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Common Name: Plum curculio
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Curculionidae
Pest Status: Plum curculio is a significant pest of the fruit industry.
Appearance: Adults are small (¼-inch long), hard-bodied, brownblack
beetles. They always have the prominent snouts characteristic
of all weevils.
Life Cycle: Adults overwinter in ground litter or other protected
places and become active in early spring. The females deposit
their eggs in holes cut in the fruit and hatch in about five days. The
larvae feed in the fruit for three weeks and then tunnel out to enter
the soil. They construct small, earthen cells and pupate after about
two weeks. There are usually two generations per year.
Where to Collect: Plum curculio is found around fruit-bearing
trees. They may be collected as they crawl about on food sources
looking for mates or oviposition sites.
Photo Credit: John Obermeyer, Purdue University
Common Name: Polistes paper wasp
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Vespidae
Photo Credit: John Obermeyer, Purdue University
Pest Status: Paper wasps are considered pests when they nest near
human structures, because they can sting if provoked.
Appearance: Paper wasps are ¾- to 1-inch long, slender, narrowwaisted
wasps with smoky black wings that are folded lengthwise
when at rest. The body coloration varies widely depending upon
species.
Life Cycle: Fertilized queens overwinter in protected habitats. In
the spring, they select nesting sites and begin to build gray paper,
open-faced nests. Eggs are laid singly in cells and hatch into larvae
that develop through several instars before pupating. Cells remain
open until developing larvae pupate. In late summer, the queens
stop laying eggs and the colonies begins to decline. In the fall,
mated female offspring of the queen seek overwintering sites.
Where to Collect: Paper wasps can be found on flowers,
particularly goldenrod, in late fall or near their paper nests.
Common Name: Potato leafhopper
Order: Homoptera
Family: Cicadellidae
Pest Status: Potato leafhoppers can become serious pests of many
different plants, including alfalfa.
Appearance: The adult potato leafhopper is winged, pale green,
and wedge-shaped. They are usually about 1 ⁄8-inch in length.
Life Cycle: Adults emerge in early summer. After mating, they lay
eggs inside the veins on the undersides of leaves. A female
leafhopper lives about a month, producing one to six eggs daily. The
eggs hatch in about 10 days and the nymphs mature in about two
weeks. Mating occurs approximately two days after maturation.
Where to Collect: Potato leafhoppers are found on cultivated and
wild plants in late June and early August. They are highly attracted
to lights at night.
Photo Credit: John Obermeyer, Purdue University