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Vegetable IPM Program:

Joe Ingerson-Mahar, Vegetable IPM Coordinator

Kris Holmstrom, Vegetable Program Coordinator

State-wide network of insect traps

Conduct field scouting

Research

Education

Grower meetings

Regional and national meetings

Plant and Pest Newsletters – maps of pest insects

Web site: www.pestmanagement.rutgers.edu/IPM/Vegetable/

Phone: 732-932-9802

First, a shameless program plug!

What are Insects and How Can We Identify Them?

Joe Ingerson-Mahar

Vegetable IPM Coordinator

Rutgers University

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Question!!

Have you eaten an insect this morning?

Did you have a bowl of cereal,

a bagel, croissant, toast,

home made bread, English muffin or pancakes for breakfast this morning?

A Dunkin Donut??

If you did then you have eaten at least pieces of insects today.

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How many insect species

are there in New Jersey?

5,000

3,000,000

28,000,000 estimated species in the world

“No man can truly be called an

entomologist, the subject is too vast.”

Author Olivier Wendel Holmes, sr

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Number of species

described estimated

All described non-insects

Estimated insect

species

Vertebrates Invertebrates

Described insects

Plants and fungi

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Where are they found?

Can you think of a

place that they don’t

live?

In sea water.

67 species live

in the antarctic

250+ species live

in the arctic

tundra

Halobates water strider

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Importance of Insects

As human food (2 billion people,

world-wide – Nat. Geo.)

As pollinators

As food for the food chain

(fish, birds, mammals)

A part of the planet’s

ecology – detritivores,

scavengers

Aesthetics – insect designs

The Good

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Copyright © 2006 Sasha Azevedo

Examples of beneficials – stinkbug feeding on a

potato beetle larva, and a honey bee seeking nectar.

Photo: Tonia Brown

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As disease carriers

As crop pests

As structural pests

Allegeries and phobias

Just simply annoying

Inspirations for really bad

movies

The Bad

Get those tarsi

up in the air

where I can see

them!

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Disease carriers

Malaria – it has been

estimated that ½ of all human

deaths throughout history were

caused by malaria vectored by

mosquitoes

Bubonic plague, typhus,

dengue fever, chagas disease,

sleeping sickness, yellow

fever, West Nile virus,

leishmaniasis (Baghdad boils)

are other vectored diseases –

fleas, mosquitoes, kissing

bugs, tsetse flies, sand flies

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Nuisances

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Head lice

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Crop Damage – pepper

weevil larval feeding

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Round compact

abdomen

Long slender snout

Elbowed, clubbed

antennae

Femur

Tibia

Spur/spine on underside of femur

Overall size – 3/16”

Round compact

abdomen

Long slender snout

Elbowed, clubbed

antennae

Femur

Tibia

Spur/spine on underside of femur

Overall size – 3/16”

Round compact

abdomen

Long slender snout

Elbowed, clubbed

antennae

Femur

Tibia

Spur/spine on underside of femur

Overall size – 3/16”

Pepper weevil adult

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Brown marmorated

stinkbug

Researchers at the University of

Maryland report the state is being

invaded by stinkbugs. It's so bad that if

you close your eyes and breathe, you

think you're in New Jersey.

- Jay Leno, Newsmaxx, 2010

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Reproductive

Workers

Soldiers

Structural damage –subterranean termites,

Formosan termites, carpenter

ants and others

Termite castes

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Clean, smooth gallery

Soldier caste – note the

large head

Carpenter ant

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FM

workers

soldier

Carpenter Ants - castesTermite

reproductive

waist

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Not only homes but….

21Good or Bad? 22

Arthropoda = Jointed foot

Trilobites - extinct

Insects

Millipedes

Centipedes

Arachnids (spiders, mites, ticks, scorpians, pseudoscorpians, whip and wind scorpians)

Crustaceans (crabs, lobsters and crayfish, sow bugs, pill bugs)

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Non-Insects

Orb weaver

Photo by Drees.

Centipede

Tick

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How to separate centipedes

from millipedes (looking at

the middle of the body)

Behavior?

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# of legs… # of body regions

Abdomen Thorax Head

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The exoskeleton

Exoskeleton made of chitin

Gives the body strength, flexibility and

prevents water loss

Limits the size insects can grow

I like a little iron in my diet!

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A quick anatomy lesson

Nervous system

Brain

Heart

CropStomach

Anus

Digestive

system

Spiracles

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Body organization

Hard exterior exoskeleton

Open circulatory system inside

Heart is located in the abdomen

Thread-like tubules carry oxygen

Behold the “Bud bug”

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Basic Bug

3 body parts

6 legs

1 pair of antennae

0,1, 2 pairs of wings

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In general…….

You can identify insects by:

1) Size – are little and big bugs the same species?

2) Color – light or dark?; pattern? Sex?

3) Shape…Shape – mimics?

This is called picture-booking!

But you have to be careful.

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Camel or cave crickets32Copyright © 2005 tom murray

A spurious vein

= Syrphidae

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Some insects have aposomatic coloring – warning

signs.

Saddle-backed caterpillar

Urticating hairs

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How do they grow?

All arthropods shed their

exoskeletons as they grow

Insects may molt (shed) their

exoskeletons 3 to 30 times

The exoskeleton splits down

the back and the insect

crawls out of it

Adults do not shed36

Classification by

development:

Incomplete metamorphosis

Ametabolous

Paurometabolous

Hemimetabolous

Complete metamorphosis

Holometabolous

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In summary -

= Ametabolous

(primitive insects)

= Paurometabolous

= Hemimetabolous

(aquatic only)

= Holometabolous

(most insects)

nymphs

niaids

larva pupa

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North Carolina State University

Illinois Department of Health

Examples of Holometabolous

development

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Pupae

Typical moth pupa

Stag beetle pupa

Butterfly

chrysalis

Robber fly pupa40

How insects are classified

- based on wing development

Phylum Arthropoda

Class Hexapoda

Apterygote (Ametabolous)

– wingless insects –

primitive insects

Collembola – detritous

feeders, largely non-

pests

Thysanura – silverfish

– occasional

nuisances in the home

Protura – detritus

feeders – non-pests

Silverfish

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Springtails or

Collembola

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How insects are classified by

wing development

Exopterygote – wings develop externally in the immature stages Orthoptera – crickets, grasshoppers,

cockroaches, praying mantids, walking sticks

Hemiptera – stinkbugs, squash bugs, toad bugs, many species of aquatic bugs

Homoptera – aphids, scales, leafhoppers, froghoppers, planthoppers, cicadas

Mallophaga – body lice

Anoplura – head lice

Odonata – dragonflies and damselflies

Ephemeroptera – mayflies

Plecoptera – stoneflies

Paurometabolous

Hemimetabolous

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How insects are classified by

wing development

Endopterygote (Holometabolous) – wings are

not present in the immature stages but are

present in the adult stages

Coleoptera – beetles

Lepidoptera – moths and butterflies

Diptera – flies

Hymenoptera – ants, bees and wasps

Neuroptera – ant lions, lacewings, owl flies

Siphonoptera – fleas

Strepsiptera – beetle parasites

Thysanoptera - thrips

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Taxonomic classification

- where we want to end up

Kingdom – Animalia

Phylum – Arthropoda

Class – Hexapoda

Order – Coleoptera

Family – Carabidae

Genus – Calosoma

Species – scrutator

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External structures to aid

in identification

Antennae

Eyes

Mouthparts

Legs including tarsi

Wings

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Antennae

Antennae are very distinctive

and are often used to help

differentiate insect orders and

families of beetles, particularly.

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Moniliforn - beadlike

Examples

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Filiform – filament like

Examples

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Clavate, capitate -

clubbed

ExamplesElbowed, also

Symmetrical

and clavate

Asymmetrical

Paul McCleod

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What kind of antennae

does this beetle have?

The Chews

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The Chews

Plumose - featherySerrate - sawlike

The Chews

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Eyes

Compound eyes - 2 with many facets –ommatidia

Simple eyes have but one facet ocellus –depending upon the insect there may be 0, 1, 2 or 3 –never in immatures

Fly

Dragonfly

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Compound eye

3 ocelli

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Emarginate eyes

The compound eyes

wrap around the

base of the antenna

or it appears as

though there are 4

compound eyes

Cerambycids have

emarginate eyes

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Mouthpart types

Chewing – mandibles moving side to

side

Sucking – mouthparts have become

elongated and designed to take up

fluids

Lapping – mouthparts have modified to

become a spongy organ that filth flies

use to lap up aqueous food56

Dragonfly –

predator,

eats flying

insects

1) Upper lip

(labrum)

2) Mandibles

4) Lower

lip (labium)

3) Maxillae (hidden)

4 structures for

mouthparts:

Chewing

mouthparts

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LabrumMandible

Maxillae

Labium

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Mandibles

Mandibles may be toothed

or have flat crushing

surfaces. In plant feeders

the mandibles are often

covered by the upper and

lower lips making them

difficult to see.

Round

headed

wood

boring

beetle

Flat bark

beetle

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Different mandible types

in ants

Theses 4 photos

courtesy of

antweb.org

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Mouthparts

Sucking – the

mandibles and other

mouthparts have

modified to become

a beak designed to

suck up liquid food

Minute pirate bug

killing a thrip

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Muscid fly with

sponging, lapping

mouthparts where

the drop of liquid is

Mouthparts at work

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Sponging lapping

mouthparts of a

muscid fly

a) Maxillary palps

b) Mouthparts –

modified

mandibles and

maxillae

c

ab

Photo by Mark Plonsky

d

d) Haltere – all that

remains of the

second pair of wings

c) Antennae

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Presenting the thorax

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Ambush bugs

(Hemiptera) – predators

piercing sucking insects,

pro

meso

meta

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Robber fly (Diptera) –

predator, piercing

sucking mouthparts

Coxa

Trochanter Femur

Tibia

Tarsus5 segments

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Tarsal formula

4 – 4 – 4 ?

Especially useful in beetles but

also used in other groups

5 – 5 – 5

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Identifying

predators

Identification shortcut:

Swollen forelegs almost

always means predator

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Wings

# of pairs – 0, 1, 2

Fleas, lice = 0

Flies and some mayflies = 1

Beetles, moths, bees, grasshoppers,

thrips – just about all other winged

insects = 2

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Complex and

sometimes difficult

to use but certain

wing features are

diagnostic for

insect family and

sometimes genus “Boot” in hind

wing identifies

this dragonfly as

belonging to

family

Libellulidae

Wing venation

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Identify egg by where it is

Carrot weevil lays eggs in

carrot root and covers

with a black plug

Newly hatched larva

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Oviposition

The single egg

Egg sculpture

European cabbage worm –

a butterfly

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Egg masses - # of eggs,

shape, color

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More egg masses

Fall armyworm

Green lace wing

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Damsel bug – predator,

sucking mouthparts

Parasitic fly?

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Credits

Blake Newton, Kentucky Critter Files - Mayflies, University of Kentucky Department of Entomology, http://www.uky.edu/Agriculture/CritterFiles/casefile/insects/mayflies/mayflies.ht

Brian Fisher, Antweb.org, http://www.antweb.org/world.jsp

D. Brees, Agricultural Pest Management, Texas A&M University, http://lubbock.tamu.edu/ipm/AgWeb/

Clemson University - USDA Cooperative Extension Slide Series, http://www.insectimages.org

http://www.jochemnet.de/fiu/OCB3043_25.html

Mark Plonsky – professional photographer extraordinaire, http://www.mplonsky.com/photo/Gallery.htm

North Carolina State University, http://ipm.ncsu.edu/AG369/notes/house_fly.html

Paul McCleod, University of Arkansas

The Chews, Brisbane Insect and Spider Home Page, http://www.geocities.com/pchew_brisbane/

Tom Murray, BugGuide.Net, http://bugguide.net/node/view/33876/bgimage

Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, http://www.ipmimages.org

Washington State University, http://gardening.wsu.edu/library/inse004/inse004.htm

Joe Ingerson-Mahar, Rutgers University

Websites of entomological interest

• http://www.njnaturenotes.com/Insects_Field_Guide.html

– here in Middlesex County

• http://www.insectropolis.com/aboutthebugseum_ourmission.ht

m - Bugseum

• http://www.insectidentification.org/ - general information

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Classification by Insect

Development

Ametabolous – no change from hatching to

adult except for size

nymph and adult

occur in the same

habitat

¤egg

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Insect Development - 2

Paurometabolous –nymph with disproportionate body that changes on way to adult

external wing development

nymph and adult generally occur in same habitat

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Insect Development - 3

Hemimetabolous – occurs in aquatic

insects, only

external wing development

naiad and adult look totally different and

occur in different habitats

Mayfly Naiad (B. Newton 2002) Mayfly (B. Newton 2002) 80

Insect Development - 4

Holometabolous – most common form of

development

internal wing development

larvae and adults look totally different

may or may not occur in the same habitat

Larva Pupa

“resting

stage”

Adult