As is typical this time of the year, caseload at the UW Insect Diagnostic Lab has been declining with the dipping temperatures around the region.  A summary of relevant insects and fruit crop pests submitted to the UW Insect Diagnostic Lab over the last two weeks can be found below:

Brown marmorated stink bugs: I’ve seen an increase in reports of brown marmorated stink bugs over the last two weeks in southern Wisconsin as the adult stink bugs prepare to invade structures or other sheltered locations for the winter.  While they might not be causing much damage to crops at this point in the season, spotting them around a farm, orchard, or vineyard can serve as an indicator of potential issues next growing season.

Multicolored Asian lady beetles: I’ve had a distinct increase in reports over the last two weeks from parts of northern Wisconsin.  Cold temperatures can signal these insects to seek shelter for the winter, but we’ll likely continue to see adult activity for the coming weeks.  These beetles will readily scavenge on damaged or compromised fruits and other sugar sources.

Yellowjackets and paper wasps: I continue to see reports of social wasps from around Wisconsin.  These scavenging insects are desperate for carbohydrates, so the adult wasps will readily forage upon damaged or compromised fruits or on honeydew produced by aphids or scale insects.  These insects have annual colonies that naturally die out in the fall due to starvation and cold temperatures, which will be occurring in the coming weeks.

This article was posted in Insects and tagged Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, Insect Diagnostic Lab, insects, multicolored Asian lady beetle, paper wasps, yellowjackets.