Cutworms are cool-weather, early-season pests of many cultivated plants. Often before crops are even planted, the small instar cutworms may be feeding on winter-annual weeds in fields. When winter-annual weeds are burned down, and spring crops are planted, half-grown cutworm…

There are relatively few insects that are active as adults in the late fall and winter months, but one of those groups is winter crane flies (Figure 1).  There are a number of species of winter crane flies in North…

Status of the brown marmorated stink bug The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), Halymorpha halys, was detected in soybean fields in several counties of western Kentucky between August and September 2020. This insect is widely distributed and has been established…

A nice good-looking stink bug was observed in western Kentucky on several occasions during mid-July and mid-August this year. Euthyrhynchus floridanus (Pentatomidae) (Figure 1), known as the Florida predatory stink bug, has been previously detected in Kentucky and several northern…

One of the more unusual species to find in gardens is a terrestrial flatworm called the hammerhead worm. This week, I have had two reports of them; one from the mountains of eastern Kentucky (Letcher County), and the other from…

Leafhoppers in Kentucky 2020 Kentucky is not known for its leafhoppers but ask anyone who has been outside this season and they will tell you Kentucky is full of them. Leafhoppers are found all across America but generally do not…

One of the more spectacular entomological events is the emergence of millions of periodical cicadas. What makes this event so unusual is that it occurs so infrequently, each brood emerging every 13 or 17 years. Depending on where one lives,…

A nationwide survey is currently underway to gather information from farmers and growers on the economic impact of the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) (Figure 1) on agriculture. The objective of the survey is to better provide commercial producers with…

As summer winds down, it’s surprising to find that insects aren’t always hiding like we might assume. In fact, some insects seem to start interacting with us even more as the calendar switches over to September. One group that we…

Upon its accidental arrival in the U.S., as with most other invasive species, brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) numbers expanded quickly in the absence of natural enemies that it left behind in its native Asia. For a number of years,…

With the hot weather, there has been a large increase in numbers of reports of spider mite activity, particularly in greenhouses and high tunnels where foliage stays much drier. Two-spotted spider mite is a common pest of many vegetable and…

Stink bugs are becoming more numerous as we move into the mid-summer months; they are feeding on a wide range of agronomic and horticultural crops. Producers are encouraged to be on the lookout for stink bugs and their close relative,…

Millipedes play an important role in breaking down decaying plant matter. These multi-legged arthropods accumulate where there is some moisture coupled with mulch, fallen leaves, or a significant thatch layer. Large numbers of millipedes can appear suddenly to cover sidewalks,…