UNL Ento ID Lab

11/07/2018

Yes, just as insects come and go, eventually so do entomologists. After 33 years in Extension Entomology at UNL, it is time to pass the responsibilities to a younger, more energetic and creative successor. I have immensely enjoyed the variety and challenges of the job and serving Nebraska clientele. By the spring of 2019 this web page will likely be renovated by a new diagnostician with a new mug shot. So keeping checking back!

10/29/2018

CHILD OF THE EARTH (Cont'd)

Apparently video and still images cannot co-exist on the same Facebook post, so below are two images intended to accompany the previous post.

10/29/2018

THE ODDEST CRICKET YOU MAY NEVER SEE!

One of the strangest crickets you may never see is the Jerusalem Cricket, which actually consists of fourteen species. The more descriptive names are of native American and Spanish origin and come from localities in the western United States where the cricket lives. They are Child of the Earth, Devil's Baby, Old Bald-Headed Man, Child's Face, and Potato Bug. Child of the Earth is becoming the more popular name. You may find it in western Nebraska and in the Great Plains region.

The Child of the Earth lives in more arid regions and burrows in loose or sandy soils. It is omnivorous and feeds on insects as well as plant roots and tubers. It is active at night and so is rarely seen except on occasion when one enter homes or other buildings. Adults spend the winter in burrows in the soil and mate in the spring. They find each other by drumming their abdomens rhythmically against the ground.

The body of the Child of the Earth can be up to two inches long, and is orange- tan, light brown to reddish-brown in color. The head is large and bald, and the body is wingless. The abdomen is soft with alternating light and dark bands across it, and the legs are stout and built for burrowing. When uncovered, the Child of the Earth can be a vicious biter with its strong mandibles.

Like its grasshopper, cricket and cockroach relatives, the Child of the Earth can be parasitized by very long nematode-like Hairworms that feed within its body cavity. When the cricket is harmed, the hairworms evacuate the body very quickly. They are quite a phenomenon themselves with an amazing biology.

See the animated GIF that I created using an image from Dr. Whitney Cranshaw, entomologist at Colorado State University.

10/12/2018

THE LAST MOTH OF THE SEASON

One of the last moths observed outdoors before winter seizes its frosty grip on the landscape is the Large Tolype, Tolype velleda. (Tolype is pronounced "toh-ly-pee".) It is a member of the Tent Caterpillar Family Lasiocampidae. You may discover it clinging to the side of the house or window screen in late October and even well into November. When most insects are in diapause, the large tolype is quite tolerant of cold weather and active at night. Doesn't it look like it is wearing an expensive fur coat?

There is only one generation per year. Moths emerge, mate, and females deposit black eggs in rows on tree bark which are then concealed with dark moth scales scraped off the abdomen.

When resting on trunks and branches, the caterpillars blend in with the bark of the trees on which they are feeding. Host trees include apple, ash, cherry, aspen, poplar, basswood, beech, birch, oak and other hardwoods. They spend the season feeding and growing until mature in late summer. They spin a protective cocoon in bark crevices and transform into moths in September and October. The moths themselves have no functional mouthparts and do not feed on anything. Such a pretty moth, and such an urgent mission before lethal cold sets in!

09/17/2018

SPURGE HAWKMOTH (SPHINX MOTH)

An overwhelming urge
To eat some spurge
Until it can eat no more.
All clownish and bright,
It helps with the fight
To win the leafy spurge war.

The Spurge Hawkmoth, Hyles euphorbiae, is of European origin. It was deliberately introduced decades ago by the USDA as a biological control agent to control leafy spurge, a noxious, aggressive w**d also from Europe.

Spurge hawkmoth hornworms are quite colorful and do their share in w**d control by defoliating leafy spurge. Many Nebraskans have not yet seen this species, as it was released in the Dakotas, but it is spreading and likely will become a common resident.

The hornworms can be recognized by their bodies being covered uniformly with large white spots bordered by black patches as well as red, orange or greenish body coloration. They change color as they grow larger, and when they reach maturity, they burrow in loose soil and pupate. They eat ornamental plants and w**ds in the genus Euphorbia in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae.

The moths are beautiful with pink and brown patterns on the top of the wings, and nearly all pink beneath. Just like their closely-related cousins, Whitelined Sphinx Moths, Hyles lineata, they hover over flowers at dusk and feed on nectar. There are two generations per year.

08/31/2018

BUZZY, FUZZY SCARAB BEETLES

Waves of scarab beetles emerge over the course of the summer, and one of the last ones is by a buzzy, fuzzy beetle called the Bumble Flower Beetle, Euphoria inda. This large species, nearly 3/4" long is distributed across the state, as well as throughout North America east of the Rocky Mountains. Its name is derived from the bumble bee-like buzzing it makes while in flight.

The larvae, called white grubs, feed in soils high in organic matter such as around stacked hay, in compost piles and livestock manure. Adults are most abundant in late August and September. They aggregate around and feed on spoiled or overripe fruits, fermenting tree oozes, flowers, and also exposed ear tips of corn damaged by other insects or birds.

Because of the lateness of the season, bumble flower beetles have little impact on our food crops. To curtail their feeding on valued fruit, harvest them early. Remove injured or spoiled fruits in gardens and orchards.

08/24/2018

SPIDERS ON MY MIND -- CRUEL HOAX!

Recently, a flurry of activity occurred on social media concerning an erroneous post about a newly-discovered spider that is spreading across the United States. It supposedly has a deadly venom and has already killed five people.

This is a malicious HOAX that has alarmed many people who are genuinely concerned, and our department has received numerous emails and phone calls because an image that was used in the post originated from our image library, giving the hoax apparent legitimacy.

Be assured that the spider shown, commonly called a Woodlouse or Pillbug Hunter, Dysdera crocata, is NOT poisonous.

Nearly every spider injects a venom into their prey to paralyze and partially pre-digest it. Humans are indeed bitten by spiders, and generally, the symptoms of local pain, redness, and swelling are temporary. There are few people, such as infants, the elderly and those who are chronically ill, who may be sensitive to spider bites and have more severe complications.

The only spiders named and affirmed by the CDC as poisonous are the brown recluse and several species of black widows. Even our largest spiders such as wolf spiders do not have venom that is poisonous to humans.

So, hopefully this good news will help quell the impact of this nasty hoax.

08/03/2018

SHE’S GOT AMAZING EYES!

A large brown horse fly just landed on our door.
This crazy bug guy could never have asked for more!
Seize the insect net and scoop it up real fast!
Chill it in the fridge before the opportunity has passed.
To shoot it with the camera and make its fame go far.
For this one’s got eyes more brilliant than a star,
With glowing rainbow colors that surely will impress.
Ya wanna know the species? Come on, make a guess!.................. Tabanus sulcifrons.

07/13/2018

BLOOD-SUCKING MOSQUITOES HAVE THEIR OWN ANNOYING PARASITES.

(This post corrected July 16. Initial identification of a Culex mosquito was incorrect. Thanks Braden Wojahn for the ID. So, the mosquito's biology has been radically changed as well.)

This image of a Tree-Hole Mosquito, Aedes triseriatus*, shows 12 bright red, oval "blobs" attached to the underside of its body. These are the larval form of water mites (Hydrachna species), a group of mites that live as predators and parasites in lakes, ponds, swamps, stock tanks, old barrels, and even tree holes filled with water. They feed on small crustaceans, aquatic insects and worms.

This tree-hole mosquito is serving as their host, not only for a meal, but also for transport to another tree hole or water-filled cavity in a forested habitat. Imagine the extra payload it must carry as it flies about.

Just hours before, the six-legged larvae (nymphs and adults have eight legs) attached themselves securely to the mosquito as it emerged from the water. They are feeding on it, digesting the blood from its body, called hemolymph. What a way to fly!

The mosquito is actively seeking its own animal host from which to draw a blood meal and draw nourishment for its own body and the eggs that are forming within. It later flies into a tree hole and deposits its eggs on the surfaces above the water. The mites, of course, detach and drop into the water to grow and prosper in a new location.

Pretty clever, isn't it? And a form of justice, I would say, for all the trouble mosquitoes cause us. "Why are the mites bright red?", you may ask. Well, generally in the world of entomology, bright red means to predators, "I taste bad!", or "I will hurt you if you mess with me!" And of course it may or may not be true.

(*Note: Aedes triseriatus is also known as Oclerotatus triseriatus.)

07/06/2018

CICADA KILLERS ARE SUMMER THRILLERS!

Cicada killer wasps are most active during the day.
Males fly erratically about in a territorial display
To entice females, and keep competitors away.

After mating, females look for a place to dig a nest.
Sunny slopes and retaining walls seem to work best.
They prepare a deep tunnel for an unwary guest.

Our guest is a cicada resting high up in a tree,
Which the wasp with its keen vision can easily see.
It stings the poor cicada before it can flee.

In an amazing feat, the wasp grasps her prey tight
And transports it to her nest in a strenuous flight.
She pulls it deep into a chamber prepared just right.

Finally she deposits an egg on her prey so still,
And covers her burrow and conceals it with skill.
And her young dines on the cicada as its summer meal.

06/29/2018

06/21/2018

Fireflies are sparkling in the early summer's night
To everyone's fascination and delight.
Enjoy them while you can in the darkening sky
Before their splendor is replaced by the 4th of July.