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Common Name: Emerald ash borer
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Buprestidae
Photo Credit: John Obermeyer, Purdue University
Pest Status: Emerald ash borers are a very serious, introduced pest
that kills ash trees.
Appearance: Adults are flat-headed and bullet-shaped beetles with
large black eyes. The adult’s body is dark metallic green, ½-inch in
length, and 1 ⁄8-inch wide.
Life Cycle: Adults emerge in early to mid-summer. Females begin
laying eggs about two weeks after emergence. Eggs hatch in one to
two weeks. The larvae bore through the bark of ash trees and feed
for several weeks, leaving characteristic, S-shaped tunnels. This
kills the tree. Pupation occurs in the spring. Emerald ash borers
leave a D-shaped exit hole in the bark when they emerge in the
spring. Emerald ash borers often are artificially spread by people
who unwittingly move firewood that contains borers from infested
areas to un-infested areas.
Where to Collect: Collect ash borers from ash trees in infested areas.
Common Name: European corn borer
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Pyralidae
Pest Status: European corn borers are serious annual pests of both
sweet, seed, and field corn.
Appearance: Adults are small, tan, and about ½-inch long. They
hold their wings in a delta shape at rest. Females have a thick body
and light-colored wings, whereas the males have darker tan wings
and a thinner body.
Life Cycle: European corn borers overwinter as larvae in corn
stalks left from the previous growing season. As temperatures
increase, the larvae enter the pupal stages for two weeks before
developing into adults. The adults generally emerge in late summer.
Where to Collect: Moths aggregate in weedy or grassy areas,
normally along field margins. They may also be collected at lights.
Photo Credit: John Obermeyer, Purdue University
Common Name: Field cricket
Order: Orthoptera
Family: Gryllidae
Photo Credit: John Obermeyer, Purdue University
Pest Status: Field crickets are considered nuisance pests in most
situations. They can cause injury to plants but normally do very
little damage.
Appearance: Field crickets are dark brown to black insects that are
over 1 inch long. They have long antennae and long, welldeveloped
hind legs for jumping.
Life Cycle: Crickets spend the winter as eggs that usually hatch in
late spring, though temperature and rainfall can affect the time of
hatching. Newly emerged crickets can walk and jump immediately
after hatching. They pass through approximately eight nymphal
instars before becoming adults. Adults emerge in late summer and
die in early fall.
Where to Collect: Crickets spend the day in warm, dark cracks
and emerge at night to feed. They are most active at night and can
sometimes be located by their distinctive chirping.