Insect Identification and Control
To effectively control insect pests, you first have to be able to identify them. Use Penn State Extension’s resources and learn how to manage and control a variety of pests. Find information on leaf miners, spiders, mosquitos, mites, beetles, ticks, cockroaches, termites, wasps, hornets, slugs, earwigs, grubs, aphids, lanternflies, weevils, maggots, centipedes, and stinkbugs. Learn more about integrated pest management (IPM), and its practical application in the field, the backyard, or at home.
Insect Identification
The first step in adopting an integrated pest management system is proper pest identification, whether the pests are in the home, an equine facility, garden landscape, or an agricultural setting. Pests can also be a problem in high tunnels, red clover stands, and in soybean production. Help is available from experts such as Michael Skvarla, director of the Insect Identification Lab at Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences. Alternatively, you can learn to identify, prevent, and control the most common urban pests yourself.
Some of the most common insect pests include:
- Wood-destroying pests: Hymenoptera, such as bees, ants, and wasps, and wood-infesting beetles, subterranean termites, and other termites can cause severe damage to structural timbers in buildings.
- Mosquitoes: You can find more than 60 species of mosquitoes in Pennsylvania. The most widespread are the common house mosquito, white-dotted mosquito, rock pool mosquito, and the eastern tree-hole mosquito.
- Cockroaches: We commonly find three types in the US. You can control the American, Oriental, and German cockroaches by eliminating what they need to survive, such as food, water, and shelter.
- Spiders: You can find two dangerous spiders in Pennsylvania. Both the black widow spider and the brown recluse spider have a bite that may produce serious medical implications for humans.
- Stinkbugs: Not known for causing harm to humans, a large number of them flying around in your home can be distressing and if you squash them, they’re very smelly.
- Leaf miners: The larvae of these insects cause the damage. They mine their way through leaves and create blisters, hence the name. Vegetables most susceptible to this type of injury include beet, spinach, and chard.
- Tree fruit insects: The biggest issue with insects such as yellow jackets and hornets is the number of farmworkers who get stung. The general public is also at risk in farm markets and U-Pick operations.
- Spotted lanternfly: This is an invasive species that has spread throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania and nearby states.
Insect Pest Management and Control
Insect pests can cause substantial losses to crops and other types of plants. They can also cause human and animal diseases. For many years we have been dependent on pesticides as the only method of control, which has led to insect resistance and adverse effects of the environment, natural enemies, and human health. As a result, the ideal method for insect pest management and control is Integrated Pest Management.
Integrated Pest Management follows eight fundamental principles. These are:
- Prevention and suppression
- Monitoring
- Decision-making
- Non-chemical methods
- Pesticide selection
- Reduced pesticide use
- Anti-resistance strategies
- Evaluation
A key element for all these principles is identification. There are lots of resources available for both homeowners and commercial enterprises.
For homeowners and agriculture and green-industry professionals concerned about the spotted lanternfly, Penn State Extension has created multiple identification and management resources.
There are 900 species of ticks worldwide, 25 of which you can find in Pennsylvania. Penn State Extension provides an identification service and 90% of requests relate to two of these tick species.
East subterranean termites often cause damage to the structural timbers in buildings. Understanding their life cycle and the structural and chemical methods of control means you can reduce an infestation risk.
Integrated Pest Management can also be used to identify and control ants. The methods used are less hazardous to human health, less toxic to non-target organisms, easier and more cost-effective, plus are more likely to be effective in the long-term.
Mosquitoes are another common problem. They play a role in transmitting the West Nile virus, and one effective way to control them is to reduce potential mosquito breeding sites. Reducing the number of potential nesting sites is also a key element in spider management. For stinging insects such as paper wasps and yellow jackets, insecticides provide very effective control. If you’re using restricted-use, state-limited-use pesticides and regulated herbicides you will need a pesticide applicator license.
The monitoring of insect populations is one of the eight basic principles of IPM. You can monitor certain insects in the orchard using pheromone traps.
An increasing number of insect and mite pests have developed varying resistance levels to some of the insecticides commonly used. This has led fruit growers to adopt alternative approaches such as biological control by predators, pathogens, and parasitoids.
In this section, find plentiful resources on insect pest identification and management practices.
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VideosSpotted Lanternfly Circle Trap
Length 4:51Spotted lanternfly is an invasive insect pest, and Beth Finlay demonstrates how to build circle traps to trap them in this short video tutorial. -
ArticlesPear Insect and Mite Control Toolbox - Insecticide and Miticide Timing
Timing of a spray application in relation to insect and mite biology is important for achieving the best results. -
VideosOne Minute for Spotted Lanternfly: Don't Panic!
Length 1:08Erin Kinley provides the facts about spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) in this short video. It's important to stay calm when dealing with this invasive species. -
WorkshopsFree
Spotted Lanternfly Public Meeting
When Multiple Options AvailableLength 3 hoursThe public can do a great deal to stop the spread of the invasive Spotted Lanternfly. Learn what you can do to help during this in-person event! -
NewsWatch for Insects Clipping Heads in Small Grains
Date Posted 5/16/2023We have received some reports from southeastern Pennsylvania of insects clipping heads of small grains--these insects may be true armyworm or grass sawflies. -
NewsInsect Pests are Active in Corn, Alfalfa, and Small Grains
Date Posted 5/9/2023As Spring progresses, a variety of pests are active in many crop species; Here I consider black cutworm, alfalfa weevil, and cereal leaf beetle. -
ArticlesSpotted Lanternfly Management Resources
The public can do a great deal to stop the spread of the invasive Spotted Lanternfly, join us to learn what you can do to help! -
ArticlesAlfalfa Weevil
Alfalfa weevil is one of the two most-damaging insect pests of alfalfa in Pennsylvania (the other is potato leafhopper). It is an exotic species that likely evolved in Asia, but appears to have been introduced to the U.S. at least three times. -
ArticlesBlack Cutworm
In Pennsylvania field crops, black cutworm is most often a pest of corn, but can also cause trouble in wheat and tobacco. -
ArticlesSlugs as Pests of Field Crops
Slugs can eat virtually all crops and inflict most of their damage during crop establishment and early growth in the spring and fall. -
ArticlesLyme Disease
Lyme disease is an infection caused by the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria and is transmitted by ticks. -
Workshops$120.00
Entomology Short Course
When 08/31/2023Length 2 days, 7.5 hours each dayEarn PDA and ISA credits while learning about non-chemical and chemical pest management in turf, nurseries, and landscape ornamental plants! -
ArticlesPear Psylla in Home Fruit Plantings
Pear psylla adults, Cacopsylla pyricola, look like small cicadas and become active any time the temperature is above 40°F. -
ArticlesGarden Symphylan as a Pest of Field Crops
The garden symphylan is an occasional but destructive pest of field crops. Symphylans are not insects, but are more closely related to centipedes and millipedes. -
ArticlesOak Leaf Itch Mite
The oak leaf itch mite, thought to have originated in Europe, has been recorded from Australia, India, Egypt, Chile and most recently, the United States. -
ArticlesCluster Flies
In the autumn, cluster flies frequent the sunny sides of homes in search of protected over-wintering sites and may be found inside throughout the winter. -
ArticlesCorn Leaf Aphid on Field Corn
The corn leaf aphid is found throughout the United States and southern Canada. This native pest species feeds on sorghum, corn, small grains, and other grasses. -
ArticlesEuropean Paper Wasp
European paper wasps were introduced into North America in the 1970s and have since spread across the continent. They outcompete native paper wasps and negatively affect caterpillars. -
ArticlesCat Fleas
The cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis, is the primary flea found on cats and dogs. It will attack other animals and humans as well. -
ArticlesCarpenter Ants
The black carpenter ant normally nests in logs, stumps, and hollow trees. However, the workers often invade homes in search of food. -
ArticlesBrown-banded Cockroaches
Four species of cockroach are common pests in Pennsylvania structures. These are the German, brown-banded, Oriental, and American cockroaches. -
ArticlesLace Bugs on Broad-Leaved Evergreen Ornamental Plants
Twenty-eight lace bug species have been recorded in Pennsylvania, but only a few are key pests of ornamental evergreen plants like azalea and rhododendron. -
ArticlesOriental Cockroaches
One of four cockroaches common in Pennsylvania structures, Oriental cockroaches are often called water bugs due to their preference for dark, damp, and cool areas. -
ArticlesOystershell Scale
The oystershell scale is a common armored scale insect that causes injury to shade trees and shrubs, most often lilac, ash, dogwood, maple, poplar, and willow. -
ArticlesBillbugs in Home Lawns
Several billbug species occur on turf, but the bluegrass billbug is the most common in our state.



