Agronomy CDE Insect Identification
Click here for the answer
Adult: ¼ inch long Brownish-grey with darker brown band down the back Alfalfa Weevil Adult: ¼ inch long Brownish-grey with darker brown band down the back
Click here for the answer
Aphid Adult: 1/10 inch long Commonly green & black; can be gray, brown, yellow, pink, red, or lavender. All species have 2 tubes (cornicles) on back ends of their bodies.
Click here for the answer
Armyworm Larva Mature Larva about 1 ½ inches Dark greenish-brown to black with pale white, orange & dark brown stripes down length of abdomen. Head capsule yellowish brown.
Click here for the answer
Assassin Bug Long narrow head; short beak (3-segmented); long slender antenna (4-segmented)
Click here for the answer
Bean Leaf Beetle Multiple Colors; Always has a black triangle behind its neck; Usually has 4 quadrangular black marks on its wing covers.
Click here for the answer
Blister Beetle Long (3/4 to 1 ¼ inch) narrow bodies; broad heads; antennae that are about 1/3 the length of entire body.
Click here for the answer
Chinch Bug Adult: 1/5 inch long; Black with white wings folded over its back; Slender beak
Click here for the answer
Corn Earworm Larva Vary in color; Head tends to be orange or light brown; Usually has a broad dark band laterally above the spiracles and light yellow to white band below the spiracles
Click here for the answer
Corn Rootworm Larva Soft white to pale yellow bodies; Always have dark to light brown head; Small ¼ to ½ inch long.
Click here for the answer
Brown or black; hard exoskeleton, very long antennae Cricket Brown or black; hard exoskeleton, very long antennae
Click here for the answer
Cutworm Larva 30 to 36 mm long; 6.5 mm wide; Dull gray or dull gray brown; Series of black trapezoidal markings on the posterior body segments.
Click here for the answer
European Corn Borer Larva Light brown or pinkish gray with brown to black head capsule and a yellowish brown thoracic plate; Round dark spots on each body segment.
Click here for the answer
Flea Beetle Somewhat elongate to oval in shape, vary in color, pattern and size; Habit of jumping like fleas when disturbed.
Click here for the answer
Grain Weevil 3 – 4 mm long; Forewings hard & leathery, meeting along mid-line of dorsal surface; Biting mouthparts; Well-developed thorax
Click here for the answer
Grasshopper Color from green to brown with some darker markings; Big hind legs ; 2 pairs of wings with the hind wings being large; Antennae not very long; Conspicuous eyes
Click here for the answer
Green Lacewing Pale green; 12 – 22 mm long; Long antennae; Bright golden eyes; Large, transparent, pale green wings; Delicate body
Click here for the answer
Honeybee 3 body parts – head, thorax, abdomen; Single pair of antennae; 4 wings; back legs have thin sacks called “pollen baskets”
Click here for the answer
Japanese Beetle 3/8 to ½ inch long; metallic green to greenish-bronze with coppery red wings and small white tufts on the sides and tip of the abdomen.
Click here for the answer
Lady Beetle Larva About 1 cm long; Dark & alligator-like body; 3 pairs of prominent legs; yellow or orange bands or spots
Click here for the answer
Leaf Skeletonizer Grape Leaf Skeletonizer: Black w/yellowish or orange collar; ½ inch long: Gum Leaf Skeletonizer: Dull grey-brown; Forewings darker grey markings while the hindwings are paler
Click here for the answer
Leafhopper Many Species of Leafhoppers; Range from 2 – 30 mm long; Pale green to gray or brown; Somewhat wedge-shaped bodies
Click here for the answer
Mexican Bean Beetle 6-7 mm long; Oval in outline; 8 black spots on each wing cover; Cream-yellow to orange-brown with a bronze tinge
Click here for the answer
Scale Vary from 1/16 to 1/8 inch long; Can be almost any color; secrete a waxy covering over their bodies, scale lives under this covering.
Click here for the answer
Spider Mites Very Small <1/60 inch; Oval shaped; Yellowish/greenish with 2 dark spots on its back.
Click here for the answer
Spittlebug 1/3 inch long; Red-eyes; Dark brown to black; Wings held roof-like over the back in an inverted “V.”
Click here for the answer
Spotted Cucumber Beetle/ Southern Corn Rootworm Beetle ¼ inch long; Yellow - green with a black head; 12 black spots on its wing covers
Click here for the answer
Stinkbug ¼ to ½ inch long; Flattened, shield-shaped body; Green, brown, black, some brightly colored; Hard upper covering
Click here for the answer
Tobacco/Tomato Hornworm Larva Can be up to 4 inches long; Generally green with 7 diagonal white lines on the sides; “Horn” located dorsally on the terminal abdominal segment that is usually red or black.
Click here for the answer
Western Corn Rootworm Beetle 1/6 to ¼ inch long; Yellow in color with 3 black stripes running down the length of the wing covers, males may be black with a narrow yellow margins & yellow tips.
Click here for the answer
White Grub ½ inch long; C-shaped; Thick bodied, creamy-white with a brown head capsule; short legs
Click here for the answer
Wireworm Up to ½ inch long; Dark brown to yellowish-orange; stiff-bodied; Darker head; Behind head are 3 pairs of legs.
References University of Illinois – ipm.uiuc.edu Penn State University – ento.psu.edu Texas A & M University – vegipm.tamu.edu University of Florida – creatures.ifas.ufl.edu University of Nebraska Lincoln – ianrpubs.unl.edu Iowa State University – ent.iastate.edu University of Kentucky – ca.uky.edu Ohio State University – ohioline.osu.edu Kansas State University – oznet.k-state.edu Cornell University – nysaes.cornell.edu University of California – ipm.ucdavis.edu