Articles

Magnolia Massacre

Signate Lady Beetle larvae totally decimated a magnolia scale infestation a small saucer magnolia. The larvae have distinctly segmented bodies cloaked in cottony white wax making them look like mealybugs which they will also eat. The adults are very small measuring around 1/8” long.
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Authors
Joe Boggs
Periodical Cicadas Depart and Dog-Day Cicadas Arrive … with Their Killers boggs.47@osu.edu Fri, 07/09/2021 - 14:42
Brood X (10) of the 17-year Periodical Cicadas (Magicicada spp.; family Cicadidae) have come and gone in Ohio leaving behind oviposition damage (flagging) as a reminder of their spring fling. Annual Dog-Day Cicadas (Neotibicen canicularis; family Cicadidae) are now arriving on the scene along with their nemesis, Cicada Killer Wasps (Sphecius speciosus).
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Fuzzy White Planthopper Nymphs

I recently came across clumps of intensely white cottony material at eye level on the stems of a red elm (= slippery elm, Ulmus rubra) along a forest trail in southwest Ohio. A close examination revealed the insects beneath the white fluff to be nymphs (immatures) of fulgoroid planthoppers (order Hemiptera, superfamily Fulgoroidea).
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Authors
Joe Boggs
Assassins are on the Loose! boggs.47@osu.edu Tue, 07/06/2021 - 19:04
It’s common for people to call all insects bugs. However, entomologists reserve the bug name for a specific group of insects that belong to the suborder Heteroptera (order Hemiptera). To emphasize the point, entomologists refer to these heteropteran insects as the true bugs which may imply we consider all other insects to be false bugs but that’s not true.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Asian Giant Hornet (a.k.a. "Murder Hornet"): It’s Not in Ohio, but Remain Vigilant

A recent announcement by the Washington Department of Agriculture has put the Asian Giant Hornet (AGH) (Vespa mandarinia) back in the news. A dead male hornet was submitted by a homeowner located in the state of Washington just outside the geographical locations of the original detections in 2019 and 2020.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Fall Webworm Nests

Overwintered fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea) eggs have hatched in southwest Ohio and first-generation nests are becoming noticeable. Look for these hairy caterpillars inside small silk nests enveloping just a few leaves. The nests will rapidly expand over the next few weeks to include more leaves and become far more evident.
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Authors
Joe Boggs