As with household spiders, earwigs often shelter beneath bark to feed. Their flattened bodies and coloring blend in perfectly, making it hard to detect these unassuming insects.
Be on the lookout for powdery sawdust-like droppings or small winding tunnels under bark that look similar to galleries. When planting species suitable to their site and with proper care, susceptibility will decrease significantly. You can learn more about tree services in Orlando at this website.
Leafhoppers
Leafhoppers (Cicadellidae) feed on many species, from turfgrasses and flowers to vegetables, shrubs and fruit trees. Some species even act as vectors for pathogen transmission! Look out for feeding damage as stippled areas which converge into larger whitish spots on leaves; during hot weather females lay one to six eggs daily on leaf surfaces before their young nymphs undergo five moults before becoming adults.
Adult flies are thin, wedge-shaped insects with either green or colorful patterns on them that vary in brightness and can jump quickly when disturbed. Nymphs resemble adult flies but possess wings; to distinguish them, look for spines along the hind tibiae (“shins”) of both hind legs that run sideways much like crab legs do.
Bark Planthoppers
North America is home to 13 species of planthoppers. In general, these small jumping insects resemble moths, caddisflies or grasshoppers in that their wings are short and bodies flattened laterally; female planthoppers sometimes cover themselves in woolly materials to obscure their appearance while others rub specific sections of wings together for loud stridulation sounds.
This insect can be found feeding on various woody dicot plants such as rose and aster families, noni, mango, banana, taro and Hernandia species. Planthoppers possess piercing/sucking mouthparts which produce honeydew which feeds mold growth; damage caused by treehoppers tends to be limited in the landscape setting if you regularly wash plants with forceful streams of water. To get rid of them faster.
Bark Earwigs
Earwigs can cause irreparable harm to fruit, flower and vegetable crops in gardens and outdoor landscapes by damaging them with their feeding activity and hiding during the day under logs, rocks, mulch or plant debris.
Cracked foundations, walls, and windows allow mice access to homes. Once inside they seek refuge in damp basements or crawl spaces where there may be damp conditions and piles of books, lumber, firewood and cardboard boxes that attract their attention.
Prevent earwig infestations by clearing away their favorite hiding places. Remove heavy ground cover such as ivy and thin out your mulch layers for optimal performance. Also keep compost piles away from buildings and keep tree bark and wooded areas under control.
Phasmids
Phasmatodea, commonly referred to as Phantom Insects or Ghost Insects, are related to mantids, grasshoppers and crickets and feature long and slender bodies resembling sticks, leaves or (in certain species) bark.
Phasmid species are herbivores, feeding on various species of plants both domestically and in the wild. Eucalyptus leaves seem to be particularly beloved among phasmid species.
Phasmids can make a beautiful addition to a garden and are generally safe for people and pets. By watching where phasmids have fed, you’ll be able to identify them more easily; when feeding on broad leaves they leave behind an identifiable half-moon-shaped bite on its surface that indicates where they were feeding.
Barklice
Before bringing home a holiday tree from its lot, it’s wise to inspect it thoroughly for signs of pests or bugs such as barklice and psocids. They could possibly leave behind cobweb-like silk deposits on evergreens that must be cleared away before entering your home.
Psocids can be found throughout a home’s interior and outside in many environments, often feeding on fungi and lichens found outside. Resembling lice, their wings typically fold neatly over their bodies when resting.
Lace Bugs
Lace bugs feed on evergreen shrubs such as azaleas, rhododendrons and other evergreens; their damage appears as stippling or pale spots that merge to give a bleached appearance similar to thrips and spider mite damage, but much coarser in appearance. Damaged leaves may show signs of bug excrement as well as shed skins from overwintering eggs embedded partially within leaf tissue and two to five generations may emerge each season.
Avoid spraying plants with yellowed or stippling foliage to avoid polluting nearby plantings, and use integrated pest management strategies to keep lace bug populations under control as their presence can reduce plant vigor and leave it more susceptible to diseases or adverse weather conditions.