The most common aphid species found in Delaware small grain fields are the English grain aphid, bird cherry-oat aphid, corn leaf aphid, and the greenbug. These four species can overwinter on small grains as eggs or as females which give rise to offspring in the spring. 

Emerald Ash Borer

• Adult beetles are metallic green and about 1/2 inch long

• Prefer stressed ash trees, but can infest unstressed

• Serpentine larval feeding galleries found immediately under the bark

Bagworms feed on a variety of deciduous and evergreen plants including arborvitae, juniper, spruce, pine, maples, sycamores and numerous others. Evergreen trees and shrubs cannot recover from complete defoliation; whereas deciduous trees usually develop new leaves following defoliation.

Bark beetles have hard, smooth, stout bodies and range from 1.3 to 2.9 mm in length, depending on gender and species. The majority of bark beetles are female; males are smaller and flightless. Adult beetles can be reddish brown or black in color, while larvae are white and legless.

The Box Tree Moth (BTM) caterpillars are green and hairy, with black stripes and white dots. They grow to about 1 to 2 inches. Adults are white with a thick brown border on the wings and are active at night.

Cereal Leaf Beetle: Overwintering adults emerge in mid-March and begin to lay eggs after 2 to 3 weeks of feeding. Since females prefer to lay eggs on young plants, spring-planted oats and late-planted wheat are the predominant hosts. 

Cereal rust mite adults are small measuring less than one millimeter (mm), and for the first time observer a 10-20X hand lens is needed to see them.

Crape myrtle bark scale begins its life cycle as tiny, pink to purple colored crawlers, which subsequently produce a fuzzy white waxy cover. Females remain sessile under the cover, whereas males pupate and leave their covers as a tiny, pink, gnat-like insect with wings 

The Dectes stem borer (DSB) is a longhorn beetle that is native to North America, and feeds on many wild and some cultivated plant species. 

Diagnosing horticultural plant problems is similar to being a detective. The investigator must collect and evaluate all clues, keep good notes, establish the facts, and synthesize them into a conclusion. Take adequate representative samples and keep collected samples in good condition. Have an open mind and don't assume that the current problem is the same as another similar one.

Dogwood Sawfly is an insect pest that can affect dogwood plants in summer. Sawflies are from the order Hymenoptera (same as ants, bees, and wasps). There are many types of sawflies, like the rose slug and hibiscus sawfly, and immatures feed on many common landscape plants.

Gloomy Scale Insect: Spends winter as a female beneath protective coverings in bark, and in spring, resumes development by feeding via piercing-sucking mouthparts until she lays eggs underneath her tests. Eggs hatch sometime in late Juneand crawler activity may continue for 4 to 6 weeks.

Grass Sawfly - Adult sawflies emerge in early April, mate and begin to lay eggs in the leaf margins of small grains. Most egg laying is complete by early May.

Gather tools that will help you acquire a sample, cutters, small shovel, hand lens, plastic bags, marker, etc. Go to the field with an open mind and investigate all possibilities!

Insecticide efficacy rankings based on consensus of Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern entomologists.

Kissing bugs are insects that feed on blood from animals and people. They are native to Delaware and live in wooded areas.

Lady Beetle Overview

• In the order Coleoptera

• Beneficial predators

• Usually red/orange with black spots

July and August in the vegetable garden typically bring bountiful harvests of colorful vegetables. These are also the months when insect pests can really make their presence known, with plant and fruit damage becoming increasingly noticeable. 

July and August in the vegetable garden typically bring bountiful harvests of colorful vegetables. These are also the months when insect pests can really make their presence known, with plant and fruit damage becoming increasingly noticeable. 

July and August in the vegetable garden typically bring bountiful harvests of colorful vegetables. These are also the months when insect pests can really make their presence known, with plant and fruit damage becoming increasingly noticeable. 

July and August in the vegetable garden typically bring bountiful harvests of colorful vegetables. These are also the months when insect pests can really make their presence known, with plant and fruit damage becoming increasingly noticeable. 

What Pollinators Do For Us

• Pollinators are critical to our food production system

• More than 100 U.S.-grown crops rely on pollinators

• The Honey Bee is our primary pollinator

Written by: Emma Giancola- Ornamental Extension Entomology Intern
Brian Kunkel- Ornamentals IPM Extension Specialist University of Delaware

Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN) is the most yield limiting pathogen of soybeans across the US. Often referred to as a “silent yield robber”, SCN may be present and reducing yield without notable aboveground symptoms

Five major soil insects can be found in corn fields: seed corn maggot, white grubs, wireworms, cutworms and rootworms. Corn rootworm populations have increased in continuous corn production areas of New Castle and northern Kent counties. 

Common Name: Grass Spider

Scientific Name: Agelenopsis

Characteristics:

• Cave-like web

• Fast speed

• Yellowish-brown color.

The twospotted spider mite (TSSM) is a plant-feeding mite that is an extremely widespread pest affecting nearly all crop plants (over 1000 plant species). TSSM is very small in size and requires magnification to see clearly. 

The winter grain mite (WGM), as its name implies, is a cool season pest of small grains and orchard grass.