New on Entomology Today: Conifer sawflies are common throughout North America. Typically little more than a nuisance to individual trees, large outbreaks are capable of defoliating thousands of forested acres in a very short time. A new review in the Journal of #IPM summarizes what we know about conifer sawflies, provides an identification key for larvae, and outlines management options for both managed and natural landscapes. #entomology #insects #sawflies https://entomologytoday.org/2023/08/15/what-eating-pine-needles-sawflies-probably/

The #conifer #sawflies of eastern North America, some species are important #pests of pine trees - review of their biology, distribution and pest status with a key for the identification of the 22 species covered - article in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management (@entsocamerica) by Jeremy S. Davis and others like @clinnen - https://doi.org/10.1093/jipm/pmad011

Wildlife gardening has been very rewarding for me but it's not all shiny successes. When I first moved here the garden had been drenched in weedkiller and very little grew until the third summer. One of the first plants to recover was meadow cranesbill, aka Pig yr Aran y Weirgoldd (Geranium pratense), which is loved by pollinators but also by hungry sawfly larvae. For two years it flowered before it was eaten to skeletons by the sawfly larvae, which were then eaten in their turn by birds and predatory minibeasts. But in year three the cranesbill died back significantly and there were no flowers, partly because of the weather and partly because, following the wild plants, the plant-eater population recovers faster than the predator population. Finding a balance takes time and patience (and is ideal therapy for perfectionist tendencies, lol). Appreciating the beauty of leaves eaten into pretty lace requires adaptability, but it's worth doing.

#nature #gardening #cranesbills #sawflies

Nematodes, from a pest insect that they had been breeding inside. While gory, #nematodes are a #biocontrol option for various invertebrate pests. Various species are available commercially, and can be effective against a range of species. They can be particularly good against insect pests with a soil-living life stage, such as #VineWeevil (and other weevils!), some #Sawflies, root maggots and other #Diptera larvae, etc. #LoadsaTodes

Butternut Woollyworm (Eriocampa juglandis)

#Hymenoptera #Symphyta #Sawfly #Sawflies #Insect #Insects #Larva #Larvae
#ArtWithOpenSource #Darktable #CreativeCommons #CCBYSA
#Nature #NaturePhotography #Photography
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Butternut_Woollyworm_(Eriocampa_juglandis)_-_Kitchener,_Ontario_01.jpg

An interesting iNaturalist observation of the week.

"Our Observation of the Week is this group of sawfly larvae (potentially in the genus Caliroa), seen in Germany by @ingrid\_kulozik!"

https://www.inaturalist.org/blog/74189-slimy-sawflies-observation-of-the-week-1-11-22

#iNaturalist #Nature #Sawflies #Insects #Environment