Do you have an insect problem in your wood lot? Insect pests throughout the world have direct impacts on the ecosystem. In the same way, private landowners in the United States deal with various insect pests on their property on a yearly. Find some helpful information below about some possible insect problems on your property:

Caterpillars and Moths

Bagworm

Are your pine trees stripped of their needles? Are there many pinecone looking “bags” hanging from the branches?

• Bagworm And Its Control – Ohio State Extension

Forest Tent Caterpillar

Did you find a caterpillar in your woods with a keyhole shaped pattern on its back?

• All You Ever Wanted to Know about Forest Test Caterpillars and Much More – Naja Kraus (New York State DEC)
• Forest and Eastern Tent Caterpillar – Ohio State Extension
• Forest Tent Caterpillar – United States Department of Agriculture

Eastern Tent Caterpillar

Have you found web-like tents in the branches of your trees?

• Forest and Eastern Tent Caterpillar – Ohio State Extension
• Eastern Tent Caterpillars Coming Off Some Nests in SW Ohio – Joe Boggs

Gypsy Moth

The red and blue spotted pest that is all too common in the northern hardwood forests.

• Gypsy Moth – Ohio Department of Agriculture

Moths of Ohio

Did you see a moth in the Ohio woods. See if you find its identity.

• Moths of Ohio – Ohio Division of Wildlife

Mites

Spider Mites

A small but troublesome foe for some landowners and land managers.

Spider Mites and Their Control – Ohioline

Beetles

Emerald Ash Borer (EAB)

A small beetle that has decimated the ash trees throughout the Midwest and Northeast of the United States.

• Emerald Ash Borer – Michigan State University
• Signs and Symptoms of the Emerald Ash Borer – Michigan State Extension, Michigan State University
• Effects of Late Stages of Emerald Ash Borer (Coleoptera: Buprestidae)-Induced Ash Mortality on Forest Floor Invertebrate Communities – Kayla Perry and Daniel Herms

(Click here to read a short article written about Kayla’s research findings)

Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB)

This insect is a major threat throughout the United States.

• Asian Longhorned Beetle – Ohio Department of Agriculture Website

Walnut Twig Beetle

A nemesis of the landowners with beautiful walnut trees.

• Walnut Twig Beetle Field Guide – Plant Heroes
• Detecting and Identifying Walnut Twig Beetle – UC Agriculture and Natural Resources

Other Resources

Find some addition resources that will help landowners and land managers alike.

• Spruce Decline – Michigan State University Extension