Insect Identification

Order:  Coleoptera

Lifecycle:  Complete metamorphosis with 3 instars and   1 generation per year.

Immature/larval stage:  White to creamy-white, soft  bodied curl grub up to 25mm long. Three sets of legs with  a hard, light brown head capsule.

Mature/adult stage:  Shiny jet-black scarab beetle up to  15mm long with serrated front legs.

Main period of damage:  Damage resulting from larvae  feeding from spring through to late summer.

Order:  Coleoptera

Lifecycle:  Complete metamorphosis with 3 instars and 1  generation per year.

Immature/larval stage:  White to creamy-white, soft  bodied curl grub up to 25mm long, with three sets of legs  and a hard, light brown head capsule.

Mature/adult stage:  Olive coloured scarab beetle with  brown markings and a soft shell, up to 15mm long.

Main period of damage:  Damage resulting from larvae  feeding throughout summer.

Order:  Coleoptera

Lifecycle:  Complete metamorphosis with 5 instars and 2-3  generations per year.

Immature/larval stage:  Legless, creamy-white, active  larvae up to 4mm long.

Mature/adult stage:  Dark grey to black weevil with  mottled grey body markings and a distinctive protruding  snout, up to 3mm long.

Main period of damage:  Damage resulting from larvae  feeding from spring through to summer.

Order:  Coleoptera

Lifecycle:  Complete metamorphosis with 6 instars and 1-2  generations per year.

Immature/larval stage:  Legless, creamy-white ‘C’ shaped  larvae with an orange head capsule up to 10mm long.

Mature/adult stage:  Dark brown to black weevil, with  a distinctive ‘bill’ like snout, and elbowed antennae, with  bodies up to 10mm long.

Main period of damage:  Damage resulting from larvae  feeding from spring through to early autumn.

Order:  Lepidoptera

Lifecycle:  Complete metamorphosis with 6 instars and 2-4  generations per year.

Immature/larval stage:  Smooth bodied, dark coloured  caterpillar with longitudinal lines and brown to black spots  on back and sides.

Mature/adult stage:  A brown moth with a wing span  up to 55mm. Fore-wings are purple brown with black  markings and hind-wings are grey with brown markings.

Main period of damage:  Damage resulting from larvae  feeding through autumn and winter.

Order:  Coleoptera

Lifecycle:  Complete metamorphosis with 3 instars and 1  generation per year.

Immature/larval stage:  White to creamy-white, soft  bodied curl grub up to 25mm long. Three sets of legs with  a hard, dark chocolate brown head capsule.

Mature/adult stage:  Dark brown to black shiny scarab  beetle up to 12mm long, with a distinct waist between the  abdomen and thorax.

Main period of damage:  Damage resulting from larvae  feeding from autumn through to spring.

Order:  Lepidoptera

Lifecycle:  Complete metamorphosis with 6 instars and 2-3  generations per year.

Immature/larval stage:  Small larvae up to 15mm long  burrow into fruit following hatching. The entrance hole on  the fruit can be observed.

Mature/adult stage:  Small light brown moth with a  wingspan of up to 20mm and a round metallic mark at the  end of each fore-wing.

Main period of damage:  Damage results from larvae  feeding from spring through to autumn.

Order:  Hemiptera

Lifecycle:  Incomplete metamorphosis with 1 instar and up  to 5 generation per year.

Immature/larval stage:  White or grey smaller adult.

Mature/adult stage:  Clam-shaped, mollusc-like scale  insect with a white, armoured body up to 1.6 mm long.

Main period of damage:  Damage occurring from spring  through to autumn.

Order:  Acarina

Lifecycle:  Incomplete metamorphosis with 2 nymphal  stages and numerous generations per year.

Immature/larval stage:  Translucent bodied mite invisible  to the naked eye up to 0.13mm long.

Mature/adult stage:  Creamy-white mite with an  elongated abdomen, body up to 0.2mm long.

Main period of damage:  Damage occurring from spring  through to late summer.

Order:  Diptera

Lifecycle:  Complete metamorphosis with 3 instars and 1-5  generations per year.

Immature/larval stage:  Thin white maggots up to 5mm  long.

Mature/adult stage:  Dark brown to black fly with large  eyes and clear, narrow wings, body up to 3mm long.

Main period of damage:  Damage resulting from larvae  feeding from spring through to summer.

Order:  Hymenoptera

Lifecycle:  Complete metamorphosis

Immature/larval stage:  White to translucent immobile  larvae up to 2.5mm long, rarely seen as they are stored  deep in the nest.

Mature/adult stage:  Shiny, light brown ant up to 5mm  long, with long, jointed antennae.

Main period of damage:  Damage resulting from nesting  activities through the warmer months when the colony is  active.

Order:  Acarina

Lifecycle:  Incomplete metamorphosis with 2 nymphal  stages and numerous generations per year.

Immature/larval stage:  Resembles the adult but of a  light green to yellow colour.

Mature/adult stage:  Pale to dark pink or red depending  on the season, with a round body up to 1.0mm in length  with short legs.

Main period of damage:  Damage occurring from spring  through to summer.

Order:  Hemiptera

Lifecycle:  Incomplete metamorphosis with one instar and  a single generation per year.

Immature/larval stage:  Pale and elongate body to 5mm  long, with legs and antennae.

Mature/adult stage:  A pink, globular-bodied pest with  a large, soft abdomen and small legs and mouthparts  clustered towards the front of the body, up to 4mm long.

Main period of damage:  Damage occurring from spring  through to autumn.

Order:  Hemiptera

Lifecycle:  Complete metamorphosis with 6-9 instars and  2-3 generations per year.

Immature/larval stage:  Soft bodied caterpillar with a  dark body up to 45mm long, with white and yellow striped  patterns along the back.

Mature/adult stage:  Pale brown moth, has a wingspan to  40mm, with a white spot in the centre of the forewing.

Main period of damage:  Damage resulting from larvae  feeding from spring through to autumn.

Order:  Hemiptera

Lifecycle:  Incomplete metamorphosis with 3 instars and 8  generations per year.

Immature/larval stage:  Resemble the adult but to  0.2mm long.

Mature/adult stage:  Dark pink to yellow soft body up to  5mm in length, covered with a white, waxy secretion.

Main period of damage:  Damage occurring from spring  through to autumn.

Order:  Orthroptera

Lifecycle:  Incomplete metamorphosis with 1 instar and a  single generation per year.

Immature/larval stage:  Resemble the adult but wingless.

Mature/adult stage:  A brown elongate insect pest with a  hard, shiny head and wings, body up to 50mm long.

Main period of damage:  Damage occurring from spring  and summer.

Order:  Coleoptera

Lifecycle:  Complete metamorphosis with 3 instars and a  single generation per year.

Immature/larval stage:  White to creamy-white larvae,  soft bodied, up to 20mm long, 3 pairs of legs, hard light  brown head capsule.

Mature/adult stage:  Dark brown to black scarab beetle  up to 16mm long, antennae have club-like ends, and the  underside of the body is hairy.

Main period of damage:  Damage resulting from larvae  feeding throughout summer.

Order:  Coleoptera

Lifecycle:  Complete metamorphosis with 3 instars and 2-3  generations per year.

Immature/larval stage:  White larvae with a soft body up  to 25mm long, curled in a ‘C’ shape, with a reddish brown  head capsule.

Mature/adult stage:  Shiny black scarab beetle much like  African Black Beetle, up to 12mm long.

Main period of damage:  Damage resulting from larvae  feeding from winter through to spring.

Order:  Lepidoptera

Lifecycle:  Complete metamorphosis with 6-8 instars and  2-3 generations per year.

Immature/larval stage:  Relatively think caterpillar up to  25mm long, pale green-brown body with dark spots.

Mature/adult stage:  Slender bodied moth with a  wingspan of 2.5cm. Wings are grey with black spots and  transverse dark wavy lines.

Main period of damage:  Damage resulting from larvae  feeding from late summer through to autumn.

Order:  Acarina

Lifecycle:  Incomplete metamorphosis with 2 nymphal  stages and numerous generations per year.

Immature/larval stage:  Young females are pale bodied  with a dark mark on each side; they are just visible to the  naked eye.

Mature/adult stage:  As the females mature they often  turn a darker colour, turning completely red in the cooler  months.

Main period of damage:  Damage occurring from spring  through to autumn, particularly in hot, dry weather.