insect id for south florida master gardeners - Miami-Dade County ...

INSECT ID FOR
SOUTH FLORIDA
MASTER GARDENERS
PREPARED BY:
Adrian Hunsberger
Extension Agent, Urban Horticulture
& Entomologist
University of Florida/
Miami-Dade County
Extension
Images provided by T. Weissling & A. Hunsberger

1) Segmented body
Insects are Arthropods:
2) appendages segmented (from which the phylum gets its
name. Arthropoda = articulated legs).

3) A chitinous exoskeleton, periodically shed & renewed
as the immature animal grows.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Department of Entomology, Leon Higley
The arthropoda is divided into 4 smaller groups called
classes:
Crustacea – Crawfish & Crabs!!!
Myriapoda—Centipedes, millipedes.
Arachnida (Chelicerata)--spiders
Insecta

Millipedes
• 2 body regions
Elongate or “wormlike ”
Rounded in cross section
2 pairs of legs per body segment
Centipedes
Resemble millipedes
Flattened in cross section
1 pair of legs per body section

Spiders, Mites and Ticks
(Arachnida)
2 body regions (cephalothorax, abdomen)
4 pairs of legs
No antennae
Spiders have eight simple eyes
Ticks are large mites
Arachnida
--no antennae
--8 legs

On Black olive
Eriophyid mites
On Satin leaf
UF - IFAS
UF - IFAS
Spider-Mite Webbing
UF - IFAS
Two-Spotted
Spider Mite
(an indoor plant pest)

At least ½ of the organisms currently
occupying the Earth are insects
(approximately 1.5 million species)
Of all insect species in the world
Beneficial or not
considered to be pests
(> 99%)
Less than 1%
Considered
to be pests

Proper identification is
essential in pest
management
Lady Bird
Beetle

The Classification of Insects
and their Relatives
Insects are members of the vast and
diverse animal kingdom. The animal
kingdom is organized into groups
based on similar structural features.
KINGDOM
PHYLUM
CLASS
ORDER
FAMILY
GENUS
SPECIES
Insect Orders
Organized into groups with similar
characteristics such as mouthparts, wing
structure, and metamorphosis.
26 to 30 different orders are recognized

The Insects
1. Three, usually distinct body regions (head, thorax,
& abdomen).
2. One pair of segmented antennae.
3. Usually have one pair of compound eyes.
4. Three pairs of segmented legs (true legs), all on
the thorax.
5. Usually with two pair of wings, some have only
one pair (i.e., flies), or no wings at all.

Metamorphosis. The process of change from egg to
adult.
Incomplete or gradual metamorphosis. The
immatures, called “nymphs,” look similar to the adults
(grasshoppers, aphids,
cockroaches).
Simple
Metamorphosis

Complete metamorphosis. The immatures (larvae and
pupae) look nothing like the adult. The larvae pass
through a pupal stage to change into the adult form
(Wasps, beetles, moths, butterflies, flies).
ADULT
EGG
Complete
Metamorphosis
PUPA
LARVA

Types of Injury Insects
Cause to Plants
aesthetic (cosmetic, non-lethal)
economic (lethal or harmful
to plants)
Root damage

Signs of Insect Presence
Plant damage
frass
honeydew
sooty mold

Honeydew
Sooty Mold
Chewing
Types of mouthparts
piercing-sucking
sponging, lapping
rasping
siphoning

Pests can be separated by the type
of mouthparts they possess which
dictates the type of damage they do.
Most common type
of mouthpart is
chewing.
Another common type of
mouthpart is piercing/sucking
(This is a
good bug)

Piercing-sucking
(Mosquitoes, true bugs, scales,
aphids, mealybugs, & others)
Rasping (Thrips)

The MOST common
type of mouthpart
Siphoning (Butterfly
& moth adults) Chewing
(many insects & others)

Caterpillars
UF - IFAS
Eastern Lubber
Grasshopper

Garden Slugs & Snails
Typical damage inflicted on plants by
pests with chewing mouthparts

Pests
of
Trees & other
Ornamentals
Beetles
(order: Coleoptera)
= sheath wing
Largest insect order
Chewing mouthparts
Front pair of wings thick
Immatures are grub-like

Geiger beetle
Palmetto
Weevil

Borers
Ambrosia Beetles
Damage: usually secondary
to other problems
White Grubs
May/June
Beetles

Thrips (order: Thysanoptera)
= fringe wing
Rasping mouthparts
2 pair of fringed wings
legs and antennae
short
� Incomplete
metamorphosis
Thrips

Thrips Damage
UF - IFAS
Weeping Fig Thrips
Gynaikothrips uzeli
Found in Miami-Dade, 2003
Primarily in S. FL
Looks similar to Cuban
laural thrips
1° host is weeping fig (Ficus
benjamina)
Will feed on other ficus sp.
Feeds on the upper surface
of leaves

Weeping Fig Thrips
Found on new growth, causes
minor defoliation and plants
recover well
Predator appears to be
keeping thrips under control
in the landscape
Minute pirate bug
Found in 2001 on
trumpet trees, Tabebuia
spp., in Miami-Dade
Pest of only tabebuia,
especially Pink Tabs
Plant decline not seen
Tabebuia Thrips
Holopothrips tabebuia

Feeding from this new thrips causes leaf
distortion.
The leaves fold, curl and appear to be
covered in galls.
Emerging leaves
are attacked
True bugs
(order: Hemiptera)
= half wing
Piercing-sucking mouthparts
Beak arises from front
of head
4 wings folded flat
Front wing pair partially
thickened

Stinkbugs
Giant water bugs
Chinch bugs
Assassin bugs
Milkweed bugs
many others
Avocado
lace bug

Southern
Chinch Bugs
Chinch Bug Damage
UF - IFAS

Royal Palm Bug
Aphids, scales, whiteflies, mealybugs,
psylids (order: Homoptera)
= Same wing
Piercing-sucking mouthparts
Beak arises from hindpart of
head
May or may not have wings
4 wings when present, held rooflike
over body

Aphids Palm aphid

Scale Insect
UF, IFAS
Florida Red Scale
Armored Scales
Tea Scale

Cycad Scale
Florida Wax Scale
UF - IFAS
Soft Scales
Green Scale

UF - IFAS
Magnolia White Scale
Whitefly Nymphs
UF - IFAS
Whitefly

UF - IFAS
Whitefly Damage
Mealybugs

Mealybugs
Long-tail mealybug
Pink hibiscus
mealybug
Butterflies, skippers, moths
(order: Lepidoptera)
= scale wing
Chewing mouthparts
(caterpillars)
Siphoning (adults)
4 well-developed wings
Wings have overlapping
scales

Caterpillars
Firebush
Shrubs, trees, vegetables
Temporary leaf damage or
defoliation
Wild coffee
Atala butterfly

Frangipani moth
Palm leaf
skeletonizer

Io Moth Caterpillar
UF - IFAS
Puss moth
Saddleback
Caterpillar
UF - IFAS
Oleander Caterpillar, Syntomeida epilais

Caterpillar Damage (other something
else with chewing mouthparts!)
Grasshoppers, katydids, crickets
(order: Orthoptera)
= straight wing
Chewing mouthparts
2 pairs of wings
with many veins
Front pair slender
2nd pair broad
and fan-like

Flies (order: Diptera)
= two wings
Sponging-lapping, sucking,
piercing mouthparts
2nd pair of wings
greatly reduced
mosquitoes, midges,
no-see-ums, flies

Caribbean fruit fly
Pest of annona
(sugar apple,
sour sop) and
guava fruit
Papaya fruit fly

What is IPM???
IPM (integrated pest management)
is a sustainable approach to managing pests
by combining
biological,
chemical,
cultural, and
physical tools
in a way that minimizes economic, health, and
environmental risks.
From: Anonymous. 1994 Integrated Pest Management Practices
in 1991 Fruits and Nuts, RTD Updates: Pest Management,
USDA-ERS, 8pp.
What is a Pest?
A plant or animal that
is out of place
This includes: Diseases, Weeds,
Arthropods, Reptiles, Mammals, etc.

Evaluation &
Follow-up
Make Action
Decision
Biology and Identification
of Pests and Beneficials
IPM
Program
Action Threshold
Preventative
Practices
Monitor Pest
Populations
Inspect plants or
cuttings brought
into the
landscape...
Avoid Surprises

Pest management toolbox
Cultural control
Physical control
Biological control
Chemical control
Cultural Methods
- Modification or management practices that
make the habitat less favorable to pest
reproduction, dispersal, and survival
A) Host plant resistance. Heritable plant
characteristics that decrease damage due to
pest feeding
B) Plant Rotation. Rotate host and non-host plants

C) Plant refuse destruction.
D) Pruning & thinning. Can increase plant vigor
E) Fertilization. Rate of fertilizer can affect
attractiveness of host plant
F) Sanitation. Keep leaf litter, etc. picked up
G) Water management.
Physical control

And don’t forget about the
environmentally friendly
SQUASHING method of
insect control
The use of living
organisms to control
pests
Predators
Parasites
Pathogens
Biological Control

Biological Control
Protection and enhancement of
natural enemies (use most
selective management tool)
Introduction of natural enemies
Use of microbial controls
Green Lacewing

Larvae called “trash bugs”
Parasitized
aphids
Parasites
Healthy
aphids
Very specialized
Develop from eggs
laid in or on host
very stealthy and
often small

Pathogens
Usually advertised as
naturally occurring
insect diseases caused
by:
bacteria
protozoa
viruses
fungi

Chemical control
Should be
used as a
last resort
and with
the lowest
impact on
natural
enemies and
YOU!
Chemical Methods
- Insecticides
- Sterilants
- Insect Growth Regulators
- Attractants
- Repellents

Not all Pesticides are created equal!
Those not compatible with
biological control
– Organochlorides
– Organophosphates
– Carbonates
– Pyrethroids
Others are compatible with
biological control
– Insect growth regulators
– Microbials (pathogens)
– Some botanicals
– Oils/soap
– Attractants/ repellants
Soaps and oils
Systemic products (Merit)
Contact products (Sevin)

Pesticide Recommendations
Look up the “pest”
Does it have to be
treated?
Look up the
recommendation
– Use University of
Florida
recommendations
ONLY!
Evaluation and Follow-Up
- Requires monitoring
- Were methods effective?
- Is re-treatment required?

Preventing Pest Problems/Outbreaks
When Installing Plants
1. When buying, select only plants that are
healthy and free of pests
Many pest problems in managed areas are
attributed to importation via infested plant
material
Preventing Pest Problems/Outbreaks
When Installing Plants
2. Avoid species that
typically have pest
problems
Especially palms
susceptible to Lethal
Yellowing
Consider nutritional
requirements

Preventing Pest Problems/Outbreaks
When Installing Plants
3. Select natives or
plants well adapted to
our climate
Preventing Pest Problems/Outbreaks
When Installing Plants
4. Site selection
Species planted in “off-site” locations may
experience stress leading to attack by pest
organisms
In addition, stressed plants may be slow to
recover from pest damage

Preventing Pest Problems/Outbreaks
In Established Plants
1. Proper cultural care
a. Establish a fertilization program
2-3 times per year
with a 100% slow
release product
IF NEEDED
Preventing Pest Problems/Outbreaks
In Established Plants
1. Proper cultural care
b. Pruning
In the Canary Island
date palm, pruning
can create wounds
that attract palmetto
and silky cane weevils

Preventing Pest Problems/Outbreaks
In Established Plants
2) Habitat modification
- plant several plant species
of differing canopy heights
in an area.
- plant flowering plants.
This can help to enhance
populations of predators
and parasitoids
Insects on Plants
Identify the insect – is it a pest?
Most plants can tolerate insect
damage without ill effects (up
to 50% defoliation)
Most people assume that they
“have to spray”
Most insect pest problems
usually resolve themselves
without human interference
If an insecticide is needed,
make sure it’s legal to use on
the type of plant to be treated

Insects on Plants
Does it require treatment?
– Small plants may need
protection
– Trees usually don’t
Hand-pick insects
Prune infested growth
Correct horticultural practices
(over-watering and overfertilization)
Spot treat. Use least-toxic first.
Never use insecticides
preventatively
Scenes from the entomology underworld