Humber Arboretum and Etobicoke Master Gardeners Good Bug Bad Bug Tour May 16, 2015
1 Cabbage Butterfly (Pieris rapae) General: David Cappaert, Michigan State University, Bugwood.org Bad.
Form: Caterpillar = Fuzzy, small and green, on the undersides of leaves. Adult = Small and white with one (male) or two (female) black spot(s) on each forewing.
Size: Caterpillar = 20mm. Adult = Wingspan up to 38mm. Forest & Kim Starr, Starr Environmental, Bugwood.org Feeds On: The larvae eat plants from the cabbage family (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower – also nasturtium). Adults feed on nectar from many plants.
Control Options: Hand-pick caterpillars. Install a variety of plants to attract beneficial insects (parasitic wasps).
Comments: Introduced into Quebec from Europe around 1860.
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2 Euonymus webworm (Yponomeuta cagnagella) General: Dawn Dailey O'Brien, Cornell University, Bugwood.org Bad.
Form: Caterpillar = small; cream coloured with black spots. o Larvae pupate inside the webs. Adults are white with tiny black spots. They appear in June and lay eggs on Euonymus spp in late June.
Size: Larva = 2.5cm long. Adult = wingspan 2.5cm. MSU Extension (http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/euonymus_webworm_causing_so Feeds On: me_damage_to_burning_bush_around_grand_rapids_mich/) Euonymus. Larvae overwinter in the host and spin webs in the spring.
Control Options: Break up webs in spring.
Comments:
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3 Asian Lady Beetle (Harmonia axyridis) General: Joseph Berger, Bugwood.org Good/Bad. Non-native. ‘Bad’ because they can be a nuisance when they congregate in large numbers (in houses) to spend the winter.
Form: A wide variety of colour forms (usually pale orange).
Size: Larva = 8mm. Adult = 8mm.
Feeds On: Bill Ree, Texas A&M University, Bugwood.org Larvae and adults eat huge numbers of aphids and other soft-bodied insects.
Control Options: n/a. Plant pollen/nectar flowers for adults. Use a spray of water rather than soap to remove aphids. Soap will also harm Lady Beetle larvae.
Comments: A very prolific breeder.
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4 Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa virginica)
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General: Daniel Schwen, on the Wikipedia webpage for Xylocopa virginica. Good. A large bee often mistaken for a bumblebee. The female makes her brood cells out of chewed-up wood.
Form: Similar in size to a bumblebee, but with a shiny black butt. Males do not sting. Males have a patch of yellow on the face (females have black heads).
Size: Larva = Adult = 2.5cm.
Feeds On: Pollen of open-faced flowers. They also rob pollen by chewing a hole in the side of the flower (thereby not pollinating the flower).
Control Options: n/a. Leave a block of wood for the bee to nest in (so it leaves furniture etc alone).
Comments: Females make 1cm circular holes in wooden structures. The final nest is T-shaped. Several females may nest close together.
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5 Rove Beetle (Staphylinidae) General: OMAFRA Good. (http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/IPM/english/apples/beneficials/rove- beetles.html) Form: Larva = A smaller version of the adult. Adult = Brown or black. Both young and adult are multisegmented.
Size: Larva = Smaller than adult. Adult = Up to 2.54cm long (depends on species).
Feeds On: Both larvae and adult eat fly eggs, slugs, maggots etc. This is Tasgius ater.
Control Options: n/a - Attract by planting groundcovers (don’t cultivate – also use mulch). Plant a variety of perennials.
Comments: Adults (and larvae of some species) curl their abdomens upward as they run.
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6 Millipede (Diplopoda) General: Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org May be bad.
Form: Larva =Smaller. Like centipedes, they add segments and legs as they grow and moult. Adult = Short, smooth, dark grey. o Adults curl up into a defensive position.
Size: Larva = Smaller. Adult = 2.54cm.
Feeds On: Decaying vegetable matter and soft fruit – sometimes roots. This is Cylindroiulus caeruleocinctus (Julid millipede). Control Options: Rarely a problem. If so, rake up mulch and tie up tomatoes – remove hiding places.
Comments: Adults have two pairs of legs per segment. Like centipedes, they lose moisture quickly. May live up to five years.
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7 Carabid Beetles (Carabidae e.g. Carabus nemoralis) General: Bugguide.net Good. Non-native.
Form: Larva =Black or brown, segmented, with huge jaws. Adult = A large shiny black beetle.
Size: Larva = up to 3cm long. Adult = up to 3cm long.
Feeds On: Larvae and adults eat cutworms, other larvae, eggs, slugs etc Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources - Forestry Archive, Bugwood.org Control Options: n/a - Attract by planting groundcovers (don’t cultivate – also use mulch). Plant a variety of perennials.
Comments:
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8 Cutworms (Noctuidae) General: Frank Peairs, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org Bad.
Form: Caterpillar = Brown or grey, living in the top layer of soil. They curl up when disturbed. Adult = a brown moth.
Size: Caterpillar = 2.5cm Adult = 2.5cm+ wingspan. This is army cutworm (Euxoa auxiliaris) Mark Dreiling, Retired, Bugwood.org Feeds On: Larvae burrow around the stem of seedlings (all vegetables!) and cut them off at ground level.
Control Options: Install a stiff collar (e.g. toilet roll core 2.5cm high). Unearth cutworms from below freshly cut stems. Cultivate 20cm deep in autumn to kill pupae in soil (vegetable patches). Weed in late summer to reduce egg-laying.
Comments:
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9 Wool Carder Bee (Anthidium manicatum) General: Bruce Marlin (on Wikipedia) Good. Introduced from Europe. Uses very fine plant fibres to build a nest in a cavity (e.g. rotting wood). Also common in urban areas (nests in walls).
Form: A small bee with prominent yellow markings.
Size: Larva = Adult = female 12mm (male up to 17mm).
Feeds On: Pollen from many kinds of flowers – fond of purple flowers with long throats (e.g. sage). Cuts leaves of roses, azaleas, ash and redbud. Leaf fragments This is a female. are used to build nests. Lamb’s Ears provide a source of fibres.
Control Options: n/a.
Comments: Males defend the sources of fibres; females line the nest. Males have a pair of spines at the back of the abdomen that are used to crush intruders. Good Bug Bag Bug Tour 2015 Page 16 of 58 Humber Arboretum and Etobicoke Master Gardeners Good Bug Bad Bug Tour May 16, 2015
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10 Praying Mantis (Mantis religiosa) General: Joseph Berger, Bugwood.org Neutral.
Form: Can be tan or bright green. Moves slowly.
Size: Larva = Smaller, without wings. Adult = Up to 8cm long.
Feeds On: Small insects when young, and bees/wasps, flies, caterpillars later. They also eat each other. Eat good and bad insects.
Control Options: n/a. Not usually very numerous.
Comments: Introduced to North America in 1899 mixed into a shipment of nursery plants.
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11 Common or European Earwig (Forficula auricularia) General: David Cappaert, Michigan State University, Bugwood.org Bad. Non-native.
Form: Larva = Smaller and paler. Adult = Brown with a nasty-looking spiked tail (not used for defence).
Size: Larva = Smaller. Adult = 20mm long.
Feeds On: Decaying vegetable matter and leaves, pollen, flower petals. Active at night.
Control Options: Lay down short lengths of hose for the earwigs to shelter in – in the morning tip the earwigs into a pail of soapy water.
Comments: Male pincers are larger and curved. Female pincers are straight.
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12 Lily Leaf Beetle (Lilioceris lilii) General: Richard A. Casagrande, University of Rhode Island, Bugwood.org Bad.
Form: Larva = Various. Late instar is orange with black head. o The larvae often cover themselves with frass as camouflage. Adult = A small, bright red beetle.
Size: Larva = Adult = 9.5mm long. (late – phase 5) Kenneth R. Law, USDA APHIS PPQ, Bugwood.org Feeds On: Both larvae and adults eat lilies and frittilaria (sometimes potatoes).
Control Options: Hand-pick. Insecticidal soap. Plant fewer lilies.
Comments:
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13 Harvestman or Daddy Long-Legs (Opiliones) General: Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvestman) Good. This is an arachnid, but not a spider. The body does not have clearly different segments like a spider.
Form: Long thin legs.
Size: Larva = Smaller Adult = Depends on species.
Feeds On: Small insects and mites. This is Phalangium opilio (introduced from Europe). Control Options: n/a.
Comments: Eggs overwinter in the soil. Does not spin webs; does not make possess venom.
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14 12-Spotted Skimmer (Libellula pulchella) General: Great Lakes Sea Grant Extension Office Good. (http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/seagrant/GLWL/Benthos/Insecta/Odonata/Odonata.html) Adults can often be seen hovering over a pond.
Form: Larvae (nymphs) live in water Adult = A large, fast dragonfly that has prominent black spots on its clear wings. o Males have white spots between the darker spots.
Size: Larva = Adult = At least 50mm long. David Cappaert, Michigan State University, Bugwood.org
Feeds On: Nymphs feed on aquatic invertebrates. Adults eat flies and other small insects caught in flight.
Control Options: n/a.
Comments:
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15 Centipede (Centipoda) General: Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org Good. Lives up to six years.
Form: Larva = Smaller version of the adult (grows more pairs of legs as it grows and moults). Adult = A small red centipede that moves very quickly and sinuously when disturbed.
Size: Larva = smaller. Adult = 2.54cm.
Feeds On: Insects and slugs – sometimes even earthworms! Centipedes are themselves eaten by birds and small This is Lithobius sp. (Stone Centipede) mammals.
Control Options: n/a. Leave mulch etc as cover.
Comments: Usually found in a moist location (they lose moisture quickly). Always have an odd number of pairs of legs (one pair per body segment). Pincers are modified legs, and inject venom into prey. They Good Bug Bag Bug Tour 2015 Page 26 of 58 Humber Arboretum and Etobicoke Master Gardeners Good Bug Bad Bug Tour May 16, 2015
can bite!
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16 Mourning Cloak Butterfly (Nymphalis antiopa) General: USDA Forest Service - Ogden Archive, USDA Forest Service, Good. Native. Bugwood.org Overwinter as adults, therefore are one of the earliest butterflies.
Form: Caterpillar = Black with white specks, red spots and bristles. Adult = Brown wings with a yellow/cream edge, and a row of shiny blue spots on the edge of the brown.
Size: Caterpillar = 50mm long. Adult = 80mm wingspan. Jerry A. Payne, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org Feeds On: Caterpillar hosts include elm, poplar and willow. Adults prefer rotting fruit, dung or meadow flowers.
Control Options: n/a. Do not use chemical insecticides.
Comments: A communal butterfly (unusual).
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17 Solitary Mining Bee (Andrena sp.) General: Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org Good. Many species in Toronto.
Form: Larva = a white grub. Adult = a small bee. Some are yellow, others are black.
Size: Larva = Adult = 8 to 17mm. Males usually smaller than females.
Feeds On: Early species feed on willow pollen. Late species feed on goldenrod pollen.
Control Options: n/a. Leave soil and litter undisturbed to preserve nesting sites.
Comments: Some species nest in a hole in sandy soil – under shrubs (protected); others live in grass. An egg is laid on a ball of pollen and nectar, sealed into a cell.
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18 Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis) General: David Cappaert, Michigan State University, Bugwood.org Very bad. Will cause 99% ash mortality in the next few years.
Form: Larva = a small white grub that burrows into the tree. o Overwinter as mature larvae. Adult = A small shiny metallic green insect. Active May to July.
Size: Larva = 2.5cm. David Cappaert, Michigan State University, Bugwood.org Adult = 8.5 to 14mm long.
Feeds On: Larvae eat the vascular cambium under the bark and kill the tree. Host plants = all species of ash.
Control Options: o Inject e.g. neem at base of tree (not curative!). Humber will be treating their trees.
Comments: Look for D-shaped exit holes. Affected Ash trees have already been cut down in the arboretum. Good Bug Bag Bug Tour 2015 Page 32 of 58 Humber Arboretum and Etobicoke Master Gardeners Good Bug Bad Bug Tour May 16, 2015
Already present in Ottawa and Montreal.
19 Woolly Beech Aphid (Phyllaphis fagi)
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General: Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org Bad. Overwinter as eggs, which hatch as the first leaves appear.
Form: The fluffy white appearance is caused by waxy filaments that are secreted. The first couple of generations are wingless females; in the last generation winged males and females are born.
Size: Nymph = Smaller, wingless version of adult. Adult = 3mm.
Feeds On: Fagus spp. Aphids excrete honeydew, which encourages the development of sooty mold.
Control Options: Spray the hose to wash them off the stems. Insecticidal soap. Plant a variety of plants to attract predators (e.g. lady beetles).
Comments: There are innumerable kinds of aphid. Most are specific to a particular plant species. See #27. Good Bug Bag Bug Tour 2015 Page 34 of 58 Humber Arboretum and Etobicoke Master Gardeners Good Bug Bad Bug Tour May 16, 2015
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20 Paper Wasp (Polistes dominulus)
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General: Alvesgaspar on the Wikipedia webpage for Polistes dominula. Good. A wasp that is coloured like a bee, with a yellow face and orange antennae. Introduced from Europe (sometimes considered invasive).
Form: A small, brightly-coloured wasp that makes small, papery nests from chewed plant material.
Size: Larva = a small white grub. Adult = 2cm.
Feeds On: Insects (flies, caterpillars) to make into food for the larvae. Adults feed on nectar.
Control Options: n/a. Plant a variety of flowers to attract other insects (food). Note: may nest uncomfortably close to houses.
Comments: Builds a small grey hive, often around houses. These nests are small (maybe 30 cells by the end of summer), dominated by an alpha female, and are abandoned in the autumn.
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21 Spring Azure Butterfly (Celastrina ladon) General: Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility (Gov of Canada) Good. (http://www.cbif.gc.ca/spp_pages/butterflies/species/SpringAzure_e.php) Overwinter as adults, therefore are one of the earliest butterflies.
Form: Caterpillar = Variable, from cream to reddish to even green. Will have a brown or green line down the back (top). o Variation results from local conditions and season. Adult = Powdery blue. Early butterflies are darker than those which appear later in the summer. David Cappaert, Michigan State University, Bugwood.org Size: Larva = 12mm. Adult = 2.5cm wingspan.
Feeds On: Larvae host plants = dogwoods and viburnums. Adults take nectar from daisies and milkweeds
Control Options: n/a - Plant host trees. Do not use chemical insecticides.
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Caterpillars secrete honeydew, which attracts ants (for protection).
22 Japanese Chafer Beetle (Popillia japonica) General: USDA Agricultural Research Service Archive, USDA Agricultural Bad. Research Service, Bugwood.org
Form: Larva = White grubs with brown heads (similar to June Beetle). Curl up into a C shape when disturbed.
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Adults = A metallic brown/green beetle which drops quickly when disturbed.
Size: Larva = up to 19mm long. Adult = 15mm long.
Feeds On: Larvae feed on grass roots. Adults skeletonise leaves of Linden, Maple, Elm, Rose, Viburnum, fruit (apples), soybean etc. Doug Stone, Mississippi State University, Bugwood.org Control Options: Hand-pick (careful, they drop off leaves very easily) and drop into a tub of soapy water. Larvae – milky spore disease (biological control).
Comments: Raccoons and skunks will dig up lawns looking for grubs. Pheromone traps attract more beetles than they catch!
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23 Least Skipper (Ancyloxypha numitor) General: Charles T. Bryson, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org Good. Overwinters as larvae
Form: Caterpillar = green with brown head and a collar bearing both a white and a black stripe Adult = Forewings brown with some orange. Rear wings orange with brown edge – orange underwings.
Size: Caterpillar = Adult = Up to 25mm wingspan.
Feeds On: Host grasses include bluegrass and panic grass.
Control Options: n/a. Do not use pesticides. Plant host flowers.
Comments: Likes a moist habitat with tall grasses. Called skippers because of their flight pattern.
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24 Hover Fly (Syrphidae...) General: Calibas, on the Wikipedia webpage for Eupeodes americanus. Good. Commonly seen hovering near food plants.
Form: Larvae are yellow/white to salmon/brown, with black markings. A fly with bee-like yellow and black bands on the abdomen for protection.
Size: Larva = 11mm mature length. Adult = 9 to 12mm.
Feeds On: This is an American Hoverfly (Eupeodes americanus). Larvae feed on a variety of foods (e.g. aphids, scale insects). Adults feed on nectar and pollen from a large number of flowers.
Control Options: n/a. Install plants such as Alyssum, parsley and yarrow to attract them.
Comments: Larvae often live in stagnant water.
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25 Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) General: Peter Wirtz, Bugwood.org Good. The Monarchs in Toronto are the fourth generation of the summer, which will migrate all the way back to Mexico for the winter.
Form: Caterpillar = Large, with striking yellow, black and white bands. Adult = Orange with black veining.
Size: Jennifer E. Dacey, University of Rhode Island, Bugwood.org Caterpillar = 50mm. Adult = 100mm wingspan.
Feeds On: Larvae eat all types of milkweed. Adults feed on nectar of milkweed, asters, clover, cosmos, zinnia, daisy.
Control Options: n/a. Plant milkweeds. Do not use chemical insecticides.
Comments: Female Monarchs are confused by Dog-Strangling Vine, which they lay their eggs on. However, the newly hatched Good Bug Bag Bug Tour 2015 Page 45 of 58 Humber Arboretum and Etobicoke Master Gardeners Good Bug Bad Bug Tour May 16, 2015
larvae will starve on DSV.
26 Black Mason Bee (Hoplitis sp.)
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General: BC Ministry of Agriculture website Good. Active about three months per year.
Form: A small metallic blue/black bee that nests in hollow stems, usually in groups.
Size: Larva = A small white grub. Adult = 13mm (Orchard Mason Bee).
Feeds On: Pollen. Orchard Mason Bee feeds on pollen from fruit trees (so they are used to pollinate orchard trees).
Control Options: n/a. Drill holes in a block of wood (8mm in diameter; 10 to Orchard Mason Bee 15cm deep), or make a bundle of bamboo stalks plugged at one end, and place in a sheltered spot to encourage mason bees to nest.
Comments: The cell nearest the outside is often empty. Brood cells are separated by plugs of chewed-up leaves (it’s a leafcutter bee).
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27 Aphid (Aphis spp) General: Jim Baker, North Carolina State University, Bugwood.org Bad Many different kinds.
Form: Larvae and adults are pear-shaped. Females give birth to live young (fantastic birth rate).
Size: Larva = 1.5+mm long. Adult = up to 9mm long.
Feeds On: Each type feeds on a specific type of plant. They suck sap from plants, causing distortion and flower/bud drop. This is Aphis pomi (Apple Aphid) Many types secrete honeydew, which encourages sooty mold.
Control Options: Spray with a hose or soapy water. Dormant oil to kill eggs.
Comments:
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28 American Painted Lady Butterfly (Vanessa virginiensis) General: Rebekah D. Wallace, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org Good. Caterpillars can be found feeding on a loose web of buds and leaves.
Form: Caterpillar = Black with yellow bands, with spines and white spots in between the bands. Adult = Mainly orange edged with black, with some white in the front wings. Has four eyespots on the hind wings – two of them have haloes around them
Size: David Cappaert, Michigan State University, Bugwood.org Larva = 35mm. Adult = Up to 50mm wingspan.
Feeds On: Larvae feed on Pearly Everlasting, daisies and other composites. Adults sip nectar from everlastings, daisies, burdock, mallow, zinnia, yarrow and heliotrope.
Control Options: n/a - Plant host trees. Do not use chemical insecticides.
Comments: Good Bug Bag Bug Tour 2015 Page 50 of 58 Humber Arboretum and Etobicoke Master Gardeners Good Bug Bad Bug Tour May 16, 2015
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29 Gypsy Moth (Lymantria dispar) General: Both: USDA APHIS PPQ Archive, USDA APHIS PPQ, Bugwood.org Bad. Non-native. Trees can be weakened and/or die if repeatedly defoliated.
Form: Larva = a hairy caterpillar with five pairs of blue dots and six of red. Adult = Females are white and cannot fly; males are brown.
Size: Larva = up to 5cm. Adult = Females have a wingspan of 55 to 70mm. Males are smaller.
Feeds On: Oak trees are the main host. Also Maple, Birch, Beech, Linden and other deciduous trees. Larvae defoliate the trees.
Control Options: Btk. Remove egg masses from trunks of trees/sheltered spots. Install a variety of plants to attract parasitic wasps, plus groundcover for ground beetles.
Comments:
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30 Magnolia Scale (Neolecanium cornuparvum) General: John A. Weidhass, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Bad Bugwood.org Scale insects secrete honeydew, which makes a breeding ground for sooty mold.
Form: “Crawlers” are mobile, and very small. Adults are stationary, and appear as brown bumps on stems.
Size: Young = tiny Adult = 13mm
Feeds On: Juice from leaves of Magnolias, Tuliptree, Daphne and Virginia Creeper.
Control Options: Ladybugs. Horticultural oil applied in autumn or early spring will reduce overwintering nymphs
Comments: Brown scale (related) infests houseplants. Apply neem oil to disrupt lifecycle, then handpick adults or leave outside for lady beetles.
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31 (Brown-Belted) Bumblebee (Bombus griseocollis) General: Jon Yuschock, Bugwood.org Good. Numbers are declining due to habitat loss and monoculture crops.
Form: Adult = a large, very hairy, yellow and black bee.
Size: Larva = Adult = up to 2.5cm.
Feeds On: Nectar from a wide variety of flowers.
Control Options: n/a. Plant a wide variety of flowers (Allium, Salvia, Joe-Pye weed, goldenrod, red clover, catmint, nasturtiums, snapdragons).
Comments: A social bee that lives in small colonies (e.g. in an old mouse burrow).
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32 Honeybee (Apis mellifera) General: Jerry A. Payne, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org Good. Introduced for honey production.
Form: Larva = A white grub. Adult = the poster bee.
Size: Larva = Adult = to 19mm long.
Feeds On: Workers feed on nectar from a wide variety of flowers. Often seen with balls of pollen on their back pair of legs.
Control Options: n/a. Plant a variety of flowers to encourage visitors. Do not use pesticides. Attract bumblebees as replacements.
Comments: Highly social insects. Suffering greatly from colony collapse in recent years. Can sting if threatened.
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