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Common Name: Walkingstick
Order: Dictyoptera
Family: Phasmatidae
Photo Credit: John Obermeyer, Purdue University
Pest Status: Walkingsticks are not considered pests even though
they eat plant leaves.
Appearance: Adults are wingless with brown, cylindrical bodies
and long, tubular legs that resemble small twigs and stems. They
have well-developed mandibles and compound eyes and have
short, filiform antennae.
Life Cycle: The juveniles emerge from the eggs as miniature,
wingless versions of the adults (nymphs) and mature by successive
molts. Mimicry also extends to the eggs. Many species lay eggs
that resemble plant seeds.
Where to Collect: Walkingsticks require leaves and woody growth
of trees and shrubs for food and protection. They are very slowmoving
insects that depend upon camouflage for protection. They
can difficult to see but may be dislodged from leaves by beating
branches while holding a beat sheet below.
Common Name: Water strider
Order: Hemiptera
Family: Gerridae
Pest Status: Water striders are not pests.
Appearance: Water striders are flat-bodied insects. Their second
and third pairs of legs are almost twice as long as their bodies. A
water strider has the general appearance of a spider as it skates
along the surface of water.
Life Cycle: Water striders are aquatic insects. There are normally
four larval instars and developmental time is between 40 to 65
days. They prey on other small insects in the aquatic environment
and have short forelegs to attack and hold their prey.
Where to Collect: Water striders are quite common and can be
found on the surface of ponds, slow streams, marshes, and other
quiet waters.
Photo Credit: John Obermeyer, Purdue University
Common Name: Western corn rootworm
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Chrysomelidae
Pest Status: Corn rootworms are serious pests of corn.
Appearance: Adults are about ¼-inch long and yellow with three
black stripes running down the lengths of the wing covers. The
wing covers of males may be entirely black except for narrow
yellow margins and yellow tips.
Life Cycle: The western corn rootworm life cycle is similar to
the northern corn rootworm. Adults emerge in mid-summer and
females begin laying eggs about two weeks after emergence. The
eggs hatch the following spring. The newly hatched larvae find
their way to corn roots, bore in, and begin feeding. The larval stage
lasts about three weeks, then they move into the soil to pupate. The
adults emerge in the summer.
Where to Collect: Western corn rootworms can be found on the
leaves or the silks of corn plants during mid- and late-summer.
Photo Credit: John Obermeyer, Purdue University