Beneficial Insects

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Beneficial Insects Class Insecta, Insects Order Hymenoptera, Ants, bees, and wasps Hymenoptera means “membraneous wings.“ The hind wings are smaller than the front wings and have a row of tiny hooks, hamuli, that attach the two wings. There are two suborders. The smaller suborder includes sawflies and horntails, which are phytophagous. Bees, wasps, and ants belong to the larger suborder, which includes nectar, pollen, and insect feeders. Hymenoptera is the second largest group of insects, most of which are beneficial. These insects undergo complete metamorphosis and have complex behaviors. Most parasitic wasps do not sting humans. All hymenopterans have chewing mouthparts. Wasps Family Vespidae Description and life history: This large group of well- known insects includes paper wasps, yellow jackets, hornets, mason wasps and potter wasps. Their bodies are black with yellow or whitish markings. Many species live in colonies consisting of queens, workers, and males. Prey species: Adults are generalist predators, usually eating caterpillars while feeding their larvae a variety of insects. The adults kill their prey by biting or using their stinger. The drawbacks to using vespids as biological control agents are that they are generalists and that they Yellow jacket adult killing a caterpillar. (355) are a nuisance to people, using their stinger not just on Photo: David Laughlin prey but on humans as well. Polistes species, paper wasp adults feed their larvae macerated insects. (353) Photo: unknown Potter wasp nests are provisioned with caterpillars. (354) Photo: John Davidson IPM of Midwest Landscapes 277.

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Hymenoptera (Stinging Wasps)
Return to insect order home Page 1 of 3 Visit us on the Web: www.gardeninghelp.org Insect Order ID: Hymenoptera (Stinging Wasps) Life Cycle–Complete metamorphosis: Queens or solitary adults lay eggs. Larvae eat, grow and molt. This stage is repeated a varying number of times, depending on species, until hormonal changes cause the larvae to pupate. Inside a cell (in nests) or a pupal case (solitary), they change in form and color and develop wings. The adults look completely different from the larvae. Solitary wasps: Social wasps: Adults–Stinging wasps have hard bodies and most have membranous wings (some are wingless). The forewing is larger than the hindwing and the two are hooked together as are all Hymenoptera, hence the name "married wings," but this is difficult to see. Some species fold their wings lengthwise, making their wings look long and narrow. The head is oblong and clearly separated from the thorax, and the eyes are compound eyes, but not multifaceted. All have a cinched-in waist (wasp waist). Eggs are laid from the base of the ovipositor, while the ovipositor itself, in most species, has evolved into a stinger. Thus only females have stingers. (Click images to enlarge or orange text for more information.) Oblong head Compound eyes Folded wings but not multifaceted appear Cinched in waist long & narrow Return to insect order home Page 2 of 3 Eggs–Colonies of social wasps have at least one queen that lays both fertilized and unfertilized eggs. Most are fertilized and all fertilized eggs are female. Most of these become workers; a few become queens.
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Pine Sawflies, Neodiprion Spp. (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Diprionidae)1 Wayne N
EENY317 Pine Sawflies, Neodiprion spp. (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Diprionidae)1 Wayne N. Dixon2 Introduction Pine sawfly larvae, Neodiprion spp., are the most common defoliating insects of pine trees, Pinus spp., in Florida. Sawfly infestations can cause growth loss and mortality, especially when followed by secondary attack by bark and wood-boring beetles (Coleoptera: Buprestidae, Cerambycidae, Scolytidae). Trees of all ages are susceptible to sawfly defoliation (Barnard and Dixon 1983; Coppel and Benjamin 1965). Distribution Neodiprion spp. are indigenous to Florida. Host tree specificity and location will bear on sawfly distribution statewide. Description Six species are covered here so there is some variation in appearance. However, an adult female has a length of 8 to 10 mm, with narrow antennae on the head and a stout and Figure 1. Larvae of the blackheaded pine sawfly, Neodiprion excitans thick-waisted body. This is unlike most Hymenopteran Rohwer, on Pinus sp. Credits: Arnold T. Drooz, USDA Forest Service; www.forestryimages.org insects which have the thinner, wasp-like waist. The background color varies from light to dark brown, with Adult yellow-red-white markings common. The two pairs of The adult male has a length of 5 to 7 mm. The male has wings are clear to light brown with prominent veins. broad, feathery antennae on the head with a slender, thick- waisted body. It generally has brown to black color wings, similar to the female. 1. This document is EENY317 (originally published as DPI Entomology Circular No. 258), one of a series of the Department of Entomology and Nematology, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date January 2004.
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Insect Biodiversity at Mangrove Ecosystem
108 Insect Biodiversity At Mangrove Ecosystem Bhagyashree Grampurohit1 and Hemant Karkhanis2 1Department of Environmental Science, K. J. Somaiya College of Science and Commerce, Mumbai Vidyavihar, Mumbai -400077, Ph. +91-022-28575590, Fax +91-022 28575670 2 IInd Floor, Udayachal Primary School, Vikhroli (E). Email: [email protected]; [email protected] Abstract : A lot of attention being paid to the study of biodiversity has led to increasing interest in assessing the diversity of insects because this group dominates terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems and are valuable indicators of the healthof these ecosystems. Presence of insects in the mangrove ecosystem is of importance because they feed, reproduce on plants and help in pollination. Certain level of natural damage caused by pest insects is of ecological significance in mangrove ecosystem. Study of insect biodiversity is useful in managing the forest resources. The study area selected for this research project is a private land owned by Godrej & Boyce Mfg.Co.Ltd located along the Eastern Express Highway at Vikhroli, Mumbai. This land is covered with mangrove forest. Total eleven sites were selected randomly so as to cover maximum area of mangrove forest. At each site, during low tide, different insects were observed and photographed. Photo-essay of these insects was prepared. Diversity index, evenness index and dominance index was calculated. As per the results, Shannon index is 0.4, Simphon’s diversity index is 0.93 and evenness index is 0.1. Species richness index is 1.94. The result shows that the study location being in the industrial area of Mumbai, the insect diversity is less but there is a natural balance of damage and reproduction.
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Wedge-Shaped Beetles (Suggested Common Name) Ripiphorus Spp. (Insecta: Coleoptera: Ripiphoridae)1 David Owens, Ashley N
EENY613 Wedge-Shaped Beetles (suggested common name) Ripiphorus spp. (Insecta: Coleoptera: Ripiphoridae)1 David Owens, Ashley N. Mortensen, Jeanette Klopchin, William Kern, and Jamie D. Ellis2 Introduction Ripiphoridae are a family of unusual parasitic beetles that are thought to be related to tumbling flower beetles (Coleoptera: Mordellidae) and blister beetles (Coleoptera: Meloidae). There is disagreement over the spelling of the family (Ripiphoridae) and genus (Ripiphorus) names. Here we use the original spelling that starts with only the letter Figure 1. Adult specimens of the two genera of Ripiphoridae. A) “R”; however, an initial “Rh” has also been used in the Macrosiagon Hentz, and B) Ripiphorus Bosc. scientific community (Rhipiphoridae and Rhipiphorus). Credits: Allen M. Boatman There are an estimated 35 nearctic species of Ripiphorus, Generally, the biology of the family Ripiphoridae is poorly two of which have been collected in Florida: Ripiphorus known. Ripiphorids parasitize bees and wasps (Hymenop- schwarzi LeConte (Figure 2A) and Ripiphorus fasciatus Say tera), roaches (Blattodea), and wood-boring beetles (Co- (Figure 2B). Due to limited information for both of these leoptera). However, the specific hosts for many ripiphorid species, the information presented below is characteristic species are unknown. Furthermore, only one sex (either of the genus Ripiphorus. Information specific to Ripiphorus male or female) has been described for several species, and fasciatus and Ripiphorus schwarzi is presented where the males and females of some species look different. detailed information is available. Two genera of Ripiphoridae infest hymenopteran (bee and wasp) nests: Macrosiagon Hentz (Figure 1A) and Ripiphorus Bosc (formerly Myodites Latreille) (Figure 1B). Species of Macrosiagon are parasites of a variety of hymenopteran families including: Halictidae, Vespidae, Tiphiidae, Apidae, Pompilidae, Crabronidae, and Sphecidae.
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Fauna of Chalcid Wasps (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea, Chalcididae) in Hormozgan Province, Southern Iran
J Insect Biodivers Syst 02(1): 155–166 First Online JOURNAL OF INSECT BIODIVERSITY AND SYSTEMATICS Research Article http://jibs.modares.ac.ir http://zoobank.org/References/AABD72DE-6C3B-41A9-9E46-56B6015E6325 Fauna of chalcid wasps (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea, Chalcididae) in Hormozgan province, southern Iran Tahereh Tavakoli Roodi1, Majid Fallahzadeh1* and Hossien Lotfalizadeh2 1 Department of Entomology, Jahrom branch, Islamic Azad University, Jahrom, Iran. 2 Department of Plant Protection, East-Azarbaijan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Tabriz, Iran ABSTRACT. This paper provides data on distribution of 13 chalcid wasp species (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Chalcididae) belonging to 9 genera and Received: 30 June, 2016 three subfamilies Chalcidinae, Dirhininae and Haltichellinae from Hormozgan province, southern Iran. All collected species are new records for the province. Accepted: Two species Dirhinus excavatus Dalman, 1818 and Hockeria bifasciata Walker, 13 July, 2016 1834 are recorded from Iran for the first time. In the present study, D. excavatus Published: is a new species record for the Palaearctic region. An updated list of all known 13 July, 2016 species of Chalcididae from Iran is also included. Subject Editor: George Japoshvili Key words: Chalcididae, Hymenoptera, Iran, Fauna, Distribution, Malaise trap Citation: Tavakoli Roodi, T., Fallahzadeh, M. and Lotfalizadeh, H. 2016. Fauna of chalcid wasps (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Chalcididae) in Hormozgan province, southern Iran. Journal of Insect Biodiversity and Systematics, 2(1): 155–166. Introduction The Chalcididae are a moderately specious Coleoptera, Neuroptera and Strepsiptera family of parasitic wasps, with over 1469 (Bouček 1952; Narendran 1986; Delvare nominal species in about 90 genera, occur and Bouček 1992; Noyes 2016).
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Wasp and Bee Management a Common-Sense Approach
NRAES-185 Wasp and Bee Management A Common-Sense Approach Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann NRAES-185 Recycled Paper NRAES-185 Wasp and Bee Management A Common-Sense Approach Written by Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann New York State IPM Program Cornell University NRAES–185 October 2011 © 2011 by NRAES (Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service). All rights reserved. Inquiries invited. ISBN 978-1-933395-22-7 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Gangloff-Kaufmann, Jody Lynn Wasp and bee management : a common-sense approach / Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann. p. cm. -- (NRAES ; 185) Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-1-933395-22-7 1. Wasps. 2. Bees. 3. Wasps--Integrated control. 4. Bees--Integrated control. I. Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service. Cooperative Extension. II. Title. III. Series: NRAES (Series) ; 185. SB945.W3G36 2011 632’.79--dc23 2011023501 Disclaimer Mention of a trademark, proprietary product, or commercial firm in text or figures does not constitute an endorsement by the Cooperative Extension System or the publisher and does not imply approval to the exclusion of other suitable products or firms. Requests to reprint parts of this publication should be sent to NRAES. In your request, please state which parts of the publication you would like to reprint and describe how you intend to use the material. Contact NRAES if you have any questions. To order additional copies, contact: Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service (NRAES) Cooperative Extension PO Box 4557, Ithaca, New York 14852-4557 Phone: (607) 255-7654 • Fax: (607) 254-8770 Email: [email protected] • Web site: www.nraes.org Cover photo: A female Carpenter bee, T.
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Hymenoptera, Pompilidae)
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Repositorio da Producao Cientifica e Intelectual da Unicamp JHR 46: 165–172 (2015) Paracyphononyx scapulatus (Hymenoptera, Pompilidae)... 165 doi: 10.3897/JHR.46.5833 SHORT COMMUNICATION http://jhr.pensoft.net Paracyphononyx scapulatus (Hymenoptera, Pompilidae), a koinobiont ectoparasitoid of Trochosa sp. (Araneae, Lycosidae) Hebert da Silva Souza1, Yuri Fanchini Messas1, Fabiana Masago2, Eduardo Fernando dos Santos3, João Vasconcellos-Neto1 1 Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia, Departamento de Biologia Animal, Rua Monteiro Lobato, 255, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil 2 Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho”, Insti- tuto de Biociências, Departamento de Farmacologia, Distrito de Rubião Júnior, s/n, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil 3 Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho”, Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas, Departamento de Biologia Animal, Rua Cristóvão Colombo, 2265, São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazi Corresponding author: Hebert da Silva Souza ([email protected]) Academic editor: J. Neff | Received 5 August 2015 | Accepted 18 September 2015 | Published 30 November 2015 http://zoobank.org/83B4CF20-1B29-4D7C-9203-F925181A419E Citation: Souza HS, Messas YF, Masago F, dos Santos ED, Vasconcellos-Neto J (2015) Paracyphononyx scapulatus (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae), a koinobiont ectoparasitoid of Trochosa sp. (Araneae: Lycosidae). Journal of Hymenoptera Research 46: 165–172. doi: 10.3897/JHR.46.5833 Abstract The genus Paracyphononyx Gribodo, 1884 (Pompilidae) contains species that act as koinobiont parasitoids of cursorial spiders. Here, we record a new parasitism interaction involving the pompilid wasp Paracypho- nonyx scapulatus (Bréthes) and the hunter spider Trochosa sp.
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Nesting Biology of Zeta Argillaceum (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae) in Southern Florida, U.S
Matthews & Gonzalez: Nesting Biology 37 NESTING BIOLOGY OF ZETA ARGILLACEUM (HYMENOPTERA: VESPIDAE: EUMENINAE) IN SOUTHERN FLORIDA, U.S. ROBERT W. MATTHEWS AND JORGE M. GONZÁLEZ University of Georgia, Department of Entomology, Athens, GA 30602, USA ABSTRACT Zeta argillaceum (L.), a common neotropical wasp, is established in Florida. The character- istic mud potter-like nests are easily recognized. They prey on geometrid caterpillars. Their nests are reused by various arthropods, forming an ecological web similar to that of other mud dauber wasps. Prey, inquilines, parasites, and scavengers found inside the nests are presented. Key Words: Pachodynerus erynnis, Pachodynerus nasidens, Anthrax sp., Melittobia austral- ica, Anthrenus sp., Macrosiagon sp., Chalybion californicum RESUMEN Zeta argillaceum (L.) es una avispa neotropical muy común y está establecida en Florida. El- las construyen nidos de barro en forma de vasija, fáciles de reconocer. Sus hospedadores son larvas de geométridos. Sus nidos son reutilizados por varios artrópodos y forman una red ecológica similar al de otras avispas constructoras de nidos de barro. Se presentan en este trabajo los hospedadores, inquilinos, parásitos y carroñeros encontrados dentro de los nidos. Translation provided by author. Zeta is a small neotropical eumenine wasp ge- (=Z. argillaceum) in Brazil (Rocha & Raw 1982). nus with 4 species that range from Mexico to Ar- In many aspects the general biology resembled gentina and also Trinidad, in the West Indies that of the related Z. abdominale (Drury) (in some (Bertoni 1934; Bodkin 1917; Callan 1954; Car- cases using its synonym Eumenes colona Saus- penter 1986b, 2002; Carpenter & Garcete-Barrett sure) studied in Jamaica by Freeman & Taffe 2002; Giordani Soika 1975; Martorell & Escalona (1974), Taffe & Ittyieipe (1976), and Taffe (1978, S.
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Potter Wasps of Florida, Eumenesspp
EENY-403 doi.org/10.32473/edis-in329-2000 Potter Wasps of Florida, Eumenesspp. (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae)1 E. E. Grissell2 The Featured Creatures collection provides in-depth profiles of insects, nematodes, arachnids and other organisms relevant to Florida. These profiles are intended for the use of interested laypersons with some knowledge of biology as well as academic audiences. Introduction Currently there are eight species and 10 subspecies of Eumenes known in America north of Mexico (Arnett 2000). Only E. fraternus Say and the nominate subspecies of E. smithii Saussure occur in Florida. These wasps make the familiar jug-like mud nests found on buildings, window sills, screens, and shrubs around the home. Members of the subfamily Eumenidae may be identified to genus with the aid of a key in Parker (1966). The only key for identifying North American species of Eumenes is that of Isley (1917) which is somewhat out of date. Figure 1. Adult potter wasp, Eumenes fraternus Say. Credits: Lyle J. Buss, University of Florida Distribution Identification E. fraternus occurs from about the 100th meridian eastward in the United States and Canada. The nominate subspecies Nests: Although many wasps make mud nests, the jug-like of E. smithii is found in the southern states from Mississippi pots of Eumenes are not easily confused with those of eastward and North Carolina southward. The subspecies other species. Nests of this type, found around the home, E. smithiibelfragei Cresson occurs from Mexico northward are almost certainly made by Eumenes. According to Isley through eastern Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and eastward to (1917), the nest of E.
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Pocket Guide to the Beneficial Insects of New Mexico
Pocket Guide to the Beneficial Insects of New Mexico Tessa R. Grasswitz, New Mexico State University Agricultural Science Center, Los Lunas, NM David R. Dreesen, Natural Resources Conservation Service Plant Materials Center, Los Lunas, NM 1 Contents Introduction ...........................................................3 Attracting and retaining beneficial insects .................4 Suggested insectary plants for New Mexico ...............5 Other ways to conserve beneficial insects .................7 Common beneficial insects of New Mexico 1. Beetles (Order: Coleoptera) .............................9 (i) Ladybeetles/Ladybird beetles (Coccinellidae) .......9 (ii) Ground beetles (Carabidae)......................11 (iii) Rove beetles (Staphylinidae) .....................12 (iv) Soft-winged flower beetles (Melyridae) .......13 2. True bugs (Order: Hemiptera) ........................14 (i) Big-eyed bugs (Georcoris species) ..............14 (ii) Minute pirate bugs (Anthocoridae) .............15 (iii) Damsel or nabid bugs (Nabidae) ..............16 (iv) Spined soldier bug (Podisus maculiventris) ...... 17 (v) Assassin bugs (Reduviidae) ........................18 3. Lacewings (Order: Neuroptera) .....................19 4. Beneficial flies (Order: Diptera) ......................20 (i) Hoverflies (Syrphidae) ................................20 (ii) Tachinid flies (Tachinidae) ......................21 5. Wasps (Order: Hymenoptera) ........................22 (i) Parasitic wasps (various families) ................22 (ii) Predatory wasps (various families)
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Yellowjackets and Hornets, Vespula and Dolichovespula Spp. (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Vespidae)1 E
EENY-081 Yellowjackets and Hornets, Vespula and Dolichovespula spp. (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Vespidae)1 E. E. Grissell and Thomas R. Fasulo2 Introduction Distribution Only two of the 18 Nearctic species of Vespula are known Vespula maculifrons is found in eastern North America, from Florida (Miller 1961). These are the two yellowjackets: while Vespula squamosa is found in the eastern United eastern yellowjacket, V. maculifrons (Buysson) and the States and parts of Mexico and Central America. The southern yellowjacket, V. squamosa (Drury). One species baldfaced hornet, Dolichovespula maculata, is found of Dolichovespula is also present: the baldfaced hornet, throughout most of the Nearctic region. D. maculata (Linnaeus). The baldfaced hornet is actually a yellowjacket. It receives its common name of baldfaced Identification from its largely black color but mostly white face, and that The three species of Florida yellowjackets are readily of hornet because of its large size and aerial nest. In general, separated by differences in body color and pattern. Identi- the term “hornet” is used for species which nest above fication is possible without a hand lens or microscope, and, ground and the term “yellowjacket” for those which make for this reason, a simple pictorial key is all that is necessary. subterranean nests. All species are social, living in colonies Color patterns are relatively stable, and their use is further of hundreds to thousands of individuals. strengthened by morphological characters (Miller 1961). Queens and workers may be separated by abdominal pat- terns; males have seven abdominal segments while females have only six. Biology Colonies are founded in the spring by a single queen that mated the previous fall and overwintered as an adult, usually under the bark of a log.
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The Insect Orders IV: Hymenoptera
Introduction to Applied Entomology, University of Illinois The Insect Orders IV: Hymenoptera Spalangia nigroaenea, a parasite in the family Pteromalidae, depositing an egg into a house fly puparium. Photo by David Voegtlin. Hymenoptera: Including the sawflies, parasitic wasps, ants, wasps, and bees 2 versions of the derivation of the name Hymenoptera: Hymen = membrane; ptera = wings; membranous wings Hymeno = god of marriage -- union of front and hind wings by hamuli Web sites to check: Hymenoptera at BugGuide Hymenoptera on the NCSU General Entomology page Description and identification: Adult: Mouthparts: chewing or chewing/lapping Size: Minute to large Wings: 4 or none, front wing larger than hind wing, front and hind wings are coupled by hamuli to function as one. Antennae: Long and filiform (hairlike) in Symphyta; many forms in Apocrita Other characteristics: Abdomen is broadly joined to the thorax in Symphyta; constricted to form a "waist"-like propodeum in Apocrita. Immatures: In Symphyta, eruciform (caterpillar-like), but with 6 or more pairs of prolegs that lack crochets; 2 large stemmata; all are plant-feeders In Apocrita, larvae have true head capsules, but no legs; some feed on other arthropods Metamorphosis: Complete Habitat: On vegetation, as parasites of other insects, in social colonies Pest or Beneficial Status: A few plant pests (sawflies); many are beneficial as parasites of other insects and as pollinators. Honey bees are important pollinators and produce honey. Stinging species can injure humans and domestic animals. Introduction to Applied Entomology, University of Illinois Suborder Symphyta (one of two suborders): The sawflies and horntails. The name sawfly is derived from the saw-like nature of the ovipositor.
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