Pest Profiles

  • Cat flea

    A close up of a bug suspended in liquid. It is reddish-brown and has six legs, the back two of which are much longer than the others.

    Ctenocephalides felis (Bouche) Credit: Modification from UFL IFAS Feature Creature Publication, 2021 Description Immature stages: Cat flea eggs are oval, smooth and about 0.5 mm in length. Because the female flea is on the host, when she produces eggs they sift through the host’s fur and fall into the environment, collecting in areas where the…

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  • Plum curculio

    A brown, white, and black bug with two segments.

    Conotrachelus nenuphar (Herbst) Author: Brett Blaauw, Fruit Entomologist, University of Georgia, 2021 Description Immature stages: The larvae tunnel and feed in developing fruit, usually boring to the pit. Larvae are yellowish-white, legless, brownheaded grubs, about 3/8 inch (6-9 mm) long when fully grown. Adult stages: Adults are small, about 1/4 inch (4-6 mm) long, brownish-black…

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  • Coleoptera: Scolytidae Authors: David Coyle, Brady Self, James Floyd, John Riggins, Southern Regional Extension Forestry (SREF), 2018 Description Four species of Ips bark beetles (commonly known as Ips engraver beetles or Ips beetles) occur throughout pure and mixed pine forests in the southeastern U.S.: the six-spined ips (Ips calligraphus), the pine engraver (Ips pini), the…

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  • Cowpea curculio

    A round black bug with faint white markings. It sits on top of a bean pod. It has six legs and a probiscus.

    Chalcodermus aeneus (Boheman) Author: David Riley, Stormy Sparks, and Sydni Barwick, University of Georgia, 2019 Description Immature stages: Females lay eggs, which are white, oval in shape, and are less than a centimeter in length, into pods. These consequently hatch into small white grubs that damage the seed (middle image). The duration of the egg…

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  • Boxelder bug

    A cluster of oblong black bugs with orange markings resting on red wood.

    Boisea trivittata Author: Integrated Pest Management Program, University of Georgia, 2020 Description Immature stages: Boxelder bug eggs are red/orange, and are most often found on the leaves, and cracks and crevices in the bark of female boxelder and silver maple trees. Immature bugs are wingless, bright red and black. Adult stages: Adults are 1/2 to…

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  • Pepper weevil

    Round brown bug with white flecks on its body. It rests on a green bell pepper bud.

    Anthonomus eugenii (Cano) Author: David Riley, Professor, University of Georgia, 2018 Description Immature stages: Eggs are oval and white when first deposited in the flower or fruit wall. They can only be found if the plant is dissected. Larvae are the grub type and are white to grayish with a yellowish brown head. They lack…

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  • Squash bug

    A teardrop-shaped grey-brown bug resting on top of a leaf.

    Anasa tristis (DeGeer) Author: Integrated Pest Management Program, University of Georgia, 2020 Description Immature stages: Eggs are deposited on underside of leaves, but can occasionally be found on upper surface or on leaf petioles. The eggs are elliptical, somewhat flattened and bronze in color. The average egg is 1.5 mm long and 1.1 mm wide.…

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  • Small hive beetle

    A honeycomb full of small, black, circular bugs.

    Aethina tumida Authors: Dr. Keith Delaplane, Dr. Lewis J. Bartlett, & Jennifer Berry, Entomologists, University of Georgia, 2022 Description Immature stages: Though they occupy the same hives, small hive beetle eggs are smaller than honey bee eggs, often laid in disorganized clumps in crevices of hives or in suitable food. Larvae are elongated, whitish grubs…

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  • Hemlock woolly adelgid

    A green pine branch with white, woolly masses gathered around the base of its needles.

    Adelges tsugae (Annand) Authors: Mark Abney, Benjamin Aigner, Entomologists, University of Georgia, 2022 Karla Addesso, Tennessee State University, and Elizabeth Benton, Jason Oliver, University of Georgia, 2019 Description Immature stages: The eggs of the hemlock wooly adelgid, or HWA, are brownish-orange and darken as they mature. They are laid underneath a white, woolly secretion that…

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