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Category Archives: IPM
Fireflies
What Are Those Flashing Bugs Called? What do you call those flashing beetles that light up in the summertime? Is it a firefly or a lightingbug? Different areas of the U.S. call these beetles one or the other or, sometimes, use them terms interchangeably. Fireflies and lightningbugs refer to beetles in family, Lampyridae. I recently visited my family in Ohio and got to return somewhat to my childhood, being giddy over the number of fireflies I discovered emerging with their gentle flashing patterns at dusk. Yes, I ran… Read More →
Saltmarsh Caterpillars
Woollybear Cousins Active Now Saltmarsh caterpillars seem to be a common sight in gardens, lawns and traveling across roads and sidewalks. These caterpillars are a particular species, Estigmene acrea, and turn into saltmarsh moths. They are often mistakenly called “woollybears” which are a different species, Pyrrharctia isabella, that turn into Isabella tiger moths. The two species are related and in the same family Erebidae. Many Fuzzy Colors Saltmarsh caterpillars are extremely variable in color and have many setae in the late instar which creates a hairy or fuzzy… Read More →
Mountain Laurel Mirid
Mountain laurel mirids, Lopidea major, are relatively small insects that reach a little over ¼” as adults. Nymphs, or immatures, look like adults, but don’t have fully developed wings and are smaller in size. These mirids are a type of plant bug that is red and black in color. Bodies and front part of the wings are red while the head, antennae, legs, and back part of the wings are black. They have piercing-sucking mouthparts and use them to puncture foliage of plants. Feeding can lead to deformation… Read More →
Genista Caterpillars Munch on Mountain Laurels and More!
Caterpillars on your Mountain Laurel? Spring seems to have arrived in Central Texas and my mountain laurels are putting on blooms. If you’re like me and enjoy going in for a good sniff of those grape candy smelling flowers, while you’re there take a look around for caterpillars that may be munching on foliage. Genista caterpillars can be quite common on mountain laurel but may also be found on crape myrtle and honeysuckle. These caterpillars can grow up to one inch in length and are greenish yellow to… Read More →
Leafcutting Ants
Large Mounds Made by Leafcutting Ants Too Texas leafcutting ants, Atta texana, are fascinating ants native to Texas, Louisiana, and parts of Mexico. Leafcutting ants create large, extensive colonies, often with multiple mounds clustered in a single area. Mounds are volcano or crater-shaped with a centralized opening and may be mistaken for fire ant mounds, but fire ant mounds do NOT have a centralized opening. Usually, worker ants of this species, who forage for food, are the most commonly seen leafcutting ants, but in spring it is possible… Read More →
Exoskeletons – The Part That Goes Crunch
Why Insects Crunch by Wizzie Brown Insects and other arthropods have an exoskeleton, which means their “bones” are on the outside of their body. The exoskeleton serves as a protective covering, helps prevent desiccation, allows muscles to attach to it from the inside for movement, and provides sensory information. Four Layers The exoskeleton is made up of four layers: epicuticle, procuticle, epidermis and basement membrane. The most outer layer, the epicuticle, serves as a barrier to the outside environment and helps the insect avoid desiccation. If you have… Read More →
Woollybear Tiger Moth Caterpillars
Woollybear Caterpillars Common Right Now Woollybear caterpillars of the Tiger moth have been a common sight lately in the Central Texas area. These insects are native to the United States and are sometimes called “woollybear caterpillars”. “Woollybear caterpillar” is a more general term that refers to various species of caterpillars that are densely covered in hairs, called setae, and tend to wander. Common Color Variations While these caterpillars can be highly variable for individual species, the common ones seen lately are woollybear (Isabella tiger moth), saltmarsh caterpillar (saltmarsh… Read More →
Texas Tarantulas by Wizzie Brown
Texas Tarantulas Use Hair As Defense Tarantulas, also known as baboon spiders in Africa or hairy spiders in South America, are the largest spiders in the world. They can be found on every continent except Antarctica. Tarantulas have two body regions, eight legs, and hairy bodies. Tarantulas that are found in North and South America have hairs used in defense. These tarantulas use their legs to flick hairs off their abdomen and into the face of predators. Hairs cause irritation to the eyes and mucous membranes. Tarantulas can… Read More →
Cutworms by Wizzie Brown
It’s That Time of Year for Cutworm Damage Granulate cutworms are damaging in the immature, or larval stage. Cutworms can cut plant seedlings stems off at the soil level and on older plants they can climb the plant and feed on foliage or fruit. Young larvae skeletonize leaves while older larvae eat holes in foliage, feed on the surface of fruit, or burrow into fruit. Larvae are nocturnal, which may make it difficult to discover the culprit of plant damage. You may need to inspect the garden at… Read More →
Insect Life Cycles by Wizzie Brown
. Two Categories of Insect Lifecycles Wizzie is kicking off the year with some basic insect biology about metamorphosis. Insect life cycles can be broken down into two major categories: incomplete and complete. Incomplete can then be further broken into three varying types. Paurometabolous Incomplete metamorphosis, also called paurometabolous, has three life stages. The first stage is the egg which hatches into an immature insect called a nymph. The nymph eats, grows and molts, going through several different nymphal stages called instars. With each successive molt, the nymph… Read More →