Maryland Cooperative Extension Understanding Insects and Spiders Terry E. Poole Extension Agent Frederick County, MD Welcome, now sit back and enjoy the show.

Unfortunately most of us are terrified of insects and spiders.

Parts of the Insect

You all know what the cricket looks and sounds like. Insects have six legs; let’s count them on this cricket

This carpenter ant clearly shows the three body parts of the insect. Head Thorax Abdomen

Complete Life Cycle Larva and adult are different

Imported Cabbage Worm This is an example of a complete life cycle. You have seen, and eaten this worm in broccoli, cabbage, and kale. Larva Adult

This monarch butterfly shows the stages of its life. Larva Caterpillar Adult See the butterfly? Pupa

This is a common butterfly in our area. Do you know it? Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly

The colors of this butterfly are a clue to its name. Baltimore Butterfly Note the Baltimore oriole colors of black, orange, and white.

These caterpillars can really spoil your dinner. These caterpillars are common insect pests of corn. They will eventually turn into moths. Corn Earworm European Corn Borer

These insect larvae will make a silk nest in trees in the spring. Eastern Tent Caterpillar

This insect is another web builder in our trees. Fall Webworm It builds its nests in late summer at the end of tree branches. NESTNEST

This is a serious pest of our forests in the region. Gypsy Moth People often confuse the tent caterpillar with the gypsy moth. The gypsy moth doesn’t spin a silk nest. The newly hatched caterpillar will climb to the top of a tree to live until it grows larger. Sometimes the young caterpillars will spin a single thread of silk and blow in the wind (called ballooning) to travel to a new site. The adult male butterflies are attracted by a female’s scent and will fly to her to mate. The female moths cannot fly very far, perhaps 20 to 25 ft. They rely on their pheromones (scent) to attract a mate. Larva Adult Egg Mass

Incomplete Life Cycle Nymph and adult look the same.

This insect has an incomplete life cycle. What is it? Grasshopper Newly hatched grasshoppers look just like the adults.

Have you seen this relative of this grasshopper. What is it? Katydid It’s here!

Insects can look scary, but most are harmless.

How long have insects been here on Earth? Insects were here long before the dinosaurs, over 250 million years ago. Fossils of insects show many different types of insects. Some can still be found today.

These are some of the oldest insects in the world. What are they? Cockroaches

Fossil records show that this insect has been around a long time. What is it? Dragonfly (some had wingspans of 3 ft.)

This insect only shows up every seventeen years. What is it? Seventeen Year Cicada There is also a periodical cicada that shows up every summer. It looks very similar.

Termites can be a big problem. They are often confused with ants when swarming. Ants will have more distinct body parts; termites look more broad-bodied. An easy way to tell them apart is looking at the antennae. Termite antennae are like a string of beads and ants have jointed antennae.

This common insect can really annoy you. What is it? House Fly

This is another common annoying summer pest. Have you seen it? Green Bottle Fly They are about the same size as the house fly, but their shiny, green color makes them stand out.

Have you ever seen these tiny flies fly out of a piece fruit when you picked it up? Fruit Fly They like to feed on ripe fruit fruit.

Talk about annoying, this insect is a real pest. What is it? Mosquito They will suck blood from their victims and can carry disease.

This caterpillar wears a “Do Not Touch” sign on its back. Saddle Back Caterpillar The hairs are poisonous and will cause a painful rash where touched. Note hairs

This is a very common bug in area with a painful bite. Assassin Bug It is a beneficial predator of other insects and bites from it are rare and not serious.It is a beneficial predator of other insects and bites from it are rare and not serious. Some species are all gray and a have wheel-like structure sticking up out of their back. These species are also called Wheel Bugs.Some species are all gray and a have wheel-like structure sticking up out of their back. These species are also called Wheel Bugs.

Some of our more favorite insects are beneficial. What is the orange beetle below? The ladybird beetle adult and larvae will eat aphids, helping to control this plant pest. Aphids Ladybird Beetle Adult Ladybird Beetle Larva

This is another beneficial insect, what is it? Praying Mantis It is a master predator and will feed on other insects and small vertebrates.It is a master predator and will feed on other insects and small vertebrates.

Frogs and spiders do try to keep the population of insects down for us.

This insect is hard to see and confusing to predators. Tomato Horn Worm Its coloration and body pattern help it to hide among the plants leaves. The false eyes along its body confuse predators

These insects are the master of disguise. Can you see them? Bagworms This is one here. The male bagworm will turn into a fly, while the female will always remain a worm.

Would you believe that these are insects? Scale After hatching, scale crawlers will look for a place to live on a plant. Once they find it, they cover themselves with a shell and live there.

This is an important insect that everyone should recognize. Honeybee They are important to the pollination of plants. We also like to eat their honey. Honeybee numbers are currently down due to a mite infestation.

These insects look like honeybees, but they are in the wasp family. Yellow Jackets don’t make honey. They don’t make honey.

Wasps feed on other insects. The paper wasp below has captured a fly.

Arachnids include spiders, ticks, scorpions, and mites. Ticks suck blood from their victims and can spread diseases such as Lyme Disease Brown Dog Tick Arachnids are different from insects in that they have eight legs and two body parts Head Abdomen

These are our two problem ticks. Deer Tick Wood Tick

Mites are Arachnids too!

I’m sure that you recognize this beautiful spider. Black Widow Spider This is a very venomous spider that can inflict a very painful bite. Red Hourglass

Brown Recluse Spider They are found in the southern states and are brought here when items are moved or shipped north. They are shy and reclusive, preferring closets and out-of-the-way places. This is the other dangerous spider besides the black widow in the USA.

This is a beautiful spider commonly seen in late summer. Garden Spider

This little spider has a name that fits its appearance. Crab Spider It prefers to ambush its prey rather than trap it in a web.

Everyone should recognize this very common spider. Daddy Long Legs This is a spider that prefers to run down its prey rather than trap it in a web.

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a... Jumping Spider This spider doesn’t use a web; it prefers to pounce quickly onto its prey. spiderspider fly

Spiders are excellent hunters. This honeybee is sweet meal for a spider.

Large spiders will feed on other things in addition to insects. Ouch! That’s got to hurt!

What would you do now if you saw a bug?

The End I guess that I should call Maryland Cooperative Extension at (301) , so that I can learn how to get rid of that ugly spider.