|  | Public Health Safety | Environmental Health

List of Insects That Are Native to Illinois

Phil Nixon, an entomologist with over 30 years’ experience in the field, notes that the state of Illinois is home to over 17,000 types of insects and all but 1,000 to 2,000 of them are native. Many insects are beneficial to humans, but some may take up residence in your home, do harm to your lawn or garden or do damage to your property. Some of the common Illinois native insects are considered bothersome.

  1. Annual White Grubs

    • Annual white grubs are the larval form of June beetles. The grubs have a brown head and a white body shaped like the letter C. They are approximately 1.5 cm long and can do great damage to your lawn. According to the Chicago Botanic Garden, the annual white grub is the most common grub that causes lawn damage in Illinois. These grubs will eat your the roots of your grass and can actually kill your lawn. A secondary problem may arise when animals show up to feed on the grubs and tear up your turf in the process.

    Boxelder Bugs

    • Boxelder bugs can be found in your home, especially during the cooler months. They are 1.5 cm long, black-and-red or brown-and-red bugs. Although they do not eat food or textiles, they can be bothersome to have around. The bugs will leave behind a crimson or violet colored stain when crushed. The excrement from boxelder bugs may leave spots on fabric and walls.

    Spider Mites

    • Spider mites are tiny insects which can do a great deal of damage by extracting liquids from the leaves of a broad range of plants. When knocked from a plant onto a sheet of paper, spider mites resemble very small moving spots. The Chicago Botanic Garden warns that “under favorable conditions, spider mite populations can explode.”

    Carpenter Ants

    • Carpenter ants are up to 2 cm long and are black in color. They can be found inside buildings and prefer places that are wet. These insects are problematic in that they taint food and build nests in wood. They do not eat wood, however, so they are not as destructive as termites.

    Cucumber Beetles

    • The striped cucumber beetle has black and yellow stripes and is about 1/2 cm in length. The spotted cucumber beetle is yellow-green with black spots. It is around 3/4 cm long. Both kinds of cucumber beetles can do serious harm to your vegetable garden. Early in the season they go after new plants as they emerge from the ground. Later in they year they will eat flowers, leaves and growing vegetables. These insects also do damage by dispersing diseases to garden plants. The striped beetle, which is especially prevalent in Illinois, goes after melon, pumpkin, cucumber and squash vines.

Environmental Health - Related Articles