Kentucky Office of the State Entomologist

27/09/2023

Monarch butterflies are some of the most beloved insects in the United States. As we head towards the end of September, sightings of monarchs have been increasing across the Bluegrass as we are now…

25/09/2023

It’s that time of year again to remind everyone to “LET YOUR GARDEN SLEEP IN”. Many insects bear out the winter in the leaves and stems of plants. Message me if interested in any of the signs I sell.

23/09/2023

Here's an insect event in Louisville this weekend:
Celebrate the Monarch Migration and support ReWilding Louisville, bringing pollinator habitat to community spaces in Louisville. We will be tagging Monarch butterflies to track their migration to Mexico. Artisans, activities, food, local organizations and a Monarch Butterfly Release at 6pm. Join us at Brandy for Butterflies on Sunday, September 24 from 4-7pm!
https://www.facebook.com/events/6601554303271264

13/09/2023

Emerald ash borer (EAB) was once a topic of fervent discussion amongst entomologists, arborists, and city officials in Kentucky. When this tree devouring beetle first showed up in Kentucky back in …

06/09/2023

After the coming and going of Labor Day, it starts to feel like autumn will be here before you know it, with all the fun and delicious things it brings. Autumn also brings us more obvious spiders. …

31/08/2023

About 5 million bees escaped when a truck carrying them lost control. Ontario police asked beekeepers to help to control them.

30/08/2023

Over the last month, multiple Extension agents from across Kentucky have submitted samples of larger elm leaf beetles and their damage. Generally, these leaf feeding pests are kept in check by othe…

24/08/2023

Raven Run Critter Crawl!
Join us this Friday Aug 25 at Raven Run for Critter Crawl 2023 where we'll be going LATE (7pm-11pm) to avoid the heat and find the critters!
At this event, we will have stations set up around the Raven Run Trails (not the ones that go way back toward the river... just the trails near the parking lots and nature center!). Visitors will self-guide to see displays of live insects, reptiles, and to engage in crafts and other activities. Along the way, you may see some nocturnal critters and/or scientists on the trails. The event is FREE!
BRING A FLASHLIGHT!

Raven Run Critter Crawl!

Join us this Friday Aug 25 at Raven Run for Critter Crawl 2023 where we'll be going LATE (7pm-11pm) to avoid the heat and find the critters!

At this event, we will have stations set up around the Raven Run Trails (not the ones that go way back toward the river... just the trails near the parking lots and nature center!). Visitors will self-guide to see displays of live insects, reptiles, and to engage in crafts and other activities. Along the way, you may see some nocturnal critters and/or scientists on the trails. The event is FREE!

BRING A FLASHLIGHT!

24/08/2023

"By increasing the diversity of native plants in urban areas, researchers from the University of Melbourne have seen a seven-fold increase in the number of insect species in just three years, confirming the ecological benefits of urban greening projects. The findings were published this week in the British Ecological Society journal, Ecological Solutions and Evidence."

City insects need native plants, too. A new study shows even small urban patches of native plants can significantly increase local insect species diversity.

19/08/2023

Another potentially invasive hornet is in the news, the yellow-legged hornet has been found in Georgia. This comes after a few years of intense speculation about the spread of “murder hornets” in the US. We wanted to share that neither the northern giant hornet (the murder hornet’s real common name) nor the yellow-legged hornet have been found in Kentucky. We do however have yellowjackets, European hornets, and cicada killer wasps that could be confused for these more infamous species. This composite image shows all these different stingers compared to a 1-centimeter line to highlight the size differences as well as contrast the coloration of the wasps. If you see something that looks suspect, you can submit images and location information to us here or through the [email protected] email address.

15/08/2023

An invasive hornet species that feeds on honeybees and other pollinators has been found in the wild on U.S. soil for the first time in Southeast Georgia, officials with the state Department of Agriculture and the University of Georgia announced Tuesday.

11/08/2023

09/08/2023

August is Tree Check Month! Look for the signs of Asian Longhorned Beetle (see link below). If you see a suspicious insect, take a picture or capture it and email us at [email protected].

Do you know that August is ? That’s because August is the peak time of year to spot the invasive Asian longhorned beetle.

Get ready by learning how you can be a tree check champion:
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/newsroom/news/sa_by_date/sa-2023/alb-tree-check-month

03/08/2023

We have lots of large wasps active this time of year!

Since 2020, there has been a large amount of interest in a potentially invasive species of hornet, scientific name Vespa mandarina, but more famously known as the “murder hornet.” The current accep…

02/08/2023

If you're near Robertson County, come on out on Friday to chat with some entomologists from our department!

Join us this Friday and learn all about our buggy buddies. We'll have expert entomologists hanging around and even gathering some bugs for observation! This is a family friendly event so if you've got little ones that just love digging up grubs bring em on over!
This Saturday team will be slingin' delectable BBQ & spinning vinyl from 2-8p. Don't miss this one folks!
Taproom hours:
Friday: 5-10p
Saturday: 12-10p
See ya soon 🍻

29/07/2023

For our last Moth Week 2023 post, I want to share the image of the creature below.

It's not a spectacularly large or small moth. It doesn't sport amazing colors. It doesn't have a notable life cycle. I'm not even sure which kind of moth it is ("Hemlock Angle", 𝑀𝑎𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑎 𝑓𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑎, is my best guess).

But it is a reminder that the Kentucky woods are FULL of these things. If you go out into wild Kentucky in the summertime, day or night, you'll find dozens of moth species without looking too hard. Despite weighing less, in most cases, than a piece of paper, each of them is a living creature, a flying jewel, a spirit in the material world. Each of them started as an egg, gorged themselves as caterpillars, and melted themselves into a new form inside a cocoon.

Go look for them. Take pictures. They all look a little different. Think about how each of them requires some particular kind of host plant. Whichever ones you see, they will likely turn to dust within days. But they'll be back next year, even if we forget all about Moth Week in 2024.

26/07/2023

In yards, gardens, and parks across Kentucky, people have noticed a loud insectoid buzz in the air. At first, this noise is mistaken for a squad of bumble bees arriving in force. However, this part…

25/07/2023

It’s Moth Week 2023! But unfortunately, not all moths is good moths...

Of all the invasive insects which can be found in Kentucky, one of the most interesting has to be the Spongy Moth (previously known as the Gypsy Moth). These are an exotic species native to Europe and Asia, and, unlike some invasive species, they were brought to the United States on purpose. In 1868, there was a growing demand for some sort of silk substitute, as disease was tearing through the traditional silk moth population and the Civil War was disrupting the cotton supply chain. An amateur entomologist and French expatriate Étienne Léopold Trouvelot, shipped in several different sorts of silk-producing moths to begin experimenting, and one of the species was the Spongy Moth--a species which was already known as an agricultural pest. Trouvelot reared the moths in his backyard and nursed them through several generations. At one time he actually had over a million larvae hidden behind his house. As one might imagine, however, this was a fuzzy, mothy time bomb. Eventually, several of the adult moths escaped.

Spongy moths populations grew quickly as the creatures mowed through forests. Eventually the United States government realized that they had to do something. Federal quarantines were slapped on infested areas. Then, around the end of World War II, they began the entomological equivalent of carpet-bombing all the areas where there were outbreaks with DDT and other early pesticides. Not only did this involve a lot of collateral damage, due to the DDT, but it ultimately failed.

Spongy moths eat over 300 different kinds of trees, although they prefer hardwoods, so they always have food, and they reproduce quickly. Spongy moths lay their eggs on almost any upright object, so they are often transported unknowingly to new areas. When the eggs hatch, the caterpillars, due to special hairs that give them buoyancy, are able to use air currents to sail very great distances.

In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, spongy moth infestations were so bad that enormous stretches of hardwood forest were stripped completely bare of foliage, and caterpillars covered roads, and houses, and cars. Authorities began trying all sorts of methods of controlling them, introducing nearly 50 different sorts of predaceous insects from Europe as biological control agents, scraping egg masses off by hand, laying hundreds of sticky traps baited with moth pheromones, and just squashing any moths or caterpillars they could find. One of the most effective methods turned out to be the introduction of an insect-infecting fungus. These control measures helped, but spongy moth populations persisted.

Today, spongy moths continue to be a perennial problem in the northeast. But What about in Kentucky?

Spongy moth has never become established in Kentucky, but populations exist nearby in West Virginia, Ohio, and Virginia, and individual moths are sometimes captured here. The Kentucky Office of the State Entomologist monitors for spongy moth every year. And guess what? You can too! If you find any caterpillars or moths that you suspect to be spongy moths, snap a picture and send it to someone who can identify it, like our Kentucky Office of the State Entomologist staff at [email protected]!

Read more about spongy moth in Kentucky here: https://ky-caps.ca.uky.edu/current-surveys/gypsy-moth

by Devin Moore, Kentucky Bugs Intern, Summer 2023

Spongy Moth Images: Adult Male (brown) and Female (white) - USDA APHIS PPQ , USDA APHIS PPQ, Bugwood.org; Spongy Moth caterpillars - Jon Yuschock, Bugwood.org

24/07/2023

It is Moth Week 2023! And if we are going to be celebrating the weird and wonderful moths of Kentucky, we would be remiss not to mention the amazing Luna Moth. Luna moths are in the family Saturniidae, which means they have a lot to live up to. Other members of that family include the Rosy Maple moth, the Io Moth, and 𝐴𝑛𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑎 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑘𝑎, a very pretty moth from Madagascar (among others).

Like all members of the Saturniidae, Luna moths are large, with a wingspan of 4-5 inches. They are a beautiful translucent green color, with white accents and rosy legs. These colors are helpful for concealing oneself against a leafy backdrop.

These moths also have an interesting life cycle. Luna moth caterpillars hatch out from egg masses which may contain 200 eggs or more, and from there they go through five instars (growth periods between molts). As caterpillars, they spend all their time eating and growing and growing and eating and occasionally rearing up to spit noxious liquids at any predator which might try to snack on them. When they reach the fifth instar, they start spinning a cocoon of silk around themselves, which will be their home for the next three weeks. When they are finished pupating, they slice their way out with specialized spurs on their wings. This escape process is called "eclosion", literally "coming out of the enclosure" in Latin. After they’ve come out (usually at dawn or midmorning) they tend to spend the remainder of the day resting and letting the blood fill out their wings, and then at nightfall they begin searching for a mate. They don’t eat in their adult forms (they don’t even have working mouths!), living only to find a mate. Females produce pheromones that draw the males closer. The males sometimes fly for miles to find these females. After mating, the female will lay a clutch of eggs under a leaf somewhere. Then she’ll die. About 10 days later, the eggs will hatch into approximately 200 little caterpillars, and the cycle will start all over again. In Kentucky, Luna moths typically have 2 generations per year, with adult moths appearing early in the summer and again in late summer.

You can help Luna moths by planting trees that their caterpillars like to eat, like black walnuts, hickories, sumacs, sweet gum, and persimmons, and by cutting back on light pollution, which can disrupt Luna moth mating.

By Devin Moore, Kentucky Bugs Intern Summer 2023

Luna moth image: Andrew J. Boone, South Carolina Forestry Commission, Bugwood.org

24/07/2023

Over the last 2 years, the Extension Entomology group has received multiple inquiries about strange, ribbon-like worms with hammer or moon shaped heads. These are creatively named, hammerhead worms…

21/07/2023

These invasive beetles may look harmless, but they are a tree’s worst nightmare. Report these pests by calling 1-866-702-9938.

Learn more about how you can help save trees: https://bit.ly/3ypjTWd

19/07/2023

If you have noticed any odd damage to your flowers or garden plants this summer, you may have been victim to earwig feeding. Earwigs are odd-looking insects that feed on a wide variety of food, but…

14/07/2023

I've been seeing lots of fireflies in my backyard! Unfortunately, a lot of popular lawn treatments negatively impact insects like fireflies and numbers seem to be on the decline. Here's another chance to be a citizen scientist.

FIREFLY WATCH
COMMUNITY SCIENCE PROJECT
Help scientists learn about the geographic distribution of fireflies.

Spend at least 10 minutes once a week during firefly season (now through August) observing fireflies in one location (your backyard or in a nearby field).

Use this link to learn more about what to look for and how to submit observations:
-> https://www.fireflyatlas.org/register-login

13/07/2023

This article from one of our extension entomologists has great information about controlling mosquitoes. When it comes to managing mosquitoes, a good rule of thumb is: if the approach or device sounds too good to be true — it probably is. For example, bug zappers kill more moths, beetles, and other harmless insects than mosquitoes.

Mosquito season is in full swing throughout the Commonwealth. Mosquitoes are a perennial nuisance for which there is no easy answer. As summer continues, there will be lots of information (both goo…

11/07/2023

This is a pretty good/entertaining guide for some of the insects you'll be seeing this summer!

A handy guide for this time of year! 🐝

29/06/2023

We set traps for box tree moth each year in nurseries across the state as part of our invasive pest surveys. Unfortunately, the moth was recently found in the Hamilton County, Ohio area, so we need to be even more vigilant than usual!

Back in 2021, the box tree moth, a new problem for boxwoods, was accidentally shipped from Canada to the United States. This caterpillar pest had been established in Ontario, Canada but over the la…

01/01/2023

FIRST BEEEKEEPING SCHOOL OF 2023 next Saturday (as far as we know)!! https://www.facebook.com/CapitalCityBeekeepers will have a beginning beekeeping school 8-5:30 on January 7 at the Franklin Co Extension Office! Free to members (only $10 to join). Come learn from some great beekeepers and kick your beekeeing year off right!

21/12/2022

Happy Holidays!

Original spider footage by https://www.youtube.com/user/PeacockspidermanFor all licensing inquiries please contact: [email protected] Follow us: https:...

16/12/2022

Mark your calendar for our upcoming 4th annual Forest Health Conference which will be held in person on February 8th at Kroger Field on the UK campus. CEU's will be available and lunch will be provided.

06/12/2022

Interested in fighting invasive insects and saving trees? Check out this flyer for a job opportunity with our colleagues at the Kentucky Division of Forestry.

30/11/2022

Everyone's getting ready for winter! ❄️☃️

As the season continues to cool, life outside is preparing for the cold. This includes the insects and spiders who must be able to survive exposure to freezing and sub-freezing temperatures. Insect…

10/11/2022

He's ready to find his forever family.

31/10/2022

Happy Halloween!

A home in central Pa. chose a Lanternfly theme to decorate their home this Halloween.

31/10/2022

Last month PPQ’s Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) Eradication Program in Ohio celebrated another victory—the ALB quarantine is officially 7.5 square miles smaller!

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites always use a .gov or .mil domain. Before sharing sensitive information online, make sure you’re on a .gov or .mil site by inspecting your browser’s address (or “location”) bar.

27/10/2022

❤️🕷

Leave it alone or transport it safely outdoors. You may have fewer flying bugs if you let a spider be your housemate.

26/10/2022

When every day is leg day…

Oh my quad! Hanging out on a building at Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in Alaska, these Harvestmen, also called Daddy-longlegs, are arachnids but are NOT spiders. Harvestmen are in the order, Opiliones, whereas spiders are Araneae. Harvestmen have one basic body section (spiders have two), two eyes, and eight legs. They live in moist habitats and are usually found under rocks, on logs, and in 24-hour gyms.
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Why do Harvestmen clump together? Some say it's all about safety in numbers. A group of harvestmen look larger, so it can cause predators to think twice about disturbing them or having them as a meal. ⁣
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Image: You can’t spell legendary without “leg!” Cluster of daddy longlegs that just want to be your friend. Sweet dreams.

25/10/2022

Entomologist Jonathan Larson will be swinging by this year’s Halloween Spooktacular to chat about weird and slightly off-putting things in the woods. If you want to know more about leeches, burying beetles, and other multi-legged Halloween stars, tune in on Wednesday, 10/26 at 11 a.m.

Join us LIVE here on YouTube tomorrow, Oct. 26 at 11am Eastern for our From the Woods Today Halloween Special!

25/10/2022

If you see a bug in the house, your first instinct might be to squish it. Before you do anything rash, read this.

24/10/2022

The close-up, zoomed-in photo of an ant's face by Lithuanian photographer Eugenijus Kavaliauskas was deemed nightmare fuel. But others see "God's miracles."