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Latah County
> Master Gardener |
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Latah County
Master Gardeners "People
Helping
People Grow"
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Plant
and Pest Information |
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Two-Spotted Stink Bug
The common name refers to the
rather disagreeable odor that these bugs produce. Although most
of them are plant feeders, some are predatory and in that
respect may be beneficial. A few of the plant feeders may
damage cultivated plants, especially fruits.
The two-spotted stink bug (Perillus
bioculatus) is a rather colorful predatory bug.
Typically, the adult is black with reddish markings on the back.
Occasionally a yellow or black form is found. Nymphs and
adults (3/8 inch) feed on caterpillars and beetle larvae,
holding them in the air as they suck out the body fluids.
They are important predators of Colorado potato beetle larvae.
An individual bug may destroy 150 or 200 larvae in its lifetime!
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Wolf Spider
Wolf
spiders are important predators of many insect
pests. They are usually brown in
color but variable in size ranging from 1/4 inch to more than 1
inch in length. They are opportunistic or general feeders
capturing harmful and beneficial insects alike. Wolf
spiders are so named because of their hunting habits: they use
their running speed to capture prey. They do not spin a
web to capture prey but do spin webbing for their
nest area. Some species carry the egg and eventually the
young spiderlings on their back.
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Rust
Yellow, orange, red, or black
powdery pustules appear on the upper or lower surfaces of the
leaves, or occasionally on the bark. The powdery material
can be scraped or rubbed off. Leaves are discolored or
mottled yellow to brown. Leaves may become twisted,
distorted, and dry, and drop off. Infected stems may be
swollen, blistered, or develop oblong or hornlike galls, up to 2
inches long.
Many different species of rust
fungi infect trees and shrubs. Some rusts produce spore
pustules on leaves or stems, and others produce galls or
hornlike structures on various parts of the plant. Most
rusts attack only one species or a few related species of
plants. However, some rusts require two different plant
species to complete their life cycles. Part of the life
cycle is spent on the tree or shrub and part is spent on various
other plants. In most cases, the symptoms produced on the
two hosts are very different. Rust spores are spread to
healthy plants by wind and splashing water. When
conditions are favorable (moisture and moderate temperatures, 55º
to 75ºF), the spores germinate and infect the tissue.
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Spittlebugs
Immature spittlebugs (nymphs) are
small, green, soft-bodied insects that have an unusual and
distinctive characteristic that distinguishes them from other
insects. The nymphs, clustered in between leaves and
stems, surround themselves with a frothy, white mass that looks
like spittle, which protects them from sym and preying insects.
Adult spittlebugs are small (¼ inch), winged insects that hop
or fly away quickly when disturbed. They feed on plant sap
and lay their eggs inside of stems or between the leaf blades
and stems of many garden plants and forage crops. The
greenish nymphs that hatch from the eggs suck sap from the
plant. The insect excretes drops of undigested sap mixed with
air. Its tail moves up and down as if working as a
bellows, forcing out bubbles of sap. The bug then reaches
back and covers itself with the frothy spittle.
Spittlebugs are most often noticeable in the spring when the
nymphs are feeding, but adults may be found on the plants
throughout the summer.
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