Organic Gardening Insect Glossary A-D
Organic gardening Insectipedia insect glossary A-D is a free resource of garden insects, insect terms, and helpful information.
This compound can be commercial products in the form of
Tanglefoot or Stickem. They are a safe natural sticky compounds that
can be used as a trap or barrier.
The abdomen is the hind section of the three main body
divisions of the insect.
It functions as a storing and processing of the nutrients, the
circulation of the blood, the pumping of oxygen, the development of
eggs and their deposition and the production of sperm and copulation.
The abdomen is flexible and is able to expand and contract.
These snails feed on the common brown garden snail, but
generally leave organic garden crops alone. They are sold commercially,
but some counties restrict their use.
Check with your local county extension agent for sources and
possible restrictions.
A deeply rooted, ragged and course, European plant that is
rich in nitrogen (leguminous)
and is usually grown for hay and forage, but can be used as mulch as
well.
Any of class of saturated nitrogenous organic bases,
especially one of vegetable origin, having a physiological affect on
warm-blooded animals as strychnine or morphine.
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Often, a predator or parasitoid of a fruit pest also attacks
other insects that feed on other plants.
These alternative host insects usually cause no damage
(economic) to the main crop, but are essential for the predator or
parasitoid to overwinter
or to complete its Life
cycle. If this is the case then intercrop with alternative
host plants in or near the organic garden or orchard.
An example of parasitoid conservation through intercropping
alternative host plants takes place in vineyards where wild
blackberries are allowed to grow. The Grape Leafhopper
(Erythroneura comes), which is a serious pest of Grapes is attacked by
a Chalcidoid (Wasp) egg parasitoid. This parasitoid over winters
successfully only if an alternative host insect (non-pest) Leafhopper
species that inhabits blackberries, is present.
Antenna (pl. Antennae) are a pair of "feelers", located on the
head above the mouthparts, and are used as sensory organs. The size and
form of the antennae vary significantly among different insect groups
and is useful in identification.
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Aphids are a small, sluggish, soft-bodied insect that uses its
beak to pierce the plant and suck on the sap.
They often cause the spread of virus diseases from their
puncture. Aphids are eaten by Lady Beetles,
Green Lacewing and
some Flower Fly. They
are 1/16 to 1/3 inches long and pear shaped. The more than 800 species
of Aphids have various life cycles and are found throughout North
America and Europe.
Aphids are a small, sluggish, soft-bodied insect that uses its
beak to pierce the plant and suck on the sap.
They often cause the spread of virus diseases from their
puncture. Aphids are eaten by Lady Beetles,
Green Lacewing and
some Flower Fly. They
are 1/16 to 1/3 inches long and pear shaped. The more than 800 species
of Aphids have various life cycles and are found throughout North
America and Europe.
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A group of terrestrial arthropods that consists of Harvestmen,
Mites, Pseudscorpions,
Scorpions,
Spiders,
and Whipscorpions.
With the exception of Mites, most arachnids are predators.
The arolium is the pad between the tarsal claws or at the base
of each tarsal claw.
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Augmentation of predators and parasitoids involves the culture
and repeated release of natural enemies to stifle pest populations.
They may naturally occur, but only at low populations or may be an
exotic species that are not able to carry on in the new environment. An
example might be the release of the parasitoid Trichogramma Wasp,
which attacks the eggs of 200 insect pests. This parasitoid is most
effective when it is released in a sequence of three releases at
two-week intervals. In colder regions, it may die out.
The axil of a plant is the angle formed by the branch or leaf
and the axis from which it originated, or in other words, at the base
of a branch or leaf.
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Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt, is a naturally occurring
bacterial disease organism and is one of the most effective
insecticides used today, especially against Caterpillars.
Bt is commercially available in dust or spray for use throughout your
organic garden and is nontoxic to mammals and birds. In fact, if used
as directed, it can be used close to harvest time.
Bacterium
Plant infested with Bacterial Wilt will wilt and
become slightly stunted.
On stems, brown, soggy streaks and lesions may appear, and dark ooze
may be evident. Potato tubers often show a darkened vascular ring about
1/3 inch below the skin.
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Barriers prevent the insect from attacking foliage from
climbing or flying insects. I suggest many types of traps in the insect
listings. Barriers:
1. Cover plants with nylon netting
2. Bone
meal
3. Copper
bands around trunks against Slugs and Snails
4. A
sticky band of compound - Tanglefoot
and Stickem
5. Intercropping
with plants that provide physical interference to insect pests
Insect Traps:
a. Black
light traps
b Temporary debris
traps, i.e. boards, bamboo sections
c. Intercropping
with trap plants
There are many varieties of beetles, or insects belonging to
the Coleoptera
order, characterized by having four wings of which the outer pair is
modified into rigid coverings to protect the inner pair when not in use.
Blackberry Blueberry
Boysenberry Currant
Gooseberry Grape
Raspberry Strawberry
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Bacterium
Stems are blackened and look slightly rooted near the soil
line. Leaves turn yellow and curl upward before dropping off. Potato
tubers can become infected at the stem end and appear soft and rotted.
Infected fruit become water-soaked with dark spots.
This disease is transmitted by the soil, seeds, insects and
cutting or pruning tools. An effective control is rotating
the particular crop every four or five years.
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Black light traps are traps that use a form of black light
that is visible or perceptible to certain insects as a form of
attractant. The insects are drawn toward the light and are usually
electrocuted when they arrive at the trap.
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Lepidoptera
and Coleoptera
Borers are the larvae
of insects, which tunnel into the wood of trees and shrubs and the
stalks of plants. The adults lay eggs on the plant or may plunge them
into plant tissue. Upon hatching, the borers spend most of their lives
within the plant, and can do a significant amount of damage before it
is noticed.
Stress from drought, nicked trunks from lawn mowers, freezes,
wind and fire make plants very susceptible to Borer attack. Ways to
protect plants from borers:
- Work on keeping a healthy
soil and don't over fertilize.
- Consider the water requirements of each plant, and stay
within those limits.
- Wrap strips of barrier materials around the trunks of trees,
i.e. burlap, Tanglefoot,
Stickem,
and cardboard.
- Use proper pruning techniques to remove injured, or
weakened branches of trees.
- Look carefully for small entrance holes in the bark or just
above the soil on the trunk. There may be sap oozing or brown castings
around the hole.
Unfortunately, once borers infested the plant they may be very
hard to eliminate.
Boron levels are low in many parts of the U.S. due to leaching
from the soil. Attempts to correct low levels may often be difficult in
soils low in organic matter. Many crops are very sensitive to a boron
deficiency, including apples, beets,
turnips,
muskmelons,
broad
beans, onions,
cabbage,
lettuce,
carrots,
other fruit trees, and some legumes.
Boron plays a major role in photosynthesis, seed setting, and
the viability of pollen. Boron can be very toxic and should be applied
evenly and in the proper amount.
The word botanical simply means "relating to plants,"
therefore, when used in conjunction with an insecticide, it means the
insecticide has been derived from plants, or can be considered a
natural or organic insecticide.
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A Braconid parasite refers to the tiny Braconid Wasp, which is
a parasitic insect that attacks Caterpillars.
The adult wasp lays its eggs on caterpillars, or host insects. The eggs
produce tiny larvae that eat into the caterpillar, eventually killing
the host insect. If you see caterpillars with many tiny white eggs on
the surface, do not destroy the insect, instead let the Braconid wasp
do its work. They are very useful insects and should be encouraged in
your organic garden. They can also be purchased commercially. See your
local nursery.
A brood is a group, in these case insects, having the same
origin. A brood of insects refers to a group of insects that were
hatched at the same time or during the same time of the year.
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Brown rot is a disease found in stone fruits, such as peaches,
and is caused by fungi. Brown rot can be prevented by placing the
freshly picked fruit in a hot water bath of 120 deg. F for
7 minutes, or 140 deg F for 2 minutes. It is most effective to perform
this within 24 hours of harvest, but has been found to work even when
this isn't possible.
Hemiptera
and Homoptera
Bugs range in size from minute to very large and are easily
recognized by the wings and shape. The mouthparts are piercing sucking
type, consisting of a three or four-part beak (the labium is
elongated) enclosing the mandible
and maxilla
in the form of pointed side arms. The mouthparts arise from the front
part of the head
Bugs are mostly plant eaters. They pierce the outer surface of
fruits and plant tissue and inject salivary fluids to draw out and
consume partially digested cell sap. Bug damage results in blemished
and pitted fruits and foliage. Sudden wilting may also occur.
Cleaning garden debris
and weed control are the best preventive measures in controlling these
pests. rotenone,
sabadilla,
and ryania
may be effective, but only as a last resort.
Some of the most important pest predators are Bugs, such as
the Assassin Bugs , Ambush Bugs, Damsel Bugs, and certain Stinkbugs.
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Chive Garlic
Leek Onion
Shallot
Calendula is a yellow-rayed herb that grows well in temperate
or mild temperature regions.
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Calcium is needed to build plant cell walls and encourage
tissue growth. Calcium occurs naturally in organic soil; in most cases,
supplements are not required. However, if your soil is extremely acid,
you may need to amend the ph
level. High amounts of acid deplete the calcium in soil.
Calcium is one the most important nutrients in the soil and in
the plant. In the soil, it binds both inorganic and organic substances
and thereby plays a major role in the of good soil structure. In the
plant, calcium helps regulate the transport of nutrients across plant
cell membranes. Calcium also protects the plant from the harmful waste
products of plant metabolism.
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Camouflage is the concealment by means of disguise. For
example, some insects look like sticks and are difficult to see when in
trees or shrubs.
There are two types of cankerworms, more commonly known as
"Inchworms," spring cankerworms and fall cankerworms.
Cankerworms will climb shade or fruit trees to feed on the
foliage and will travel from tree to tree or descend to the ground for
hibernation by swinging on a silk strand that it produces. The
cankerworm has many natural enemies, such as, birds, Tachinid Flies, Ground Beetles,
potter wasps, and other predatory insects. They can also be controlled
by proper soil cultivation, since they hibernate just under the surface
of the soil. The cankerworm is about an inch long and matures into a
male moth or a wingless female insect.
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A caterpillar is a wormlike larva of a moth or butterfly.
Cation-exchange capacity is the degree a soil can adsorb and
exchange cations.
Soil particles and organic
matter have negative charges on their surfaces. Mineral
cations can adsorb to the negative surface charges or the inorganic and
organic soil particles. Once adsorbed, these minerals are not easily
lost when the soil is leached by water and they provide a nutrient
reserve available to plant roots. These minerals can then be replaced
or exchanged by other cations (i.e., cation exchange)
Cation-exchange capacity is dependent upon soil texture and
organic matter content. More there is of clay and organic matter in the
soil the higher the Cation-exchange capacity. Clay content is important
because these small particles have a high ration of surface area to
volume.
Catnip is an aromatic mint, Nepeta Cateria, with spirals of
small pale flowers and contains a substance that is attractive to cats.
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The cervix is the large membranous neck region of the insect,
between the head and thorax.
The Chalcid Wasp is a very tiny insect that is parasitic as a
larva on or in the larvae or pupae of other insects. In other words, it
lives and feeds, by attaching itself to a host insect to the eventual
destruction of that host insect.
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Cheesecloth is a very lightweight cotton cloth used in the
making of cheese, but is very popular among some organic gardeners as a
form of pest control. For example, to guard against cabbage maggots,
gardeners will make a cheesecloth tent over the cabbage. The
cheesecloth used is usually made with at least 24 strands per inch and
covers the garden patch completely, extending 6 inches all the way
around. The tent is usually allowed to remain until the plant is passed
the seedling stage and has formed healthy roots. The only draw back to
the tent is that it provides shade and slows the growth of the plants.
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It's important to look for signs of insect attack. The signs
may show up as leaf or foliage or crown
damage. Types of damage are:
1. Leaves chewed from outside edge
2. Leaves with speckles or speckles and may be chewed
3. Leaves are chewed in the inside
4. Leaves are skeletonized
5. Leaves have tunnel marks
6. Leaves may be surrounded in webs
7. Crown
damage
8. Damage at ground level
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If you live in a rural area and have chickens, you may
periodically allow your chickens to browse your organic garden. They
will consume Slugs and Snails as fast as they can find them. You may
have to water first to bring the Slugs and Snails out.
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A-D
The periodical Cicada is a stout, 1-inch long insect with a
short blunt head, red bulging eyes, and transparent wings. The male
makes a buzzing noise by vibrating its membranes at the base of its
abdomen. There are two types of Cicadas. The Dog-day Cicada appears
annually and has a black body, green wings, and numerous white
markings. The periodical Cicada takes 13 to 17 years to mature under
the soil, then emerges for 6 weeks as an adult to reproduce.
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Chlorophyll is a green pigment found in most plants.
Chlorophyll is vital for photosynthesis, which helps plants obtain
energy from light. It absorbs light and transfer that light energy to
the plant.
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A-D
I have chosen to break up food crops into the following
classification: Orchard crops Nut
Fruit Berries and
Grapes
Classification of vegetables is based on use and botany
Vegetables Bulb
Cole
(all are members of Bassisca oleracea except and including Chinese
Cabbage) Corn
Cucurbits
(all members of the Cucurbitacea) Fleshy Fruits
(members of the Solanacea) Grains
Perennials
(those plants that grow back year after year for three or more years) Legume Roots Salad
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In most instances, the claws are used to grip onto normally
rough surfaces.
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Clover is a low growing leguminous, or nitrogen fixing, herb
with a three leaf stalk and is often used as a ground cover or lawn.
The clover flowers in a dense head and is very attractive to bees.
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The clypeus is located just below the fronds and above the
labium and serves as the attachment for the labium.
(all are members of Bassisca
oleracea except Chinese
Cabbage)
Broccoli Brussels sprouts
Cabbage Cauliflower Chinese Cabbage Kohlrabi
Coleoptera
Coleoptera is the order of Beetles and are the most diverse
group of insects. The Beetle order has more species in it than in any
other order in the animal kingdom.
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Compost is a mixture consisting mainly of decaying organic
matter, which is used for fertilizing crops, gardens, and yards.
Most organic gardeners designate an area where all garden
rubbish is stored and allowed to decompose into a rich organic
fertilizer.
For more information on organic gardening composting see Organic Gardening
Compost
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The compound eyes are located on the head and are made up of
many individual facets; the facets represent types of lenses and may be
hexagonal or circular. In many insects, the compound eyes take up a
considerable area of the head.
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Conservation of predators and parasitoids is used to preserve
the naturally occurring beneficial insects in the garden. Conservation
involves the special consideration when applying natural insecticides (Rotenone
or Pyrethrum)
that may kill the beneficial insects and creating an environment that
is well suited for them. This environment is created by intercropping with
plants that provide nectar to adult predators and parasitoids or helps
the beneficial to overwinter.
Conservation Guidelines of Predators and
Parasitoids:
1. Intercropping with Insectary plants
2. Supply
artificial food
3. Intercropping with an alternative
host plant
Copper is very important to the reproductive process of
plants. It improves yield and prolongs storage life most noticeably in
root and leaf crops. In many parts of the country, copper levels are
decreasing to the point of deficiency.
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Wrap bands of copper around the trunks of trees.
Slugs and Snails will not cross this barrier.
The most basal segment of the insect leg, articulating with
the thorax.
The coxa acts as the pivoting joint.
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Creosote is a yellow or clear oily liquid of phenolic
ingredients and is very flammable. Creosote is made from the process of
beech wood tar distillation.
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Cucumber mosaic is a viral disease common to cucumbers that is
transmitted by aphids. The disease produces blotchy foliage and often
affects the fruit by turning it pale and warty.
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Cucumber Wilt, Bacterial Wilt
Bacterium - Erwinia tracheiphila
Cucumber Wilt infects all Cucurbits,
except Watermelon. This disease causes the leaves to have patches of
discoloration and eventual wilt.
The plant may wilt so fast that the leaves may both dry up and remain
green. The bacteria are spread by the Spotted and Striped Cucumber
Beetles.
Affected plants should be destroyed immediately.
Cover the uninfected crops with cheesecloth
or floating row covers to keep the Beetles from spreading the disease
even more.
Controlling the Spotted and Striped Cucumber Beetles, and crop
rotation
(Beetles overwinter
in soil)
are the best ways of controlling Cucumber Wilt.
(all members of the Cucurbitacea)
Cucumber Gourd Melon
Muskmelon Pumpkin
Squash Watermelon
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Culls are rejected or worthless items, such as, infected or
rotten fruit, branches, or foliage.
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Cultivate means to loosen, break up, or turn over soil in
preparation for raising crops.
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Cultivating is the act of loosening, or turning over soil in
preparation for raising crops.
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Cultivation is the act of loosening, or turning over soil in
preparation for raising crops.
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Garden debris is organic matter, such as, garden rubbish or
trash, pruning's, clippings, or fallen fruit.
If debris is spread through out the garden, it may shelter and
encourage pests and encourage disease.
Almost all garden waste should be placed in the compost
pile.
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Defoliate means to deprive of leaves, usually prematurely. For
example, some insects can strip plants of their leaves by eating them,
such as grasshoppers.
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Diapause is the period of dormancy, such as with certain
insects, that occurs between periods of activity.
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Diatomaceous earth is made from the ground skeletons of
small-fossilized animals. When soft-bodied insects and non- insects
such as Aphids, Grubs,
Caterpillars, Fly maggots, Mites, Slugs or Thrips eat it, it punctures
their stomachs. This causes the insect to die from dehydration.
It perhaps is the safest and most effective contact natural
insecticide, but is very expensive and a scarce environmental resource.
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A dipterous insect is one that has two wings, such as a
two-winged fly.
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Dormant oils get their name because they are generally used
when plants are in the dormant stages of the season. Safe dormant oil
would consist of light grade oil and an emulsifier, such as fish-oil
soap. Application of the oil is usually just prior to the buds opening.
Dormant oils are carried by most garden supply stores. Do not use
dormant oil sprays that contain arsenate of lead, lime sulfur, or any
other strong chemicals used to increase the insecticidal strength. They
are definitely harmful to your plants and are not safe to use.
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Dust with Diatomaceous
earth. This method is very effective.
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