Seasonal Invaders

Although they specialize on Acer seeds, they may pierce plant tissues while feeding. They are not known to cause significant damage and are not considered to be agricultural pests. However, their congregation habits and excreta can annoy people; for this reason, they are considered nuisance pests. Removal of box elder and other Acer species can help in the control of bug populations. They may form large aggregations while sunning themselves in areas near their host plant (e.g. on rocks, shrubs, trees, and man-made structures). 

This is especially a problem during the cooler months when they sometimes invade houses and other man-made structures seeking warmth or a place to overwinter. They remain inactive inside the walls (and behind siding) while the weather is cool. When the heating systems revive them, some may falsely perceive it to be springtime and enter inhabited parts of the building in search of food, water, and conspecifics. In the spring, the bugs leave their winter hibernation locations to feed and lay eggs on maple or ash trees; aggregations may be seen during this time and well into summer and early fall, depending on the temperature.

Adult Asian lady beetles are oval, convex, and about 1/4-inch long. Their color can vary widely from tan to orange to red. They often have several black spots on the wing covers, although on some beetles the spots may be indistinct or entirely absent. Multi-spotted individuals tend to be females while those with few or no spots tend to be males. Most beetles have a small, dark "M" or "W"-shaped marking on the whitish area behind the head.

Eggs are yellow, oval, and typically are laid in clusters on the undersides of leaves. The immatures (larvae) are often orange and black and shaped somewhat like tiny alligators. Larvae complete their development on plants where their primary food (aphids) is abundant. The non-mobile cocoon (pupal) stage remains attached to vegetation by its molted skin, but occasionally may be found clinging to exterior walls of buildings. The average time from egg to adult is about one month and there are multiple generations per year. Individual beetles can live up to three years.

The Scutigeromorpha are anamorphic, reaching 15 leg-bearing segments in length. Also known as “house” centipedes, they are very fast creatures, and able to withstand falling at great speed: they reach up to 15 body lengths per second when dropped, surviving the fall. They are the only centipede group to retain their original compound eyes, with which a crystalline layer analogous to that seen in chelicerates and insects can be observed. They also bear long and multi-segmented antennae. Adaptation to a burrowing lifestyle has led to the degeneration of compound eyes in other orders; this feature is of great use in phylogenetic analysis.

Stink bugs are described in several different ways. They are characterized as both “large, oval-shaped insects” and “shield-shaped insects.” Adult stink bugs can reach almost 2 cm in length. They are nearly as wide as they are long. Their legs extend from the sides, so this makes the adult bugs appear even larger. The brown marmorated stink bug is a brownish stink bug. It has lighter bands on the antennae and darker bands on the wings. Adult stink bugs are good fliers and fold their wings on top of their body when they land. Nymphs do not have fully developed wings. The wings appear when the nymph becomes an adult. Fully developed wings are a way to identify adult stink bugs. Immature stink bugs, called nymphs, are very tiny when they hatch from their eggs. Nymphs of the brown marmorated stink bug are yellow and red. As they grow, the yellow fades to white. They have bright red eyes during the nymph stage of their life cycle. The nymphs molt or shed their skin five times. Each time a stink bug nymph molts, it becomes larger. By the last molt, the nymphs are almost as large as adult stink bugs.

Springtails like moisture. They feed on fungi, algae, mold, and decaying vegetation. They can be found in large amounts in mulched areas. After a prolonged rainy spell, they can be seen on the surface of swimming pools that look like scum or mats.

Springtails may be found in bath traps, around hot tubs, in humid crawl spaces, under mulched areas, under patio slabs, under logs, wood chips, pine straw, and other areas that are prone to high moisture.

The roly-poly, or pill bug, is a terrestrial crustacean that looks just like an insect. Oval shaped, with seven sets of legs and a hard outer shell, these creatures are best known for their ability to roll themselves into a perfectly shaped ball when threatened.

Pill bugs breathe with gills, like their ancestors. While gills are great in the water, they are not ideal on land because they can dry out. To preserve moisture and avoid desiccation, pill bugs are active at night and spend the daylight hours in wet, damp areas under things like logs, mulch, and stones.

Carpet beetles are common in dwellings, and their damage is often mistaken for that of clothes moths. The adults are small (1/16 to 1/8-inch), oval-shaped beetles ranging in color from black- to various ‘mottled’ patterns of white, brown, yellow and orange. Adult carpet beetles feed on flower pollen and do not damage woolens and other fabrics. In springtime, they often appear on windowsills, suggesting an infestation may be present inside the home. Female beetles lay about 50-100 eggs on or near vulnerable materials. While some breeding sites may be obvious (e.g., a wool rug stored in a closet), others can be subtle—for example, accumulations of pet hair associated with baseboards, air vents and ducts.

Earwigs can be found in almost any growing zone, although they are more likely to inhabit warm, humid climates. You might have trouble spotting one—not only are they quick movers, they are also nocturnal and tend to hide out during the day when you are tending the garden. They like decaying wood and plant material, and dark, damp spaces. Oftentimes, they can be found in basements and woodpiles.

Males and females mate in the fall, then remain together in a nest located under debris, or in crevices or soil. Sometime in mid-winter to early spring the male takes his leave. The female then lays 50 to 80 eggs. Depending on the species, she has one or two broods each season. The young, called nymphs, hatch in about seven days and make their nutritious egg case their first meal.

The Indianmeal moth is one of the most common and troublesome of moths infesting stored food products. The caterpillars cause all of the damage. The larvae infest a wide variety of food products, especially those of plant origin. 

They have been found in stored grains, flour, cornmeal, nuts, dried fruits, powdered milk, candy, chili pepper, fish food, dry dog and cat food, seeds, and chocolate. Females begin to lay eggs on larval food materials about three days after emergence. Each female can lay 200 to 400 eggs over a period of 1 to 18 days. The eggs hatch in 2 to 14 days and the larvae begin building the silk and frass tunnels in which they live and feed.

Food products often become matted with their silken webbing. Larvae mature in 4 to 5 weeks and often wander away from the food source in search of pupation sites. The pupal period is about 2 weeks. The entire life cycle can be completed in 6 to 8 weeks under favorable conditions.