1. Oklahoma Master Gardeners Eric J. Rebek Dept. of Entomology and Plant Pathology Who Dunnit? Diagnosing Plant Damage Due to Insects

2. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners Where Arthropods Attack Plants

3. Signs and Symptoms of Insect Damage

4. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners Signs vs. Symptoms Symptoms –Discoloration or distortion of leaves, blossoms or twigs –Chewing damage –Cracked bark –Dieback of plant parts Signs –Waste products; honeydew, frass (excrement) –Webbing –Cast skin (exuvium) –Insects themselves

5. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners Eggs FrassInsects Webbing Signs, Signs, Everywhere Are Signs…

6. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners Disease Insect Look for Signs of Causal Agent

7. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners Look for Signs of Causal Agent

8. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners Symptoms: Discoloration Due to Insect Feeding Small, spotty patches of discolored leaf tissue Can often coalesce into larger blotches

9. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners What Caused This Leaf Discoloration?

10. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners What Caused This Leaf Discoloration?

11. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners What Caused This?

12. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners What Caused This?

13. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners What Caused This?

14. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners What Caused This?

15. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners What Caused This?

16. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners

17. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners What Caused These?

18. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners What Caused This?

19. Types of Feeding Damage

20. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners Sucking Damage

21. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners Distorted Growth Discoloration Wilting

22. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners Who Sucks? Aphids Scales Mealybugs Thrips Plant bugs

23. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners Piercing-Sucking Mouthparts leg 1 leg 2 leg 3 antennae eyes

24. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners Chewing Damage

25. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners InternalExternal

26. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners Who Chews? Caterpillars Beetles –larvae & adults Grasshoppers and crickets –nymphs & adults Sawflies

27. Caterpillars vs. Sawflies 12 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ≤ 5 pr. prolegs crochets present ≥ 6 pr. prolegs crochets absent Oklahoma Master Gardeners

28. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners Chewing Mouthparts

30. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners Other Types of Insect Injury Leaf miner Apple maggot Gall insect Wood borer

31. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners Other Types of Insect Injury Root feeders Leaf cutters Oviposition damage

32. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners What kind of damage is this?

33. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners What kind of damage is this?

34. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners What kind of damage is this?

35. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners

36. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners What kind of damage is this?

37. Insect Friend or Foe?

38. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners The Good & The Bad

39. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners Beneficial Insects PredatorsWeed feeders Parasitoids PollinatorsDecomposers

40. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners Is This a Pest?

41. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners Where Is the Pest?

42. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners Stink Bugs

43. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners Are These Pests?

44. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners Lacewing larva Are These Pests? Ladybug larva NO!

45. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners Large grasping jaws

46. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners Is This a Pest?

47. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners Is This a Pest?

48. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners

49. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners Is This a Pest?

50. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners

51. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners What happened to this insect?

53. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners Is This a Pest?

55. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners Is This a Pest?

56. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners Is This a Pest?

57. Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma Master Gardeners Before making recommendations: –Find out “WHY” your client gardens –Create an atmosphere of enjoyment and learning –Ask lots of questions about the situation (DETAILS) –Try not to treat insect management as a ‘CHORE’ but as a necessary challenge Master Gardener Diplomacy : (Insect Management)