Alaska IPM

Bug of the Week! In honor of Alaska’s Invasive Species Awareness Week, this week’s bug of the week is the Large Yellow Underwing, Noctua pronuba. This is a large showy moth commonly found in Southeast but occasionally into Southcentral. The moth when at rest is about 1”. They are brown, with some modeling on the wings and some darker small eye spots. When they fly or flutter you can see why they get their common name, as the rear wings are bright orange with a bold black bar. The caterpillar is a typical cutworm. They are brown with some dark lateral spots on each segment. They will curl up into a “C” when collected and can grow to about an inch as well. This species is of European origin and was originally introduced to the East Coast in the 1970’s. Since then, it has crept across the US finally reaching Alaska in 2005.

Once established it is a common moth and agricultural pest. Being a cutworm, they overwinter as a larger caterpillar, ready to consume those young seedlings just as they get going in the spring. They pupate shortly after and mature in July or August. Adults are quite fecund, with some papers citing 450 eggs per female. They were very abundant in Colorado when I was younger, but also in Southeast even though there are not large agricultural areas there. One of the reasons this is such a successful invasive species is the diversity of plants they will eat. Thankfully the species has not reached destructive numbers here, but the potential is there. Part of recognizing non-native species is the potential those species could have to be destructive, and this is one to watch as Alaska warms and our growing season lengthens.

Joey Slowik, IPM Technician
[email protected]

This image can be found at inaturalist.org

Bug of the Week! This week’s bug of the week is the larder beetle, Dermestes lardarius. I’ve done a bug of the week on the larder beetle before, so I’ll be brief in describing it, but most of us have seen one. They are a smaller beetle, about ¼ in length. Their head and pronotum are brown, and they have dark brown elytra broken by a light tan band. Dermestids are notable because these beetles are hairy. The larvae, like the adults, are hairy as well, and resemble an elongate lint ball. We find these beetles in many, if not most homes, and the beetles are adapted to living off our refuse. Specifically food stuffs with proteins and fats and our shed skin. So, anyone with pets or kids where food bits may hit the floor probably has them.

There are many species of dermestid beetle. Some are specialized in feeding on the rotting flesh of carcasses, but those are different species. I mention this beetle now as one of our retired farm employees mentioned how he picked up a bag of sunflower seeds at a local grocer and found the beetles there. If you think about it, this isn’t surprising as many stores with food likely have food bits hitting the floor providing fodder for the beetles. It also exposes one of the many ways the beetles get moved around or introduced into our home. Sometimes we wonder where bugs come from and it’s almost always from us, often an overlooked avenue we never thought of. But it’s not worth calling a pest company for this species. A good cleaning usually takes care of the problem or keeps the indoor populations so low we rarely see them. And we could even think they are doing us some good, eating all those shed skin bits we don’t even notice we drop.

Joey Slowik, IPM Technician
[email protected]

The photograph is from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dermestes_lardarius

🐝 New publication alert! The publication "HGA-00501, Building Pollinator Habitat into the Alaska Garden" covers twelve tips for attracting and supporting pollinators in your own yards and gardens. The publication is available from the UAF Cooperative Extension Service publication page in both web and pdf formats. https://www.uaf.edu/ces/publications/database/gardening/building-pollinator-habitats.php

🐞 New publication alert! 🐞 The publication "HGA-00500, Building Lady Beetle Habitat into the Alaska Garden" covers information about the life cycle and biology of lady beetles (aka "ladybugs"), tips for creating habitat for lady beetles in your yards and gardens, as well as a photo guide which covers ten native species of lady beetles found in Alaska and one invasive species. The publication is available from the UAF Cooperative Extension Service publication page in both web and pdf formats. https://www.uaf.edu/ces/publications/database/gardening/lady-beetle-habitat.php