Phil Pellitteri, UW Insect Diagnostic Lab Revised: 1/20/2009 Item number: XHT1184 The masked hunter bug (Reduvius personatus) is a type of assassin bug that is commonly found indoors. The common name of this insect comes from the fact that the immature stage of the insect (the nymph) covers itself with dust and debris. These true […]
Phil Pellitteri, UW Insect Diagnostic Lab Revised: 4/27/2004 Item number: XHT1053 Powder post beetles attack porous hardwoods such as oak, walnut, mahogany, hickory and maple. Unheated buildings, very damp basements, barns, seasoned firewood, and lumber stored outdoors are most often attacked. Indoors, beetles can be found infesting hardwood flooring and trim, barn boards, rough-sawn timbers, […]
Phil Pellitteri, UW Insect Diagnostic Lab Revised: 4/27/2004 Item number: XHT1112 Have you ever found a strange, scorpion-like creature in your home? Pseudoscorpions are common, but rarely seen. They are harmless, small (1/16 to 1/8 inch long), tick-shaped critters that have a large pair of pincers, but lack the long tail and stinger of a […]
Phil Pellitteri, UW Insect Diagnostic Lab Revised: 4/27/2004 Item number: XHT1111 The sawtoothed grain beetle and the closely related Merchant grain beetle are common pests in the kitchen where they infest grains, cereals, pasta, pet food, straw flowers, tea, old rodent bait, candy bars, flour, spices, and other dried plant material such as potpourri. Sawtoothed […]
Potato leafhopper can be a serious annual pest of a wide range of plants, including apple, beans, dahlia, eggplant, potato, rhubarb, strawberry and many bedding plants. Learn more about this pest in this factsheet.
Phil Pellitteri, UW Insect Diagnostic Lab Revised: 1/6/2005 Item number: XHT1039 Springtails are very common, small (1 to 3 mm long), wingless insects that jump or hop using a furcula, a forked structure on the underside of the abdomen that acts like a spring. Most springtails live in rich soils and leaf litter, or in […]
This factsheet describes two-lined chestnut borer, which is attracked to stressed and weakened oaks and is the most important insect cause of oak mortality.
Whiteflies are not true flies, but belong in the same order as scales, aphids and mealybuts. Several species can infest greenhouses. Learn how to identify and manage this pest in this factsheet.
Authors: David Lowenstein and Russell Groves, UW-Madison EntomologyLast Revised: 05/22/2020X-number: XHT1045 Wireworms are the larvae of several species of click beetles (Family Elateridae). These beetles flip into the air with an audible click when turned on their backs. Wireworms feed primarily on grasses (including grass crops such as corn) but have a broad host range that includes vegetables […]
Karen Delahaut, UW-Madison Fresh Market Vegetable Program Revised: 5/28/2004 Item number: XHT1031 The diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) is a lepidopteran insect and an important pest of cole crops in Wisconsin. All cole crops, including cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and rutabaga, are susceptible to attack by this insect. Appearance: The diamondback moth is a small, […]
Field ants are common in Wisconsin, and noted for producing large mounds that ruin home lawns and interfere with landscape plantings. This factsheet discusses identification and control.
Phil Pellitteri, UW Insect Diagnostic Lab Revised: 4/27/2004 Item number: XHT1102 What people commonly call fruit flies are flies from the genus Drosophila. Also known as pumice or vinegar flies, they range in size from 1∕16 to 1∕8 inch long, and are light to dark brown in color. Some of the common species of fruit […]
