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Common Name: Striped cucumber beetle
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Chrysomelidae
Photo Credit: John Obermeyer, Purdue University
Pest Status: Striped cucumber beetles can be pests of cucumbers
and related plants.
Appearance: Adults are about ¼-inch long and wing covers bear
three, slate-black stripes on a yellow-green background. They are
sometimes confused with western corn rootworm beetles, but are
more oblong and shiny. The head and antennae are dark, and the
wings are covered with very small punctures.
Life Cycle: Adults overwinter and leave their hibernation quarters
in the spring. The females lay eggs that hatch within a week. The
larvae spend two more weeks feeding on the roots and stems of
plants before pupating. The pupal period lasts one week. As fall
approaches, the beetles crawl under litter to overwinter.
Where to Collect: They are found in gardens or wooded, bushy
areas, especially in the fall.
Common Name: Swallowtail butterfly
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Papilionidae
Pest Status: Swallowtail butterflies are not pests.
Appearance: Swallowtails are large, beautiful, butterflies that have
distinctive yellow-and-black wings with a long “tail” on the end of
each hindwing.
Life Cycle: Females lay their eggs on the undersides of leaves.
Eggs hatch within two weeks into tiny caterpillars that take about
one month to grow to full size. A pupa takes about 24 hours to
complete development.
Where to Collect: Swallowtails are often found flying in rural
areas where there are plenty of diverse plants. They are strong fliers,
but usually can be netted by agile and patient collectors.
Photo Credit: John Obermeyer, Purdue University
Common Name: Sweat bee
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Halictidae
Pest Status: Sweat bees are not considered pests, but they frequently
annoy people by alighting on sweaty limbs and sometimes
inflicting a painful sting.
Appearance: Sweat bees are normally black, brown, red, or metallic
green and have sparse yellow markings. They are relatively
small bees, usually ¼- to ½-inch in size.
Life Cycle: Females lay their eggs in burrowed tunnels in the soil.
When the eggs hatch, the larvae feed on balls of pollen and nectar.
Sweat bees overwinter as larvae or pupae in the soil and the adults
emerge in the summer.
Where to Collect: Sweat bees prefer shady areas where vegetation
is sparse. They are also common in flower patches, where they are
easiest to collect.
Photo Credit: John Obermeyer, Purdue University