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Tomatoes 2008
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Arthropod: “Jointed Foot” animal, including the crustaceans (pill bugs, sow bugs), millipedes, centipedes, scorpions, vinegarones, sun spiders, pseudoscorpions, mites and insects. Well over a million described species in this huge group; Other features: segmented bodies, exoskeletons, molting metamorphosis (simple or gradual; complete)
Armadillo-like, land-dwelling crustaceans; wingless; gradual metamorphosis; nocturnal; prefer cool, moist conditions. Thread-like antennae, 7 pairs of walking legs, multi-segmented with body “shields.” Chewing mouthparts; food: rotting organic matter, succulent foliage or fruit near ground. Millipedes Cylindrical, multi-segmented bodies; 2 pairs of legs per body segment; non-venomous; gradual metamorphosis; often nocturnal; prefer moist conditions; up to 6” long. Chewing mouthparts; food: rotting organic matter preferred; burrow through soil, often aerating it. Nuisance pest around richly fertilized planting beds or those with thick mulch.
bulb mites: flower bulbs and corms fail to “sprout;” stored bulbs “turn to dust” clover mites: among the largest of the plant mites at 2-3 mm; -bodies are dark brown to purple with tan or orange legs; normally feed on clovers or other outdoor plants; may become nuisances in early spring when clover mite populations soar and they start moving; also, crushed mites can stain (dark red or brown) light colored surfaces. gall/bud/blister mites: worm-shaped, nearly microscopic mites; usually quite host specific and also cause characteristic damage to their hosts (galls, blisters, rust marks, etc.). Examples include: clove-like galls on twigs and branches of aspen, fuzzy red filaments on male catkins of cottonwood, leafs “gum balls” on catkins of male (fruitless) ash, warty leaf galls on native walnut, black/brown spots on undersides of pear or apple leaves.
ORDER ORTHOPTERA Grasshoppers, Katydids, Crickets, etc. Grasshoppers: familiar, large-bodied insects with short antennae, stout, chewing mouthparts and hind legs modified for jumping; adults usually have 2 pairs of wings (first pair are leathery, second are membranous); simple metamorphosis; chewing mouthparts; host range usually broad eggs usually inserted in the ground. Katydids: similar to grasshoppers only with thread-like antennae often longer than the body, chewing mouthparts; hosts generally include trees and shrubs, eggs shaped like lentils; laid in overlapping pattern on host twigs, adult males use file-and-scraper on forewings to “sing” at night. Crickets: Field or house crickets: usually dark brown to black; about 1R long as adults; antennae may be almost the same length as the body-, paired cerci (plus females have an ovipositor); usually nocturnal; host range broad—chewing can occur on non-edible items, too; nuisances usually-, prefer cool, moist locations, especially for breeding; males “chirp.” Tree crickets: usually thinner and more fragile in appearance; light green to yellow; uncommonly seen yet very commonly collected; females may slit twigs while ovipositing foliage loss is usually minimal. Child of the Earth, Jerusalem Cricket, El Nino de La Tierra; robust bodies, wingless; up to 2” long, Abdomen banded in black; head shiny russet brown with beaded, protruding eyes. Mandibles enlarged. Legs stout, spiny, modified for walking and digging; can bite; nonvenomous. All stages found burrowing in soil; commonly feed on roots of a variety of plants plus white grubs, caterpillars, worms and other underground organisms.
ORDER DERMAPTERA EARWIGS Slender, beetle-like insects with prominent black forceps on the end of the abdomen; wings short; wing covers reach the ends of the thorax only most rarely fly. European earwig is most common feeds on variety of host plants; will occasionally eat other insects; nuisance pest around homes; can chew foliage or petals of host plants.
ORDER ISOPTERA: Termites “White ants;” recycle cellulose; social insects with castes; our New Mexico species prefer dead wood although Formosan termite (very restricted distribution in the U.S. but not in New Mexico).will attack live wood. The Castes; King and Queen Termites (reproductive castes).-.2 pair of smoky colored wings with net-like venation .wings pull off readily}r, wings nearly equal in size; bodies are dark brown to black Queen may live for many years. Soldier Termites, dirty-white bodies, wingless, soft-bodied but head enlarged, dark brown with well-developed jaws. Worker Termites, dirty-white, soft-bodied, wingless, eyeless; need either of the other two castes to identify these pests to species.
Dry wood termites (generally need no association with the soil; colonies “smaller;” less common in New Mexico) vs. Subterranean termites (infestations often begin when fertilized queen finds cellulose partly buried in the soil; attack homes, other structures, practically anything composed of cellulose). Refer most termite problems to companies with Structural Pest Control capabilities.
THYSANOPTERA: THRIPS Minute, slender, agile insects. usually shorter than 1/8.” Adults are yellow to brown or black, depending upon species. Molts with 2 pairs of strap like fringed wings; mouthparts chewing but only one jaw is developed. Hosts include flowers and succulent tissues of a variety of plants; some species predaceous depending upon species, eggs may be inserted into a plant host (with: a serrated ovipositor); parthenogenesis common.. Metamorphosis gradual but last 2 stages of nymphs may be quiescent. Examples: Western flower thrips (one of the most common species in New Mexico), onion thrips, tobacco thrips; Cuban laurel thrips on ficus.
HOMOPTERA. PLANT FEEDERS WITH SUCKING MOUTH PARTS Cicadas: large and robust to 3.” Forewings membranous and with distinct veins; forewings longer than hind wings; antennae very short and bristle-like. Adult stage highly seasonal and short lived, males sing loudly during the day. Adults have piercing-sucking mouthparts but gut is not connected. Females insert eggs singly into woody host tissues with saber-like ovipositor. Oviposition hosts usually woody perennials. Nymphs burrow underground; with enlarged, grasping forelegs and functional piercing-sucking mouthparts; feed on roots of host plants for variable number of years, depending upon species. Spittle Bugs: Adults look like miniature cicadas (to 114”) with red, black or brown wings. Adults have a pair of short, thick spurs on each hind tibia in addition to a circlet of spines between the tibiae and tarsi. Adults and nymphs may occupy the same hosts, at least temporarily. Most commonly pests of junipers, especially urban shrub species. Nymphs cover themselves in frothy “spittle.” Leafhoppers: Similar to miniature cicadas (most species 1/4” or less); slender or wedge-shaped as adults; hind tibiae spiny but without spurs; metamorphosis simple; adults and nymphs often frequent the same hosts; 1-3 or more generations annually depending upon species. Common examples: apple leafhoppers (on fruit trees); potato leafhoppers (vegetable crops, field crops, some annual ornamentals); beet leafhoppers (vector of curly top virus to chile, tomatoes, some annual ornamentals, etc.); grape leafhoppers on grapes. Damage: piercing sucking can cause leaf stippling, “hopper burn,” foliage loss; wilting; vectors of certain plant pathogens. Fulgorids or plant hoppers: Resemble leafhoppers but usually a little larger (to 3/8”) with antennae located below the eyes. Most common species in New Mexico are found on woody shrubs or vines; adults usually. powdery white; nymphs often covered with white, fuzzy wax filaments. Aphids: Small, soft-bodied, pear-shaped insects with tremendous reproductive potential parthenogenesis); antennae thread-like and of variable length; often with cornicles (tail-pipes) on the abdomen; color variable, depending upon species. Damage may include chlorosis, necrosis, stunting, virus transmission, wilting, plant death, honeydew deposits. Life cycles complicated in many species; males very seasonal or absent; parthenogenesis and alternate hosts common. Populations of most species are highest in spring and fall when weather is cooler.
Common examples in New Mexico; Green peach aphids attack over 270 species of plants; virus vectors; can cause fruit and flower loss. Rosy apple aphid, melon aphid, cowpea aphid, cotton aphid, cabbage aphid, rose aphid common, with multiple hosts. Woolly apple aphid—fuzzy white colonies on apple, pear and pyracantha in spring and early summer, over winter on roots of hosts, causing root galls. Poplar gall aphids over winter in buds of cottonwood and poplar hosts. Feeding damage by female aphids cause development of pea-sized galls on leaf petiole or base of leaf Galls mature by mid-summer, drying and cracking open to release winged forms that usually infest roots of alternate hosts such as Johnson grass, lettuce and certain others forbs and grasses. Giant willow aphids 4-5 mm long gray to black; feed only on willow twigs, causing their deaths. Oleander aphids bright yellow or orange aphids with black legs and black cornicles; on oleander.
Cooley Spruce Gall Aphids, Pine Bark Aphids: Close relatives of aphids (above) but are placed in different families. Cooley SGA infestation in spruce causes early spring development of terminal galls (sectioned like an orange but full of aphids); galls dry and open by mid-summer, releasing winged aphids that then colonize Douglas fir foliage. Hosts alternate by season. Pine bark aphids mealy bug like appearance but on pine twigs; may cause twig die-back. Whiteflies: Adults to 1/16. Resemble minute white moths. Two pairs of dusty white wings. “Billowing flights” from infested hosts. Females lay minute eggs on stalks, often in circular patterns on the undersides of host foliage. Hatchlings are “crawlers” that move away from their hatching site to molt and transform into a nearly scale-like stage which pierces and sucks the “sap” from its plant host. Nymph color and shape depend upon species. Numerous generations may be produced annually; honeydew is a common sign of infestation along with necrosis, leaf loss or spotty necrosis; sooty mold growth may occur in conditions where humidity is high and honeydew is common. Greenhouse and citrus whitefly are common pests of greenhouse/foliage plants. Mulberry whitefly can be a serious pest of mulberry. Ash whitefly has been identified in landscape ash trees in both Las Cruces and Albuquerque. Mealy bugs: Plump, moderately active, soft-bodied insects covered with white filaments or wax powder, to 3mm in length; feed on all plant parts from roots to fruit. Several species are common pests of interior foliage plants; others attack certain landscape plants including sotol and ocotillo. All produce honeydew; may be tended by ants. Dactylopid Scales, Cochineal Insects: Aphid like, dark purple insects generally totally covered in sticky white wax. Most common hosts in New Mexico: pad-type cacti (Opuntia spp.) Scale Insects: Adult stages of most forms are covered by a scale or test distinctive by species; adult females generally legless and without eyes while males are winged, lack mouthparts (resemble small mosquitoes). Soft scales produce lots of honeydew; scale cannot be removed from the body; include: brown soft scale (on tropical foliage plants), black scale and hemispherical scale (on a variety of woody shrubs and trees); cottony maple scale (on maple and mulberry); wax scales (on woody ornamentals and desert shrubs); European fruit lecanium (on mulberry, pecan, fruit trees and many other woody perennials). Armored scales: large populations of these cryptic insects can kill or severely deform their hosts; scale can be removed without killing the host; eggs laid under the scale or females give birth to live young. Examples include: pine needle scale (on pine needles), scurfy scale (on elm, willow and other trees and woody ornamentals), oyster shell scale (twigs of many species of fruit and landscape trees and shrubs), San Jose scale (many species of fruit, shade trees and woody ornamentals), euonymous scale (on euonymous). Scale-like Insects. A group of oddballs that belong to different Homopteran families: pinyon needle scale on pinyon pine foliage; ground pearls in Bermuda grass turf; cottony cushion scale on woody ornamentals and some trees; European elm scale on elm (twig die back, sooty mold); Kermid scales, primarily, on oak; resembles knobs on twigs.
HEMIPTEBA. TRUE BUGS Also with piercing-sucking mouthparts; saliva of plant feeders is usually more plant toxic than that of Homotera; forewings are half leathery/half membranous (hence hemi-ptera). False chinch bugs. Found statewide, about l/8-1/lO” long; nymphs and adults are tan to gray, very active crawling bugs. Can be extraordinarily dense, making pests of themselves by crawling into everything, especially in late winter as their normal weedy hosts dry. Plant bugs. Extraordinarily common species occur in field crops, statewide. On yucca the most common pest species is Halticotoma valida (dark red, very active bugs found on yucca foliage in spring and summer; can cause yellowing arid stippling of foliage). Leaf-footed plant bugs. Adults from 1/2” to 3/4” with hind tibiae broadly expanded and flattened. Eggs gum-drop shaped and stuck to host plants by female. Common on cacti but will also move onto developing fruit and vegetables. May cause bud drop and loss of young fruit; cat-facing; distorted fruit or blackened, pithy nuts). Stink bugs. Shield-shaped bugs with prominent triangular scutellum in center back; release pungent smell when handled roughly; most common species are 1/4” to nearly 1/2” long and 2/3 as wide. Say’s green stink bug, the conchuela and harlequin bug are common examples. Box elder bugs. Predominantly black bugs with dark orange-red lines on upper surface of body and wings; adults to 1/2” long. Common on box elder and golden rain trees; gregarious pests around urban areas.
INSECTS WITH COMPLETE METAMORPHOSIS (egg, larva, pupa, adult) DIPTERA: “TRUE” FLIES” have 2 flying wings and 2 halteres (balancing wings). Cecidomyiids, Gall-forming midges. Adults resemble frail mosquitoes but are generally smaller (usually 1/10” to 1/8”); head and thorax may be tan to gray; black abdomens of some species are red, green, yellow, range or another different color. Adults generally nectar-feeders (if at all). Larvae are minutes, legless spindle-shaped creatures usually pink or orange and with “wishbone” structures visible dorsally) Common in spring; gall development occurs over the growing season. Common examples: spingle gall midge and stubby gall midge on pinyon, cone-forming gall midge on willow March flies or bibionids. Adults slightly smaller and more slender than houseflies; usually somewhat hump-backed and with smoky wings. Adults gregarious, especially in spring and especially over potential breeding sites; adults tend to fly in slow zigzag or circular patterns. Some species active year-long in New Mexico. Larvae are legless, dirty white cylindrical insects reaching 1/2” to 5/8” in length; head capsule well developed; larvae burrow in grass thatch or manures, causing it to “heave.”
COLEOPTERA—BEETLES One of the largest orders of insects with over a quarter million described species. Forewings thickened and either leathery or hard, meeting in a straight line down the center back; hind wings are membranous. In flight, the forewings are held to the side while the hind wings beat. Mouthparts chewing in both larvae and adults of most species. Larvae cylindrical (more or less) or flattened; usually with well developed head capsules and 3 pairs of legs (not always, however). Scarab beetles, white grubs, May beetles, June beetles. Over 1300 species in North America. Heavy-bodied, oval to elongate, usually convex beetles with spiny legs and antennae obviously modified into “tooth-brush shapes”. Front tibiae of some species are modified into digging organs. White grubs numerous species involved here with adults (depending upon species) varying from 1/4’ to 5/8’ long. Adults of the smaller species (Ataenius spp.) generally black or dark russet brown. Adults of larger species may be russet brown (with or without broad white stripes on the wing covers (eg. Phyllophaga}, or metallic green (e.g Cotinus). Larvae of turf-infesting species are found in the root zone of turf, larvae are C-shaped and stout bodied, dirty white with head capsules dark brown to nearly black. Three pairs of legs are prominently visible. A affected turf turns off green, appears dry or dead in patches. See grubs in root zone. Common turf pests require one year for development eggs laid in late summer hatch then; larvae burrow deeper into the soil prior to winter but move upward in spring to finish feeding and pupate. Adults emerge in mid to late summer; strong fliers, attracted to lights. Metallic Wood Boring Beetles, Flat Head Borers. Adults often metallic, copper, green, blue or black, especially on the underside of the body and top of the abdomen. Bodies usually very hard and frequently with a flattened but bullet-like shape; strong fliers; common around dead or dying trees. Larvae bore under bark or deeper into wood of living trees, newly cut trees or dying logs and branches; head well developed and with chewing mouthparts; area just behind head is broad and flat; larval tunnels characteristically oval in cross section. Eggs usually laid in crevices in host bark near a wound or cut. Young larvae may leave noticeable serpentine mines in some thin-barked hosts; others may stimulate gall formation on twigs; one species girdles twigs of its hosts. Long-Horned Beetles, Round Headed Wood Borers. Over 1200 species in North America; some are the largest beetles found in New Mexico (adults of some prionid beetles exceed 3” in length). Some species prefer conifers; others tackle other types of woody trees and shrubs; a few species bore into stems of herbaceous plants. Majority of adults are elongate and cylindrical with long filamentous antennae as long as or longer than the body (EXCEPTION: Neoclytus spp., where the antennae barely reach the edge of the metathorax). Adults strong fliers: day or night filers by species. Larvae are cylindrical, dirty white larvae with well developed brown or black head capsules and chewing mouthparts. Legs present but minute. Larval tunnels in wood are usually circular in cross section. Common examples include: Oncideres spp. (a twig girdler of elm, apple, mulberry, mesquite and other trees and shrubs), Neoclytus spp. (common borers in pecan and willow, among other woody hosts), and Prionus spp. and their relatives (common in southern New Mexico where they may attack freshly cut tree stumps and large roots.) Adults commonly attack freshly cut logs, pruning cuts or dead and dying trees or branches. Adults of some species are common twig girdlers, where the female follows up by laying her egg just above the girdled mark. Leaf Beetles. Extremely common group of plant-feeding beetles, most of which are 1/2” long or less, oval in shape and with filamentous antennae shorter than the body. Colors and patterns shown by adult leaf beetles vary widely from solid, metallic black, to green with black spots, yellow with black stripes and metallic gold. Majority of species over winter as adults. Larvae often alligator-like in appearance with variable development of short, stubby spines, knobs and secretory organs. Some species gregarious as larvae. Larvae may feed in habitats similar to those of the adults (generally on the external surfaces of host foliage) or some species may be leaf miners, root feeders or stem borers for parts of their life cycles. Common examples include: Flea beetles, generally metallic and often 1/4” long or less; capable of flight or jumping (hind legs, especially femora, usually enlarged). Flea beetle larvae may defoliate host plants; some species feed on host plant rootlets. Willow leaf beetles (Phyllodecta spp.) and cottonwood leaf beetles (Calligrapha spp.) defoliate their respective hosts. Eggs bright yellow and laid on undersides of host foliage. Smaller hatchlings scarify or skeletonize foliage while larger ones consume it. Mature larvae and pupae generally found on ground or in crevices in host bark or crotches of trees. Adults also colonize host trees and shrubs. Adult willow leaf beetles are often metallic blue or yellow with thin black stripes on the wing covers while cottonwood leaf beetles are yellow or yellow-orange with black hieroglyphics patterns on the wing covers. Elm leaf beetles defoliate elm hosts as both larvae and adults. Small lemon shaped eggs are laid on undersides of host leaves; larvae scarify and consume entire leaves; mature larvae and pupae found on ground or in cracks in bark or crotches of tree limbs. Adults produced in late fall may migrate into buildings, homes and other protected areas where they become nuisances. Branch Borers and Twig Borers, Bostrichidae. Adults generally elongate and somewhat cylindrical; head is obviously bent down and scarcely visible from above in most common species. Clubbed antennae are straight and relatively short. Most species vary in length from about 1/8” to 1/2” and in color from dull black to dull brown. Most species are wood-borers and attack living trees, dead twigs, vines and branches or season, chemically unprotected wood. Larvae generally kill the twigs in which they bore; damaged twigs remain on host; some trees and shrubs may respond to such twig pruning by a proliferation of branches below the injury. Snout Beetles, Curculionidae. Nearly 2500 species occur in North America; some are very common. Adults generally distinguished by well developed “snout” bearing the elbowed antennae and chewing mouthparts terminally. Adults often dull colored (brown, gray, black) or mottled or with lines; may “play dead” when disturbed. Larvae are C-shaped, legless, with well developed usually brown head capsule. Most larvae typically feed inside host plant tissues. Adults may drill holes into developing fiats, seeds or similar structures to access food or tissues suitable for ovipositing. Common examples include: black vine weevils, strawberry root weevils (genus Otiorhynchus) where adults will notch leaf edges of their hosts (many different species of shrubs and broad leafed trees, monocots). Larvae usually found deep in the soil where they feed on host roots. Billbugs (genus Scyphophorus) attack grass sod and other grassy hosts (e.g. corn, sorghum). Adults generally dull black some with clay-colored spots on the wing covers. Adults generally hide by day. Scyphophorus weevils commonly associated with yucca and other similar desert vegetation. Adults are gray and tan striped or mottled; larvae may be found feeding in core areas of stems/trunks, contributing to demise of host plants. Bark Beetles, Engraver Beetles, Ambrosia Beetles, Scolytidae: 1) generally dark brown, red or black cylindrical beetles with short, elbowed antennae clubbed on the ends. Most rarely over 1/4” long. Heads usually not visible from above. Larvae C-shaped, essentially legless, with well developed brown head capsules. May be numerous under host bark in elaborate feather-shaped or fan-shaped tunnels. Bark beetles generally attack the living bark of trees where they feed on succulent phloem and cambia tissues. “Engraver beetles” (generally species of and Scolytus) tunnel relatively deeply across the sapwood. “Ambrosia beetles” bore into the wood of live or freshly killed trees with relatively high water content They introduce spores of blue stain fungi which proliferate in the host tissues, providing the actual food for the developing larvae. Recently emerged adults walk through the spores of these fungi, leaving the dying hosts with inoculum for the next generation of larvae. Capable of “mass attacking their hosts and killing weakened trees. May also kill neighboring trees, particularly in forest situations.
LEPIDOPTERA. Butterflies and Moths Bagworms. One generation annually. Eggs laid in the fall in the bag of adult (!arviform) female. Eggs hatch in the spring and young larvae disperse by walking or ballooning on silken threads to other trees or shrubs with foliage. Young larvae use silk and remnants of host plant foliage to construct tubular bags covering and hiding their bodies. Cryptic larvae defoliate hosts over the summer retreating to bags to pupate. Adult males emerge and fly in search of larviform but adult females in the fall. Caterpillar stage is nearly hairless, plump and rather dingy colored. Bags vary in color and texture, depending upon species of host. Common bagworms attack mainly juniper and arbor vitae in New Mexico; other bagworms attack broadleaf shrubs and trees. Adult male is rarely seen or collected; generally dingy gray and brown; may frequent lights. Females remain larviform as adults, emerging from bag to mate, then retreating to lay eggs. Peachtree Borers. Major enemy of peach and other stone fruit trees in New Mexico, damaging the trunks, upper roots, and lower limbs of hosts with its boring larvae. Adult stage wasp-like in appearance and behavior. Adult peach tree borer generally metallic blue-black on body, limbs and forewings. Lesser peach tree borers generally smaller than peach tree borers; the former with generally scale-free wings and with one or more yellow-orange bands on abdomen; otherwise blue-black and wasp-like in behavior. Larvae generally bare, off-white and with brown head capsules. Larvae at maturity reach nearly 1” in length. Generally burrow into cambium of host, causing it to ooze a clear sap which may soon be covered with soil, boring dust or other debris (“gum ball” on the trunk or at the soil line may be diagnostic). 1-2 generations annually but very poorly synchronized in emergence and development times. Control is difficult to impossible once larvae bore into host. Pine Tip Moths. General category including 5-6 species of moths with larval stages boring into the buds and shoots of pines across the state. Damage includes brown, dead tips on terminals and lateral branches, crown deformity, seedling death in some cases and irregular bushiness in surviving trees. Larvae bare with well developed head capsules; generally found boring within dying branch tips; to 5/8” at maturity. Larvae may be golden yellow, orange or pink. Adults to 1/2” in length, brown or brown and gray, with swept-back wings at rest; nocturnal. Common species include: Nantucket pine tip moth (introduced, especially on Afghan pines in southern New Mexico; 2-3 generations annually) and Southwestern pine tip moths (slightly larger than Nantuckets as adults, one generation annually; pupae over winter. Pitch Nodule Moths. Hosts primarily pinyon pines; one generation annually (some may take longer to develop); no chemical controls known for existing infestations. Larvae bore in host cambium (twig area usually), creating a marble-sized blob of pitch. Branch tips beyond this pitch nodule die; host may respond with irregular branching which may also be susceptible to subsequent infestations. Mature larvae to 1/2” in length; generally dirty white to brown with little or no setae on the body. Adults nocturnal, rarely collected. Tent Caterpillars. Can be fairly common and damaging in central and northern New Mexico. Larvae most commonly mottled brownish gray or yellow brown with a broad, middorsal stripe of a lighter tone; some with a string of blue dots along dorsum ; “hairy” (hairs can be irritating to skin of sensitive people). Larvae can be serious defoliators of a variety of trees and shrubs. Larvae communal, spinning a dirty brown web over the surface of infested branches. Adult moths medium-size with stout bodies; scales hair-like. Antennae generally feather shaped in both sexes (best developed in males, however). Generally gray-brown mottled; nocturnal. Fall Webworms. Common pests of deciduous trees throughout New Mexico. Adult moths white, sometimes with a few dark spots on the wings. At rest, they fold their wings roof-like over the abdomen; wing spans ca. 1.” Females lay pale green eggs in flat; circular masses on host foliage. Young caterpillars gregarious, building communal webs over feeding area. Young caterpillars generally are tan or gray with sparse but relatively long white hairs. 2-3 generations annually in southern New Mexico with fall generation usually the largest and most damaging.
HYMENOPTERA. Cynipoid wasps---gall formers on oak. Small to minute wasps (harmless to man) with a characteristically reduced wing venation patters; most species black or metallic with abdomen shiny and somewhat compressed. Adults generally active early in spring, laying eggs in or on buds of host oak species. Galls on oak vary widely, depending upon species of wasp involved. May resemble: peas in a pod; bare marbles (paper galls); warty potatoes (oak apples); fuzzy leaf galls, button leaf galls. Larvae generally small to minute, white with poorly developed head capsules, bore inside gall tissue; rarely observed or corrected. Ants. Significant structural pests that also can be key pests of ornamentals (especially B&B or container nursery stock) and turf (creating ant trails in turf, annoying or stinging pests in recreation areas). Adults are "wasp-waisted, with elbowed antennae. Some species sting while others cannot (but some can spray formic acid into wounds). Social insects that build more-or-less mounds in soil, some invade structures and nest there, foraging outdoors. Reproductive stages are winged (2 pair of wings of unequal size; relatively few veins in wings; other features as above; generally black or dark brown or dark red); workers in one nest may number in the thousands; nursery filled with eggs, larvae and pupae; some nests maintain only one queen while nests of other species may keep multiple queens. Important species in this group: Red imported ant. Introduced species into the Southeastern U. S. Federal quarantine is in place for this key pest of crops, ornamentals; also, a significant public health and safety pest for humans as well as livestock and wildlife. Harvester ants (pogonomyrmex spp.), robust ants with potent stings; common throughout the Southwest. Low mounds, often with thousands of ants inside. Leafcutter bees. Characteristic damage is paper-punch holes in leaves of broadleaf hosts. Leaves are used to line tubular nests where eggs, then larvae will develop. Adults usually slightly fuzzy, smaller that the common honey bee; abdomens often black with narrow white bands, upturned ends. Usually cut most. leaf disks just after dawn and just before dusk. Excellent pollinators but can be devastating pests of tender ornamentals; nest in narrow diameter cavities (e.g. nail holes, drain holes in flower pots.) Africanized and European Honey Bees. May be encountered by homeowners, pest control operators, hikers, bikers, farm workers, gardeners, landscapers, outdoorsmen and generally anyone in the Southwest. BEE ALERT!!! Investigate “bee calls” carefully. Many will be actually problems with paper wasps, hornets or bumblebees BUT all of these kinds of insects can sting. DO NOT accept/respond to “bee calls” if you know you are allergic to bee venom. Invest in a bee suit. Learn the proper techniques for killing pest bees if they are in a swarm; control techniques will be very different if the bees are already in an established colony. Seek a professional in your community to handle bee calls if you cannot and make referrals. Africanized honey bees (AHB) are slightly smaller than European honey bees (EHB) but the venom is the same chemical composition. AHB may be more excitable than EHB and may mass-attack an intruder when they are disturbed. Learn to observe your surroundings and be wary of places where bees are congregating (perhaps a swarm) or entering/exiting (may suggest an established but hidden colony); cavities (even underground ones) can provide shelter for dispersing bee colonies. AHB has been confirmed from 85 southern and western (primarily) counties in Texas; in New Mexico, AHB has been confirmed from Lea, Eddy, Dona Ana, Luna and Hidalgo Counties and is likely in southern Otero County). In Arizona, AHB has been confirmed as far north as Phoenix in central AZ and in all counties across the southern 1/3-1/2 of the state; the pest was most recently confirmed in extreme southern California, just west of Yuma, AZ.
JAPANESE BEETLE (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Popilia japonica Newman) Probably originated in eastern Asia; known to be established in the U.S. since 1916 (NJ); spreads slowly on its own at 10-20 mi/year in the eastern U.S. but is also easily transported in sod and container nursery stock; widely established in the eastern US. from Nova Scotia and Maine in the NE to Georgia and west to the Plains States and prairie provinces; surveys in recent years have found isolated but established populations in scattered northern states (including OR and ID) and elsewhere, most notably Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston and San Antonio, TX., Albuquerque, NM (NW part of the city), Las Vegas, NV and at least 2 sites in southern California; some of these isolated populations have been eradicated while others are contained. Both adults and larvae can be extremely serious pests of a very broad range of host plant species; subject to state, federal and international (US/Canada) regulations; regulated items include nursery stock and sod. Adult: about 10mm long; wing covers grooved, coppery-brown; head, pronotum, legs and underside typically dark metallic green (may also be metallic copper in some specimens); typically have 5 pairs of stubby white brushes on rear margins of abdomen; antennae clubbed with 3 finger-like projections; pheromone traps commercially available. Adults active during the daytime; strong fliers; host plants for adult feeding may include 300+ spp.; adult feeding damage typically skeletonizes foliage; younger adults seem to prefer feeding on low-growing flowers and shrubs in bright, sunny, warm locations; older adults feed on foliage of trees and taller shrubs. Life cycle: live for 30-45 days as adults; emerge as adults from late June through late September, peaking in July usually. After mating, females burrow into the soil, usually in grassy areas where they lay small batches of eggs from 1-4” below the surface; each female may lay 40-60 eggs. Eggs hatch in about 2 weeks; grubs feed on fine roots of wide variety of host plants; serious damage can kill plants; often hard to detect; larvae are typical scarab beetle larvae (grubs): C-shaped with 3 pairs of true legs, brown head capsule with chewing mouth parts; color typically white-ivory; setae sparse; seta pattern on underside of last segment with V-shaped arrangement. Grubs burrow deeper into soil when cold weather approaches; typically over winter as partially grown larvae; life cycle typically requires only one year; in cold areas. life cycle can extend to 2 years
ASH WHITEFLY (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae, Siphoninus phillyreae (Halliday)) Previously established in most of Europe and south into northern Africa, one central African county, east along the Indian Ocean to Pakistan and India. First noted in California in Ca. 1986, infesting ash and a variety of other nursery, landscape and fruiting trees and shrubs. Populations reached extraordinary levels in southern California, causing leaf curl, decreased productivity, tree defoliations, death, heavy deposits of honeydew (with consequent increases in populations by sugar-feeding pests), sticky sidewalks, slick highways, respiratory distress, etc. Probably hitchhiked on infested plant material introduced through port of Los Angeles. By 1990 several natural enemies of the pest from Europe and Israel had been introduced into California, bringing about substantial control of the pest in urban areas; natural enemies included a parasitic wasp (Encarsia sp) and a tiny lady beetle, Clitostethis arcuatus. Known from Albuquerque metro area, Dona Ana (both 1990) and Sierra (1998) counties. Adult: typical all-over-white whitefly: piercing-sucking mouthparts, 2 pairs of flight wings, overall length 2-3 mm. Body rather pear-shaped, pale yellow green; powdered with white wax particles. Immature: typically found on undersides of leaves; hosts varied, including trees and shrubs such as chitalpa, redbuds, crape myrtle, numerous types of ash, lilac, pomegranate, crown-of-thorns, hawthorn, apple, quince, pear, pyracantha, buttonbush, etc. Eggs less than 1mm long; elongate-oval, yellow, often laid in spirals; youngest nymphs with 6 legs, piercing-sucking mouthparts; creep away from hatching site but lose legs in the first molt. Area surrounding whitefly infestation appears off-white with wax deposits; resembles powdery mildew but with granules near the center. Nymphs usually produce thick deposits of white wax centrally on the body. Beads of wax on the nymphs occur at the ends of 40 - 50 tiny siphons or tubes, arising from the dorsal surface. Produce copious honeydew, attractive to ants, bees, wasps, etc. High humidity may promote growth of sooty mold on honeydew, further degrading host foliage. Life cycle: 25 days in the summer. Numerous generations annually. Readily transported on infested plant stock but so are their natural enemies.
ASIAN LONG HORNED BEETLE (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Anoplophora glabripennis) NOT KNOWN TO OCCUR IN NEW MEXICO YET! This pest was discovered infesting living shade trees in Brooklyn and Amityville, NY in 1997. Regulatory officials determined the pest was an exotic species which turned out to be native to Japan, southern China and Korea, where it also infests and kills living trees. Trees showing signs of infestation were felled and chipped; unfortunately, by the time trees show symptoms of decline they are not the only trees in the vicinity that are infested with these pests. Still a strict quarantine is in effect in this original area. In summer 1998 the pest was also detected in Chicago, IL infesting living shade trees. Regulatory officials quickly identified the problem and enacted strict quarantine measures. Despite their initial tree destruction program, the pest appears to be distributed around a fairly broad area; thus more trees are expected to be lost. In New York, the beetle has been attacking maples (red, Norway, sugar, silver, box elder and sycamore) and horse chestnut. In China, the pest attacks other hardwoods including elms, poplars, willows and fruit trees. Adult: large bodied black and white beetle with exceptionally long antennae, as would be typical of most cerambycids. Body length (without antennae) is at least l”-l.25.” Antennae may reach nearly 2” if unbroken. Usually active from May to October. Larva: stout-bodied round headed wood borer larva like many other species in the family. Mature larvae may reach 3/8” in diameter. Chewing mouthparts. Legs greatly reduced; body obviously segmented; off-white, often shiny. Other things to look for: large found holes (to 3/8” diameter) anywhere on the tree’s wood including large branches, trunk and exposed roots. These are the sites where adults chew their way to the surface and emerge. Ovipositing females leave oval to round, darkened wounds in the host bark. These are oviposition sites where adult females chew out a place to lay their eggs. Infested trees will often have large piles of coarse sawdust around the bases of trees or where branches meet the main stem. Infested trees may have appeared healthy until these beetles attacked them, after which decline may occur rapidly. New Mexico does have several species of long-horned beetles as large or larger than the Asian long-horned beetle; however, none of these attack healthy trees. Plectrodera is a strikingly marked black and white cerambycid that commonly infests aged cottonwoods, particularly in northern New Mexico. |
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Go to nmmastergardeners.org/ to find these and other articles in a pdf. format that you may use to print out a book with much of this material from that web site. Those articles, however, may not have been modified since they were originally printed in 2001.
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