| 1440102 |
tobacco flea beetle |
Epitrix hirtipennis |
Tobacco flea beetles, are major pests of tobacco. The are brownish black beetles about 1/16-inch long. Feeding by adults gives leaves a characteristic shot-hole appearance. They attack plants in the seedbeds almost as soon as they come up, often ruining entire plant beds. After transplanting, beetles become continue chewing holes into the leaves until the crop is harvested, weakening the plants and decreasing the value of the leaves. Heavy feeding on newly-set plants may cause stunting, resulting in uneven stands. The white, larvae burrow into the soil and feed on the roots of tobacco, cutting off the small roots and sometimes tunneling into the stalk. |
| 1402114 |
Japanese beetle |
Popillia japonica |
Adult beetles are metallic green with copper-colored wings and tufts of white hair around the posterior end. They are 3/8 to ½ inch long. Adults appear during late spring and early summer and are most active on bright sunny days. They migrate into tobacco fields and often feed in groups on the upper leaves of scattered plants. Feeding holes are of moderate size and irregular or ragged, giving leaves a lacy appearance. Larvae are the grubs which feed in the soil on roots other than tobacco. They are about one inch long at maturity, white or grayish white with a reddish-brown head and are somewhat C-shaped. |
| 1402109 |
whitefringed beetles |
Naupactus spp. |
The flightless adults are dark gray, short-snouted weevils with a line of white hairs along each side. Adults are active in midsummer and may leave sawtooth cuts along leaf margins but cause little real damage. |
| 1402120 |
tobacco flea beetle |
Epitrix hirtipennis |
Adult beetles are present on tobacco throughout the growing season (both in plant beds and in the field). Damage is characterized by small, round holes that give the leaves a "shot-hole" appearance. Injury is especially severe on newly transplanted tobacco. The lower leaves of larger plants can also be heavily damaged, especially near the base of the leaves. Adult beetles are brown with black markings and fine punctures on their wing covers. They are about 1/16 inch long. Adults pass the winter in grassy areas, woodlots, and other favorable sites in and around tobacco fields. The larvae are slender, white grubs 1/16 to 3/16 inch long with brown heads. Larvae live in the soil and feed on and burrow into the roots of tobacco plants. There are 3 to 5 generations of flea beetles per year. Several other species may occur in tobacco. |
| 1440098 |
vegetable weevil |
Listroderes costirostris obliquus |
The vegetable weevil, feeds as a larva and an adult, primarily at night. The adult is a dull gray-brown beetle, about 3/8- inch long, with a pale gray mark near the posterior end of each wing cover, forming an inconspicuous V-shaped spot. The pale green legless larvae have brown heads. Larvae may feed on tobacco in plant beds during early spring. Larvae may damage or destroy the bud and eat holes into the leaves. Larvae appear in spots and may damage a good size area. Because they feed mostly at night, it is difficult to locate them. However, the feeding damage is usually easy to see and should be used to determine the presence of this insect. |
| 1440103 |
tobacco flea beetle |
Epitrix hirtipennis |
Tobacco flea beetles, are major pests of tobacco. The are brownish black beetles about 1/16-inch long. Feeding by adults gives leaves a characteristic shot-hole appearance. They attack plants in the seedbeds almost as soon as they come up, often ruining entire plant beds. After transplanting, beetles become continue chewing holes into the leaves until the crop is harvested, weakening the plants and decreasing the value of the leaves. Heavy feeding on newly-set plants may cause stunting, resulting in uneven stands. The white, larvae burrow into the soil and feed on the roots of tobacco, cutting off the small roots and sometimes tunneling into the stalk. |
| 1440126 |
grasshoppers |
|
Grasshoppers [various species including differential grasshopper, Melanoplus differntialis (Thomas) and redlegged grasshopper, Melanoplus femurrubrum (DeGeer)] chew irregular holes between veins of leaves. Adult redlegged grasshoppers are 3/4 to 1 inch long. They are greenish-gray to olive-green or reddish-brown with a yellowish underside. The hind tibiaae are red with black spines. The differential grasshopper is 1 1/2 to 2-inches long with a shiny, brownish-yellow color and black V-shaped marks on the outer face of the yellow femur. Immature (nymphs) are similar but lack fully developed wings. Most species prefer other plants but will eat tobacco if their food supply is inadequate. Grasshoppers often migrate into tobacco fields from ditch banks and grasslands, especially when populations are high during droughts and following hay mowing or other habitiat modifications. Tobacco injury usually starts along the edges of fields and is more common late in the growing season. |
| 1402104 |
vegetable weevil |
Listroderes costirostris obliquus |
Adult weevils are grayish-brown snout beetles about 1/4 inch long and usually have a light V-shaped making near the apex of the wing covers. |
| 1440113 |
tobacco budworm |
Heliothis virescens |
The tobacco budworm is one of the most destructive pests of the tobacco. Eggs, laid by the adult moth on the tobacco leaves, hatch and eventually develop into 1 1/2-inch long larvae when full grown. The larvae are light to dark green and have several longitudinal pale stripes. They may chew small holes in the leaves before they reach the buds. Larvae then damage the bud or growing tip of the plant. They may appear any time during the growing season. The leaves that expand from the buds are often ragged and distorted. Because of their protected location on the plant, budworms are difficult to control. The corn earworm, Heliothis zea (Boddie), also attacks burley and is closely related to the budworm in appearance and feeding habits. |
| 1402130 |
grasshoppers |
|
Grasshoppers [various species including the differential grasshopper, Melanoplus differentialis (Thomas) and southern red-legged grasshopper are ¾ to 1 inch long. They are greenish-gray to olive-green or reddish-brown with a yellowish underside. The hind tibiae are red with black spines. The differential grasshopper is 1½ to 2-inches long with a shiny, brownish-yellow color and black V-shaped marks on the outer face of the yellow femur. Immatures (nymphs) are similar but lack fully developed wings. Grasshoppers damage tobacco by chewing ragged holes in the leaves. Most species prefer other plants but will eat tobacco if their food supply is inadequate. Grasshoppers often migrate into tobacco fields from hay fields, pastures, and old fields, especially when populations are high during droughts and following hay mowing or other habitat modifications. |
| 1440109 |
Japanese beetle |
Popillia japonica |
Japanese beetles, occasionally feed on tobacco in groups, causing a skeletonization of the leaf. The beetles are less than 1/2-inch in length, shiny metallic green, with copper brown forewings. There are six tufts of white hairs on each side of the body near the outer margins of the wing covers. These adults usually emerge from the soil during late May. Their population peaks four to five weeks later. Feeding is the greatest on warm sunny days. A relative humidity below 60% retards flying and induces the insect to feed extensively. The larvae are white grubs that feed in the soil, devouring the roots of a large number of plants, especially turf grasses. |
| 1440118 |
tobacco hornworm |
Manduca sexta |
The tobacco tomato hornworms, Manduca sexta (Linnaeus), and Manduca quinquemaculata (Haworth), are potentially the most destructive insect pests of tobacco. They chew irregular holes in leaves and often feed along leaf margins. Newly hatched larvae are 1/4-inch long, pale green with a large horn at the posterior end. Larger larvae (up to 4 inches) are bright green in color. The tobacco hornworm larva has seven white diagonal stripes on each side and a curved red horn. The adult, a dark gray moth, has six round, orange-yellow spots on each side of the abdomen. Tomato hornworms have eight V-shaped marks on each side and the horn is straighter and blue-black. |
