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Common Name: Treehopper
Order: Homoptera
Family: Membracidae
Photo Credit: John Obermeyer, Purdue University
Pest Status: Treehoppers feed on the leaves of many kinds of trees
and shrubs, sometimes causing injury to the plant.
Appearance: Treehoppers are usually less than ½-inch long. They
have enlarged pronotums that are variously developed into horns,
knobs, and other strange shapes depending on the species. Color
also varies depending on species, but it usually ranges from green
to brown.
Life Cycle: An adult female deposits eggs singly or in masses,
either inserted directly into living tissue or on the surfaces of
plants. The eggs remain in the plant through the winter and hatch
in spring. Nymphs molt five times prior to reaching the adult stage.
Treehoppers usually have multiple generations per year.
Where to Collect: Treehoppers can be collected by sweeping
young trees and shrubs with a net in late summer and early fall.
Common Name: Tulip tree scale
Order: Homoptera
Family: Coccidae
Photo Credit: John Obermeyer, Purdue University
Pest Status: Tulip tree scales can injure young twigs and branches
when populations are high.
Appearance: Adults are oval and convex and have distinct,
protective waxy covers. The body colors of females can vary from
light gray-green to pink-orange mottled with black. Adult males
are small with only one pair of wings and are less commonly seen.
Life Cycle: Tulip tree scales overwinter in the nymphal stage.
The adults emerge in mid-summer and in fall; the females give
birth to first instar nymphs called crawlers. Crawlers move to a
suitable host and feed for a short time before molting into the
overwinter stage.
Where to Collect: Tulip tree scales can be found on host plants
that are covered in a sticky honeydew substance produced by
scales during the growing season.
Common Name: Tussock moth
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lymantriidae
Pest Status: Tussock moths can damage forest and shade trees by
feeding on leaves.
Appearance: Adult appearance varies widely by species. Usually
they are ½- to 4 ⁄5-inch long and are much less conspicuous than are
the ornate and colorfully bristled caterpillars. In some species females
are wingless, but males have white, gray or brown forewings
mottled with wavy black or brown marks and gray hindwings.
Life Cycle: The female lays her eggs in a mass. The eggs hatch
in early spring and the larvae feed and grow for four to six weeks.
The pupal stage lasts for about two weeks. The adults emerge and
mate in late spring.
Where to Collect: Tussock moths are commonly found in
forested areas.
Photo Credit: John Obermeyer, Purdue University