Insect Defoliators of the Southeastern United States Forest Health Guide for Georgia Foresters Terry S. Price – Entomologist

Hardwood Defoliators Greenstriped Mapleworm Orangestriped Oakworm Spiny Oakworm Buck Moth Oak Skeletonizer Forest Tent Caterpillar Eastern Tent Caterpillar Catalpa Sphinx Walnut Caterpillar Variable Oakleaf Caterpillar Gypsy Moth Locust Leafminer Larger Elm Leaf Beetle Japanese Beetle Yellow Poplar Weevil

Oakworms in the genus Anisota, are common throughout the South and do considerable damage in forest and landscape trees. Common species are the orangestriped, pinkstriped and spiny oakworms Lepidoptera Oakworms

Orange Striped Oakworm Feed on various oaks and sometimes birch and hickory.

Spiny oakworm

The greenstriped mapleworm, prefers maples but will feed on boxelder and oaks

Buck moth larva The buck moth feeds primarily on oaks.

The oak skeletonizer

Oak Skeletionizer Damage

The oak skeletonizer was responsible for extensive defoliation of chestnut oak over a 300,000–acre area in North Georgia from 1986 to 1999

Forest Tent Caterpillar Forms no tent, feeds on many species Note key-hole shaped spots

Eastern Tent caterpillar

Catalpa sphinx moth.

Walnut caterpillar Feeds on walnut, butternut, pecan, hickory.

Variable Oak caterpillar

Coleoptera - Hardwoods Locust leaf miner – nymph, larva and adult

The larger elm leaf beetle

The Japanese beetle

Conifer Defoliators Spotted Loblolly Pine Sawfly Virginia Pine Sawfly White Pine Sawfly Slash Pine Sawfly Hetrick's Sawfly Warren's Sawfly Blackheaded Pine Sawfly Red-Headed Pine Sawfly Abbott's Sawfly Introduced Pine Sawfly Loblolly Pine Sawfly Pine Webworm Pine Colaspis Beetle Pine Chafer Beetle Evergreen Bagworm

Sawflies

Black headed sawfly

Pine webworm Lepidoptera - conifers

Everygreen bagworm

Pine Colaspis beetle Coleoptera (Conifers)

Pine Colaspis beetle damage

Pine Chafer Beetle

Saddleback caterpillar Stinging Caterpillars that occur in Southern US Saddleback caterpillar

Hag Moth Caterpillar

Puss Moth Caterpillar. Most dangerous of the Stinging caterpillars – symptoms may last 12 hours

IO Moth Caterpillar

Stinging Rose Caterpillar

Mimicry – pretending to be something your not so as to keep from being eaten.

Questions to answer for Insect Defoliators: 1 ) How do polyphagous, oligophagous and monophagous defoliators differ? 2) How is the presence of a defoliator detected and evaluated? 3) Describe the basic life cycle of the spruce budworm. In what part of the U.S. is this insect a problem? 4) Describe the basic life cycle of the gypsy moth. What is the potential of this insect becoming a problem in Alabama? 5) Describe the basic life cycle of the Douglas-fir tussock moth. Where is this insect a problem? 6) How do humans contribute to the spread of Gypsy Moth in the United States? What is one major difference between the Gypsy Moth and the Asian Gypsy Moth. 7) What is ‘Disparlure’ and what is its role in integrated pest management? 8) Why is damage by the Douglas-fir Tussock moth generally more serious than that caused by the Gypsy Moth? 9) Why would foliage feeding insects generally be more important in the Southern Region than in some other parts of the U.S.? 10) Why are native defoliators generally less of a problem than those introduced from other countries?