Bees, wasps, ants, sawflies…. HYMENOPTERA Hymen: membrane Ptera: wings Complete Chewing

Bees, wasps, ants, sawflies…

HYMENOPTERA

Hymen: membranePtera: wingsCompleteChewing

HYMENOPTERA

2 pair or wingless– Both membranous

Ovipositor can be a stingerOften complex social order

IMPORTED FIRE ANT (91)

Fire Ants

• Winged males and Winged males and females fly as high females fly as high as 2000’ to mateas 2000’ to mate

• Go as far as 3 Go as far as 3 milesmiles

• 99.9% of winged 99.9% of winged ants die from ants die from predationpredation

Fire Ants

• The lucky queen The lucky queen burrows into burrows into ground and ground and raises a few raises a few workersworkers

• She eats her She eats her wings for nutrition wings for nutrition until workers until workers bring foodbring food

Fire Ants

• Queen lays 100,000 to 300,000 eggs a year

• She can live as long as 7 years

• That’s almost 21 million eggs!

Fire Ants• Workers bring food to larvae

• Larvae predigest food for adult ants

• They are the “food testers”

• Bait insecticides work slow enough to make it to the queen


• Larva: white and grublike


• Pupa: idle stage


• Adult: narrow constriction between thorax and abdomen


• Imported about 1930

• Ballast of cargo ships

NATIVE FIRE ANTS

• Tropical fire ant

• Southern fire ant


HOSTS

• Omnivore, prefer insects

• Will feed on germinating seeds


HOSTS

• Bite and then sting


HOSTS

• Feed on honeydew

• Deter beneficials and pollinators


DAMAGE

• Reduce predation on other plant pests

• Disruptive mounds in turf and beds

• Feed on bark of young plants


DAMAGE

• Sting– Allergic reactions– Native species don’t leave

blister


CONTROL

Reintroduce natural predators: Phorid fly

• Lay egg on foraging workers

• Maggot burrows into

worker’s head


CONTROL

Reintroduce natural predators: Phorid fly

• Head falls off

• Reduces aggressiveness and foraging


CONTROL

Reintroduce natural predators: Parasitic ants

• Lack workers, only queens and males

• Parasitic ant attaches to IFA queen

• Redirects workers to her colony

• IFA colony deteriorates


CONTROL

Reintroduce natural predators: Fungal disease

• Kills the queen


CONTROL

Reintroduce natural predators: Fungal disease

• Kills the queen


CONTROL

• Baits: kill the queen

• Chemicals: move the mound

• Sticky bands on trunk

• Fipronil lasts for one year

• http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2011/04/27/135716373/water-cant-put-out-a-fire-ant-raft

http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2011/04/27/135716373/water-cant-put-out-a-fire-ant-raft



CONIFER SAWFLIES

• Not flies

• Caterpillar-like, have prolegs length of body

•

CONIFER SAWFLIES

HOST

• Pines, as well as other evergreen trees

CONIFER SAWFLIES

DAMAGE

• Feed several to a needle

• Cut needle in half or devour all or it

CONIFER SAWFLIES

CONTROL

• Bacillus thuringiensis not effective (not caterpillar)

INSECT GALLS (160)

• Adults lay eggs

• Plant cells divide faster, hyperplasia

• Swelling on leaf or stem

• Larvae develop inside gall, feed on gall

INSECT GALLS

INSECT GALLS

INSECT GALLS

INSECT GALLS

INSECT GALLS

INSECT GALLS

INSECT GALLS

Documents

Bees, wasps, ants, sawflies…. HYMENOPTERA Hymen: membrane Ptera: wings Complete Chewing