Insect Categories, Identification &

Management on Ornamentals

Limited Commercial Landscape Maintenance (LCLM)

Pesticide Applicator Certification Workshop

Bill Schall

UF / IFAS

Palm Beach County Extension

Insect Pest Control The actual insect may not be identifiable

The type of damage to the plant must be identified for effective control

10X hand lens useful for small stuff

Photo

: Johnny N

. D

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Photo

: UF

Bill S

chall

Insects Are Arthropoda (Arthropods)

An arthropod is:

An animal that is distinguished from

other animals in having an external

skeleton called an exoskeleton and

jointed appendages

Kingdom (Animal, Plant, Fungi, Bacteria, etc.)

Phylum

Class

Order

Family

Genus

Species

Variety or Cultivar

Common Name

Photo

: Mic

hael C

. Thom

as, F

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Agric

ultu

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Examples of Arthropods

• Insects

• Spider Mites

• Ticks

• Spiders

• Crabs

• Shrimp

• Lobster Photo: Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org

Slugs and Snails are Not Insects

They are Mollusks (a phylum like

arthropods are a phylum)

They do not have jointed appendages

or exoskeletons

They chew

Photo

: A

ndre

w D

erk

sen, F

DA

CS

/DP

I, B

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Giant E. African

Snail in Miami

Insects are from an ancient lines that included

trilobites and crustaceans which were abundant

in the oceans over 500 million years ago.

Trilobites are extinct.

Photo: Clemson University

Photo

: Johnny N

. D

ell,

Bugw

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Head

Photo

: Johnny N

. D

ell,

Bugw

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Thorax

Photo

: Johnny N

. D

ell,

Bugw

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Abdomen

Photo

: Johnny N

. D

ell,

Bugw

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3 sets - 6 legs

Photo

: Johnny N

. D

ell,

Bugw

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Eyes

Antennae

Mouthparts

A w

eevil

head. P

hoto

: P

est and D

iseases Im

age L

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Legs: 4 pairs

Photo

: E

ugene E

. N

els

on, B

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Abdomen

Head (cephalothorax)

Photo

: E

ugene E

. N

els

on, B

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Insect as Pests Considered to be a pest if:

• transmits diseases (mosquitoes)

• feeds on food (flour moth), crops (corn

earworm) or structures (termite)

• are a nuisance (cockroaches, lovebugs,

bedbugs)

World-wide only 8% of insects are considered

pests

In the US, less than 1% are pests (99% not pests)

Also, Beneficial Insects • Pollinators (apples, watermelons, squash)

• Products (honey, silk, dyes)

• Scavengers

• Predators/parasites

• Food for fish, birds & wildlife

• Scientific study

Molting

Exoskeleton periodically shed as insects grow

– called Exuvia -

Ph

oto

: U

niv

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f N

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rask

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inco

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Photo

: U

niv

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ity o

f F

lorida

Exuvia

Cast off Exuvia or skins from red palm mites

Ph

oto

: U

niv

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Photos: Florida Division of Plant Industry, Dept. of Ag. and Consumer Services

Feeding Type

• Piercing-Sucking/Rasping

• Chewing

Photo

: C

lem

son U

niv

ers

ity -

US

DA

Coopera

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Photo

: Joseph B

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Ornamental Insects – Piercing-Sucking

Eye

Stylet

Antenna

Feeding Type

Piercing-Sucking Scale

Mealybug

Aphids

Whitefly

Thrips

Plant/Leaf

Hoppers

Psyllids

Mites

Photo: David Cappaert, Bugwood.org

Photo: Lisa Ames, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org Photo: Jeffrey W. Lotz, Florida Department of

Agriculture and Consumer Services, Bugwood.org

Photo: UF Schall

Feeding Type

Piercing Sucking/Rasping

Photo

: A

lton N

. S

park

s, Jr.

, U

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of G

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Photo: University of Florida

Thrips

Feeding Type Piercing/Sucking Rasping

Thrips mostly attack

flowers, & sometimes

leaves & sometimes

young fruit

Photo

: U

F S

chall

Photo: UF Osborne

Photo: Clemson University

Ornamental Insects Scale Insects

Armored – no honeydew

Soft - honeydew

Photo: UF Weissling

More Insects with

Piercing/Sucking Mouthparts

Production of “honeydew” causes growth of sooty mold (soft scale, whitefly, mealybug, aphids, plant hoppers, thrips, phyllids)

Fungus which grows in the honeydew which makes the leaves look dirty and black

Attract ants Protect insects producing the

honeydew Move insects from one plant

to another Photo: Sarah Vanek, Bugwood.org

Red Date Scale An important new pest of date palm

In U.S. – it is only in Florida

Usually restricted to Phoenix

palms

Photo: University of Florida

Photo

: U

F S

chall

Croton Scale

• 2008 - Reported in

Florida; new to science

• Hosts – Many, but

mostly croton

• Builds to high densities

on some hosts; plant

decline

Photo: UF Schall

Pink Hibiscus Mealybug Damage

Boron Deficiency Photo: UF Broschat

Photo: UF Osborne

More Piercing Sucking Insects

Hemispherical Scale Photo: UF L. Buss

Oleander Aphid w/ Mummy Photos: UF L. Buss

Cycad Scale Photo: UF D. Palmer

Florida Wax Scale Sooty Mold Photo: UF E. Buss

Ficus Thrips

Photo: UF H. Glenn)

Citrus Mealybug Photo: UF Osborne

•Soft, pear shaped bodies

•Can identify by cornicles

Aphids

green peach aphid

tobacco aphid

Photo

: R

.J. R

eyn

old

s T

obacco C

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pany

Slid

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.J.

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Photo: Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado

State University, Bugwood.org

Photo: Eugene E. Nelson, Bugwood.org

Another Piercing Sucking

(Insect-like arthropod) Spider Mites Some, like two-spotted spider mites produce webbing on leaves L eaves may also show silvering or yellowing from mite feeding Damage often worse during dry weather

Photo: UC Statewide IPM Project

Photo: David Cappaert, Michigan State University, Bugwood.org

Feeding Type Chewing

Caterpillars

Beetles

Weevils (billbugs)

Grasshoppers

Leafminers Photo: UF Schall

Ornamental Insects - Chewing

Corn Earworm (caterpillar)

Mandibles

Maxilla

Grasshopper Photo: Phillip Roberts, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org

Feeding Type

Leaf Miners (chewing)

Caterpillars (most)

Fly Larvae

Beetle Larvae

Photo: Lance S. Risley, William Paterson University, Bugwood.org Photo: Gyorgy Csoka, Hungary Forest Research Institute, Bugwood.org

Feeding Type Borers (chewing)

Caterpillars

Beetles & Weevils

Adults & Larvae

Photo: UF Schall

Photo: UF Schall

More Chewing Insects

Palm Skeletonizers

Photo: UF Weissling

Weevils (billbugs)

White Grubs

best treated with a soil

application of pesticide

Beetle White grub

Other various white

grubs & their adults

White grubs

Photos: University of Florida

Vertebrate (backbone) Pests Raccoon and Armadillo digging are indicators of

grubs and other soil & turf insects

Photo: Johnny N. Dell, Bugwood.org

Photo: UF Kern Photo: UF Kern

Photo: David Seerveld, AAAnimal Control, Bugwood.org

1. What type of feeding do thrips do?

1. Masticating

2. Chewing

3. Piercing/Sucking

4. Rasping

2. Where do you find most

thrips damage?

1. Flowers

2. Never underside

of leaves

3. Never top of

leaves

4. Stems

3. What is an example of an insect

with a piercing sucking mouthpart?

1. Billbug

2. Caterpillar

3. Beetle

4. Chinchbug

4. What are some examples of insects

with chewing mouthparts?

1. Caterpillar

2. Beetle

3. Planthopper

4. Both 1 & 2

5. How can you tell the difference

between adult spider mites & insects?

1. Spider Mites – 6

legs

2. Spider Mites - 8

legs

3. Mites have a

thorax

4. Mites are bigger

6. What do we call the excrement that many

piercing sucking insects produce?

(clue: sooty mold often grows on it)

1. Flocculent

2. Frass

3. Exudate

4. Honeydew

7. Are slugs & snails insects?

1. Yes

2. No

8. What is a sign that plants have

spider mites?

1. Waxy flocculent

2. Silvery or

yellowing leaves

3. Webbing

4. Both 2 & 3

9. What do we call an insect skeleton, and where

is it located on/in the insect body?

1. Exoskeleton – on

the inside

2. Exoskeleton – on

the outside

3. Endoskeleton –

on the outside

4. Endoskeleton –

on the inside

10. Insects with cornicles and pear shaped

bodies are which of the following?

1. Mealybugs

2. Thrips

3. Aphids

4. Spider Mites

Insect Categories, Identification &

Management on Ornamentals

Limited Commercial Landscape Maintenance (LCLM)

Pesticide Applicator Certification Workshop

Bill Schall

UF / IFAS

Palm Beach County Extension