in 50 plant families, including corn, sugarcane, and many ornamental and other agricultural plants. Adult beetles live for up to 5 months, and females can deposit an average of 5,000 eggs in their lifetime, attaching these to protected areas of leaves in batches of 30 to 260 eggs, often gluing the edges of leaves together to form that secure oviposition site. The larvae drop to the soil and burrow down to feed extensively on the roots of the plants, ultimately girdling the crown area of
Latin Name: Chaetocnema repens
Common Name: Dichondra flea beetle
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:This is a native beetle in North America.
Biology:
Where dichondra is used as a ground cover or turf this beetle can do serious damage. The adult beetles feed on the leaves while the larvae feed on the roots, and larval feeding can kill the plants while adult feeding disfigures and discolors the leaves. Bermudagrass turf may also be fed upon by this beetle. Females deposit their eggs on the soil and the larvae develop to the adult stage in about 1 month.
Identification:Adult beetles are very small, only about 1/16th inch long. They are solid black with a slightly metallic tint to them, and with greatly enlarged hind femurs that allow them to jump instantly when disturbed. This jumping habit is allows for monitoring for the beetles by passing a hand over the dichondra and watching for the beetles to jump.
Characteristicts
Latin Name: Xanthogaleruca luteola
Common Name: Elm leaf beetle
Other Names: Traditionally this has been in the genus Pyrrhalta
Pest Details
Origin:This beetle is native to Europe but is now found throughout North America, having first been detected in Maryland in the 1830’s.
Biology:
Adult beetles overwinter, normally in leaf litter, crevices in the bark, and other protected places, but very commonly they will enter structures in the fall and overwinter in voids. Females deposit eggs in small clusters on the foliage of elm trees in the spring. After several weeks of feeding the larvae crawl down the trunk and pupate in or on the soil below the tree. There may be up to 3 generations per year in warm climates. Both adult beetles and the larvae feed on the leaves of elms, resulting in complete skeletonizing of the leaves and possible complete defoliation of the tree once these leaves fall.
Identification:Latin Name: Agrilus planipennis
Common Name: Emerald ash borer
Other Names: N/A
Pest Details
Origin:It is a native of eastern Asia and is believed to have entered North America in wood packaging materials.
Biology:
This destructive pest was first discovered in Michigan in 2002 but rapidly spread throughout the entire Northeast of the U.S. and into southern Canada. It attacks all species of ash trees and has resulted in the death of tens of millions of these trees since its discovery. Unusual for beetles in this family both adults and larvae feed within the tree, consuming the cambium and causes tree death from girdling. Also odd is that the adult male beetle tends the larvae to some extent until they have pupated. Adults are active in late spring to early summer when the female deposits eggs into crevices in the bark of the tree. The larvae then bore through the bark and live within the phloem (water conducting) tissues in the cambium.
Latin Name: Ips sp.
Common Name: Engraver beetle
Other Names: 5-spined Ips
Pest Details
Origin:These are native species that are found throughout North America.
Biology:
There are 23 species of Ips beetles in North America, the name “Ips” being Greek for “a worm”. They feed primarily on conifers such as pine and spruce, usually on weakened, stressed, or dying trees, but occasionally also on tops and branches of healthy trees. They are not considered as destructive as bark beetles in the genus Dendroctonus, and freshly downed logs will often be attacked by the females. Removal of trees for fire prevention and drought stress are two primary factors in outbreaks of these beetles. Adult beetles overwinter in cavities at the base of trees or the soil below and emerge in the spring. Males then burrow through the bark of a tree to create a nuptial chamber, females are attracted to this site, and mating takes place.