Below are answers to UC IPM's 2024 insect Easter egg hunt! Click on the name of each insect to learn more.
These eggs belong to the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) a pest of many types of plants and occasional indoor nuisance. BMSB females will lay up to 28 white or pale green eggs in a cluster. There are over 50 stink bug species in California, and some are beneficial predators of other insects while many like BMSB are pests that can damage plants.
Caterpillars often lay eggs in large clusters on leaves, but armyworm eggs are laid in fluffy masses on the crowns of seedlings or leaves of older plants. The fuzzy egg mass pictured here belongs to the beet armyworm, a pest of many types of vegetables. They feed on seedlings, can skeletonize leaves, and gouge holes in fruits.
While not yet found in California, the egg masses of the invasive spotted lanternfly are easily recognized, occurring in groups of 30 to 50 eggs covered in a gray, mud-like covering. It's important to know what these eggs look like as they can easily be transported to new areas on firewood, building materials, trailers, and other flat surfaces.
Greenish blisters under the surface of leaves can indicate the presence of glassy winged sharpshooter's eggs, an invasive pest that is found mostly in southern California. Females lay egg masses in groups of 8 to 12 eggs arranged side-by-side under the epidermis of the lower leaf surface of young, fully developed leaves. Shortly after the eggs hatch, the leaf tissue surrounding the egg mass begins to turn brown and remains as a permanent brown scar. Glassy winged sharpshooters can transmit several important, often fatal, plant diseases in California.
Praying mantid (or mantis) eggs are laid in masses attached to twigs, fences, or other surfaces. Egg masses are frothy and pale when first laid, then dry to a brown, hardened, paper-like material. The egg case pictured here belongs to the Carolina mantid, Stagmomantis carolina, which isn't found in California, but several other species are. Mantids feed on any insects or spiders they can catch, including both pests and beneficials.
The brown, cylindrical eggs of all three species of leaffooted bugs are laid end-to-end in a string-like strand. They are often found along a stem or leaf midrib but may sometimes be found on fruit or other surfaces, as seen in this picture. Most egg masses have 10-15 eggs, although strands of more than 50 have been reported. Leaffooted bugs feed on many types of plants but damage occurs primarily when they feed on fruit or nut crops.
We hope you enjoyed this year's insect Easter egg hunt. Check back next year to test your insect egg identification skills!
/table>/table>- Author: Lauren Fordyce
It's time for UC IPM's annual insect Easter egg hunt! Can you guess which insects laid the eggs pictured below? Some may be pests, while others may be beneficial. Leave a comment on this blog post with your guesses, or on our Facebook and Instagram posts.
Answers will be posted on Monday, April 1st.
Photo credits:
-
Jennifer Carr, University of Florida, Bugwood.org
-
Alton N. Sparks, Jr., University of Georgia, Bugwood.org
-
Kenneth R. Law, USDA APHIS PPQ, Bugwood.org
-
Jack Kelly Clark, UC IPM
-
Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org
- David R. Haviland, UCCE
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Sometimes overlooked as pollinators are the syrphid flies, also known as "hover flies" or "flower flies."
Unfortunately, they are often mistaken for honey bees. Hey, if it's a critter on a flower, it's a bee, right?
Not necessarily!
Syrphid flies are easily distinguished from honey bees. Among the differences: (1) honey bees don't hover, (2) syrphids have only one pair of wings, while honey bees have two (3) syrphids have short, stubby antennae, while honey bees have long, bent antennae called genticulate antennae and (4) syrphids belong to the order Diptera, while honey bees are in the order Hymenoptera.
We spotted this syprhid fly soaking up some early-morning sun It stayed still for a dorsal photo and then sensing danger, slipped under a leaf.
Scientists estimate that there are more than 6200 species of syrphid flies in the world, and more than 3000 in California alone.
The UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program (UC IPM) has this to say about syprhids in its Natural Enemies Gallery post: "Adults are robust to slender flies 1/8 to 1 inch (4–25 mm) long, varying by species. The broad head is about the width of the abdomen or wider and has large eyes with distinct antennae. The body of many adults is black with bands or stripes of orange, yellow, or white, resembling stinging bees or wasps. Some species are mostly brown, metallic blue or green, yellow, or combinations of these or other colors. For example, adults of ant-predaceous Microdon species are blackish to brown or bright to dark greenish."
Many syrphids prey on aphids and mealybugs, so they're good guys and gals to have in your garden.
Says UC IPM: "Most species are predaceous, most commonly on aphids or mealybugs. Some syrphids prey on ants, caterpillars, froghoppers, psyllids, scales, other insects, or mites."
The good guys and gals of the garden...
- Author: Jeannette Warnert
The opposite is true, according to UC Cooperative Extension Integrated Pest Management advisor Eric Middleton. The vast number of insects and other arthropods are either beneficial or neutral, he said. Middleton suggests putting away the pesticides and giving bugs the benefit of the doubt, in most cases.
To be sure, there are bugs that cause a lot of damage. The most common garden enemies in California are aphids, thrips, mealybugs, scales, spider mites and caterpillars.
Pests' natural enemies can dramatically reduce pest populations, while they do no harm to plants. Fungi, bacteria and other microbes can cause diseases that kills pests, but the beneficials you are most likely to see are insects. They work by eating or parasitizing pests.
“Natural enemies provide at least $13 billion in pest control services in U.S. agriculture,” Middleton said. They also offer untold benefits to gardens, yards and natural areas in California.
Predators and parasitoids help keep pests in check
Parasitoids live in close association with the pest host and end up killing it, often from the inside out. The most common parasitoids are tiny wasps, but parasitoids also include beetles and flies. These beneficials can be hard to identify because they spend so much of their lives inside the host. The most telling signs are mummified bodies of pests - small, hollow, hardened bumps attached to leaves.
“Parasitoids are very important for pest control,” Middleton said. “They are almost always more impactful than predators.”
Beneficial predator insects eat pests for food. Some are specialists and will only consume one type of pest, other are less picky.
Common specialists include the mealybug destroyer, black beetles that resemble their prey; spider mite destroyer, black beetles that voraciously feed on spider mites; and vedalia beetle, introduced from Australia to combat cottony cushion scale on citrus.
Lacewings are delicate, green generalist predators. They eat almost any type of living prey. Eggs can be spotted at the end of small stalks perched on leaves. Lacewing larvae look like small alligators with large sickle-shaped jaws. Some lacewing larvae are called trash bugs. The insects, which cover themselves with plant debris for protection, look like moving piles of garbage.
Syrphid flies are also important predators. Their larvae, very tiny green worms, feed on aphids, psyllids and other soft body insects. The adults look like small bees.
Other predator insects include big eyed bugs, minute pirate bugs, praying mantis, predatory thrips, ground beetles and soldier beetles. In addition, spiders of many types feed on larger and flying insects.
How to promote natural enemies?
Many types of predators can be purchased at home stores and garden centers, such as ladybeetles, lacewings, mites and minute pirate bugs. However, UC research has shown that their success in garden settings is mixed.
“You may need to frequently buy and release in order to control pests,” Middleton said. “If pests are a consistent problem, it's often better to improve conditions for natural enemies in your yard or garden.”
To make your garden or yard welcoming to natural enemies, reduce pesticide use. Most pesticides will also knock down natural enemies, even the organic options. If a treatment is necessary, use soaps, microbials, botanicals or oils.
Reduce mowing, tilling and removing debris.
“Stability is better for most natural enemies,” Middleton said. “Mowing and raking reduce habitat. Tilling can kill soil predators and predator larvae. Let your space be a little wild, the more wild, usually the better for natural enemies.”
Biodiversity also boosts natural enemy numbers. Flowers in particular are very important.
“Have a mixture of perennials and annuals, a range of 10 or 15 different species,” Middleton said. “It's good to have native flowers in the mix. They're better adapted to your area.”
For more information about beneficial insects, see the natural enemies gallery on the UC IPM website: https://ipm.ucanr.edu/natural-enemies/
Download a natural enemies poster from UC IPM here: https://ipm.ucanr.edu/IPMPROJECT/ADS/poster_naturalenemies.html
This Saturday, April 15th, is the annual UC Davis Picnic Day event!
Stop by the UC Statewide IPM Program's booth from 9am to 3pm in the entomology building, Briggs Hall.
We'll have ladybugs (lady beetles) for you to take home, fun insect temporary tattoos for all ages, preserved insects on display, and a “good bug” scavenger hunt! You can also find information on various pests as we will showcase our publications, online tools, and resources.
Visit us with your pest-related questions and learn about all of the free UC IPM resources available to help you manage pests in the home, garden, or landscape!