1. Where to look - Pests! Insects Nematodes Weeds Diseases
Rodents and other small mammals
Original Presentation by Virginia Tech
Modified by the Georgia Agricultural Education Curriculum Office
November 2005

2. Basic classification Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species
Kings Play Chess On Fine Green Silk

3. Starting at the beginning:
4 types of Phyla:
Arthropoda ( insects, spiders, mites, millipedes)
Aschelminthes (roundworms)
Platyhelminthes (Flatworms, flukes, tapeworms)
Mollusca (snails, slugs, clams)
Arthropoda Phyla is divided into classes:
Crustacea (Crayfish, sowbugs)
Arachnida (spiders, ticks, mites)
Insecta ( bugs, beetles, butterflies)

4. Classification cont. Insecta Class is divided into Orders:
Orthoptera (grasshoppers)
Homoptera (aphids)
Coleoptera (beetles)
Lepidoptera (moths, butterflies)
Diptera (flies)
Dermoptera (earwigs)
Hemiptera (true bugs)
Hymenoptera (ants, bees)

5. Rules to fall into Classes and Orders
Arachnida:
must have 2 body segments or parts
must have 4 pairs of legs
*some mites are major plant pests
Insects:
all have three body regions: head, thorax, abdomen
3 pairs of legs
1 pair of antennae
0 to 2 pairs of wings

6. Head Body Parts Antennae: segmented, vary in form. Mouthparts:
Primarily the smell organ
Mouthparts:
rasping-sucking
chewing-lapping
piercing-sucking

7. Body Parts Thorax: made of 3 sections, each containing a pair of legs
legs are jointed
used for digging, feeling, swimming, and cleaning
Wings - differ for each insect
serve as an identification tool
“-ptera” means with wings

8. Metamorphosis Development of the body after birth
Gradual (or incomplete) - insect’s life cycle changes from egg through the nymph to adult
nymph, similar to adult except for size and color
aphids, leafhoppers, mole crickets
Complete - 4 life stages
egg, larvae, pupae, adult
larvae looks nothing like adult
pupae is a transformation stage
caterpillars-moths, grubs-beetles, maggots-flies

9. Beneficial Insects Not all insects are bad for agriculture They help:
pollinate plants
improve soil
destroy harmful insects

10. Other types of pests Nematodes Weeds
Southern root-knot nematodes on pepper plant roots.
This weed is leafy spurge.

11. Other types of pests
Diseases
Rodents and other animals