Entomology Final Spring 2025

What is an insect lifecycle?

A chain or sequence of biological events that occur during the lifetime of an individual insect.

What does hemi-metabolous mean? What does holo-metabolous mean? What does metamorphosis mean?

Hemi: Incomplete development (Egg, nymph, adult)
Holo: Complete development (Egg, nymph, pupa, adult)
Metamorphosis: Change

What are the 3 larval types?

-Polypod: Cylindrical w/ short thoracic legs and abdominal prolegs.
-Oligopod: Thoracic legs only.
-Apod: Lacks true legs; worm-like or maggot-like.

The process of pupation (and mot insect functions) is controlled by ___________

Hormones.

What are the 2 pupal types?

Exarate: Appendages not closely appressed to body.
Obtect: appendages are appressed to body, pupal cuticle heavily sclerotized.

What is voltinism?

The number of generations per year.

What are the 2 environmental factors that influence insect development?

-Temperature
-Photoperiod (the amount of daylight in a day)

What is Diapause?

A delay in development in response to anticipated periods of unfavorable environmental conditions.

What are degree day models?

A way to measure and predict insect development by tracking the accumulation of heat above a certain threshold. Can be used to manage pest control activity.

What 3 things make up a degree day?

-Threshold temperature
-Average daily temperature
-Thermal constant

What is a biofix?

A biological event that signals the start of growing degree days, such as seeing adults in pest traps.

What are the 2 ways you can use degree days in practice?

-Calendar- based
-Biofix

What is active thermoregulation?

Insects overwintering, such as bees using muscle movement to warm the hive.

What are the 2 key sensory modalities used by insects to locate host plants and mates?

-Visual
-Olfaction

What is sensory ecology?

How organisms acquire, process, and respond to information from the environment.

What are synergistic interactions?

When the combined effect of two or more stressors on an insect is significantly greater than the sum of their individual effects.

What are some examples of attract and kill systems?

-Bait stations
-Mass trapping
-Trap trees/crops

What can plant volatiles be used for?

Used in the form of synthetic attractants in traps for insect monitoring and control.

True or False: Sex and Aggregation Pheromones can be used for mating disruption

True

True or False: Acoustics and Behavioral Control can be used to trap insects

True

What is IPM?

Integrated Pest Management, the optimization of pest control in an ecologically/economically sound manner. Goal is to manage the populations of pests.

What causes the largest lost in global crops? Weeds, insects, or diseases?

Weeds (34%)

What is the economic threshold for IPM?

Pest abundance/level of damage at which intervention is justified.

What are some cultural control for IPM?

Preventative practices to keep pests away.
-Mass trapping
-Host plant resistance
-Trap crops

What are some examples of effective trap crops?

-Blue Ballet Hubbard squash
-Red Kuri Hubbard

What is Biological control?

Any activity involving the manipulation of natural enemies to maintain pest populations below damaging levels.

What is pest resurgence?

Each time a spray is applied, predators and parasites are killed, and you inherit their work.

What are the 3 natural enemies in biological control?

Predators: Beetles & predatory bugs
Parasitoids: Parasitic wasps, some flies
Pathogens: Viruses, bacteria, fungi

Describe parasitoids

An organism that lives in or on the body of its host, at least during a part of its life cycle. Most parasitoids are either wasps and bees(Hymenoptera) or flies(Diptera). Can attack eggs, larvae, pupae, or adults!

What are the 3 types of biological control?

-Classical biological control
-Augmentative biological control
-Conservation biological control

Define Augmentative biological control

Releasing a large amount of natural enemies to control pest population.

Define Conservation biological control

Manipulating the environment to improve the effectiveness of established natural enemies.

What do natural enemies require regarding biological control?

-Food: Nectar Pollen Sap, honeydew
-Alternate host/prey
-Shelter/overwintering sites

What are the 5 steps to enhance biological control?

-Protect/enhance habitat
-Multi-purpose cover crops
-Hold your fire!
-Banker plants
-Lure beneficials to your farm

What insects are in the order Blattodea? Type of metamorphosis?

-Cockroaches and termites
-Hemimetabolous

What are some characteristics of the insect order Blattodea?

-Cursorial legs (adapted for running)
-Chewing mouthparts

What are some characteristics of termites?

-Social insects with castes
-Need symbionts to digest wood

What insects are in the order Thysanoptera? Type of metamorphosis?

-Thrips
-Hemimetabolous

What are some characteristics of the insect order Thysanoptera?

-Wings are feather-like or fringed
-Nuisance/economic problem on ornamentals

What types of insects are in the Order Hemiptera? Type of metamorphosis?

-True bugs
-Hemimetabolous

What are some characteristics of the insect order Hemiptera?

-Piercing-sucking mouthparts
-Wings form a triangular structure called the scutellum

What is the scutellum in insects in the order Hemiptera?

The triangular structure formed by the way the wings come together.

What is an advantage of holometabolus development?

Reduces competition for food and other resources between developmental stages.

What types of insects are in the order Neuroptera? Type of metaorphosis?

-Lacewings/antlions
-Holometabolous

What are some characteristics of insects in Neuroptera?

-Net-like wings
-Chewing mouthparts
-2 pairs of wings

What insects are in the order Coleoptera? Type of metamorphosis?

-Beetles
-Holometabolous

What are some characteristics of insects in Coleoptera?

-Elytra
-Membranous hindwings

What is adaptive radiation?

An event in which a lineage rapidly diversifies with the newly formed lineages evolving different adaptations.

What insects are in the order Diptera? Type of metamorphosis?

-Flies/mosquitoes/gnats
-Holometabolous

What are some characteristics of insects in the order Diptera?

-Halteres
-Compound eyes
-Sucking/piercing/lapping mouthparts

Describe Halteres (order Diptera)

Reduced hind wings that evolved into gyroscopic sensors, detects body rotations during flight, essential for controlling wing motion while flying.

The Diptera probably have a greater economic impact on humans than any other group of insects, why?

-Pests of agricultural plants
-Transmits diseases to humans/animals

What insects are in the order Lepidoptera? Type of metamorphosis?

-Moths and butterflies
-Holometabolous

What are some characteristics of insects in Lepidoptera?

-Coiled proboscis for sucking fluids
-Larvae are eating machines of plant material
-Larvae have 5 or fewer pairs of prolegs

How can someone tell the difference between moths and butterflies?

BUTTERFLIES:
-Diurnal
-Bright colors
-Wings rest together and upright
-Straight and clubbed antennae
-Thin body

MOTHS:
-Mostly nocturnal
-Dull colors
-Wings rest at their sides or roof-like
-Straight or plumose antennae
-Thick body

True or False: The Morpho butterfly beautiful blue wings are from a pigment

False

What is Biomimicry?

An approach to building that draws inspiration from nature's solutions to address human challenges.

What types of insects are in the order Hymenoptera? Type of metamorphosis?

-Ants/wasps/bees
-Holometabolous

What are some characteristics of insects in the order Hymenoptera?

-Most beneficial group of insects to man
-Biological control
-Most advanced communication, learning, and vision
-Mostly social insects

How do honeybees communicate there is food and where to find it?

The waggle dance (discovered by Dr. Karl von Frisch).

True or False: There are social and solitary bees and wasps

True

Describe sawfly larvae (order Hymenoptera). How can they be differentiated from butterfly larvae (order Lepidoptera)?

-Larvae look like hairless caterpillars and always have six or more pairs of prolegs.
-Eggs are laid in slits in plant tissue cut by female's saw-shaped ovipositor.
-Eyes are visible.

What are some characteristics of ants (order Hymenoptera)?

-Form colonies (few dozen to millions).
-Females are capable of reproducing asexually through parthenogenesis (only females are produced).