Insect Pests and Management

1
Insect Pests and Management

• OBJECTIVE
• Identifying and scouting for common insect pests
  encountered in the garden and methods of control.

2
Specialists vs. Generalists

• _______________________ - insects that attack a
  small range of plants or within a single plant
  family.
• Cucumber beetles - cucurbitaceae
• Tomato hornworm solanaceae
• __________________- insects that attack a wide
  range of plants or many plant families.
• Grasshopper
• Aphid
• Japanese beetle

Grasshopper
Aphids
3
What do we have for dinner, dear?
Oh, Dont worry dear! We have a lot to choose
from. They dont call us the generalists for
nothing.
4
Insects that Suck!

• Small, soft-bodied insects with slender mouth
  parts, which suck out plant juices.
• Aphids - attack stems and leaves
• ____________________ - attack leaves
• ________________ - attack leaves, flowers, fruit,
  and other insects
• Leaf Hoppers - attack leaves of beans, eggplant,
  and fruit crops
• White Flies - attack beans, solanaceae, and fruit

Spider Mites
Thrips
5
Insects that Chew

• Those insects that chew and digest vegetative and
  reproductive plant parts.
• ___________ ______ - attack brassica leaves
• Cucumber beetle - attack entire cucurbit plants
• Corn borer - bore into ears of corn
• Tomato hornworm - attack tomato leaves and fruit
• _____________ - attack anything and everything
• Flea beetle - attack leaves of solanaceae,
  lettuce, and greens
• Colorado potato beetle - attack leaves of potato
  and eggplant

6
Insects that Chew
a
c
d
a. Colorado Potato Beetle b. Flea beetle c.
Cabbage worm d. Corn borer e. Japanese beetle
b
e.
7
Scouting for insects damaged plants?

• If insects are eating your plants, they leave a
  distinct ___________________ behind
• Aphid - sticky, honeydew, and crispy leaves
• Cucumber beetles - chewed leaves and stems,
  netted and wilting leaves
• Flea beetles - pocked, curled leaves
• ____________________- stippled leaves and webs
• Thrips - patchy scars on leaves
• Leaf miners - subsurface discolored leaf trails
• Caterpillars - chewed leaf margins and fruit

8
Scouting for insects eggs, larvae, nymphs, or
adults?

• Another way to scout for insects is to observe
  whether or not they are present in some
  __________________.
• Eggs
• Larvae
• Nymphs
• Adults
• Insects leave _______________ behind too!

9
Controls Beneficial Insects

• Many insects either parasitize or feed on insects
  that eat your plants.
• Parasitic Wasps - attracted to flower pollen and
  lay their eggs on or within many herbivore eggs
  and larvae
• Convergent Lady Beetles - feed on herbivore eggs
  and larvae, as well as aphids
• Predaceous Mites - feed on pest mites
• Green Lacewings - feed on aphids, thrips, and
  mites
• Assassin Bugs - attack almost any insect
• Bigeyed Bugs - attracked to flower nectar and
  feed on small insects and their eggs
• Soldier Beetles - feed on aphids

10
Controls Beneficial Insects
Big eyed bug
Assasin bug
Lady bird
Green lacewing
Soldier beetle
11
Controls Cultural

• The environment provided will impact the degree
  to which pests are a problem.
• OM
• Soil Moisture
• Crop Residues
• Fertility
• ________________ Rotation - avoid
  specific pest colonization
• Resistant Cultivars - prevent excessive damage
• Soil Solarization - reduced soil inhabiting pests
• Pest Barriers - prevent pest access to plants
• _________________ Planting - lure pests away from
  crops

Varying these levels will determine population
numbers of different insects.
12
Controls Natural Compounds

• Organic pesticides are derived from naturally
  occurring substances and control ________________
  groups of insects.
• Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) - lepidopteran larvae
• Diatomaceous earth - leaf chewing insects
• Pyrethrum - cucumber beetles, squash bugs, mealy
  bugs, moth larvae

Pretty me! Dalmation chrysanthemums used for
production of pyrethrum
13
Controls Natural Compounds

• Rotenone - beetles, thrips, loopers
• Insecticidal Soap - white flies, mites, suckers
  
• Neem - Japanese and other beetles
• Pepper Wax - aphids, leaf hoppers, flea beetles

14
Controls Synthetic Compounds

• Many insecticides are synthetically derived and
  can control a _____________ spectrum of insects -
  dependent on dosage.
• Most synthetic insecticides are recommended by
  ___________________ rather than by
  ____________________ due to their full spectrum
  effectiveness.
• Issues include hazard, toxicity, restricted use
• Sevin - controls many insects at various stages
  toxic to honey bees
• Pounce - several worms and beetles
• Lorsban - aphids, worms, maggots