Insects (Pest and Beneficial)

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Barnyards and Backyards Articles - Animal/Human pests

Black flies put the ‘pest’ in pestilence

Black widow and brown recluse spiders - one very common, the other very rare in Wyoming

Bot Fly - What's eating your horse? Understanding the bot fly

Cleanup, precautions dramatically lower flying insect pests on your property

Mosquitoes - West Nile Virus

Mosquitos - Ensure you're not bitten when smitten by backyard pond

Wasps - Two most-common yellowjacket wasps in Wyoming differ in 'pestiness'

Barnyards and Backyards Articles - Plant Pests

Containers can provide gardeners control over invading insects or weeds

Elms eliminated?

European paper wasp, a world traveler, finally arrives in Wyoming

Garden pest control may not require heavy artillery

Gardeners have used horticultural oils for thousands of years. Here’s what you should know

Grape pests want more than a sip of your vineyard

Insect pest new to Wyoming infests soft fruit crops

High tunnel insect and mite control

Meager-looking alfalfa weevil chews production and profits

Meet Wyoming's most prolific insect pest of trees

Not all bad: A case for selective treatment of plant pests

Residents asked to watch for Japanese beetles

Strong arm these pests so they don't get the upper hand

The worst garden pests you've never seen

What's eating my plant?

Wyoming raspberries under attack

Barnyards and Backyards Articles - Other

Managing house and garden insect pests safely

Not all bad: A case for selective treatment of plant pests

Termites? In Wyoming?

Videos

Series of short video clips on pest and pesticide topics

Blister Beetles in Alfalfa; Information on the Risk They Pose for Hay Consumers Video (~22 min) | Audio only

Grape Phylloxera; A New But “Old” Grape Pest Now in Wyoming Video (~19 min) | Audio only

Insect management in high tunnels, greenhouses & other indoor spaces (Barnyards & Backyards Live!)

Japanese Beetle; Another New Pest for Wyoming Video (~19 min) | Audio only

Tactics for dealing with nuisance wasps, miller moths and other bothersome insects (Barnyards & Backyards Live!)

UW Extension Publications

Alfalfa Looper: Autograph californica (UW CES pub B-1013.2 )

Alfalfa Stem Nematode Biology and Management (UW CES pub B-761R)

Aphids, Leaf and Stem Feeding (UW CES pub B-1050.4)

Aphid, Poplar Vagabond Gal (UW CES pub B-1041

Aphid, Spotted Alfalfa: Therioaphis maculate (UW CES pub B-1013.1)

Army Cutworm: Euxoa auxiliaries (UW CES pub B-1013.8)

Armyworm, True: Pseudaletia unipuncta (UW CES pub B-1013.9 )

Banks Grass Mite: Oligonychus pratensis (UW CES pub B-1013.11 )

Black Vine Weevil: and Other Root Weevils in Wyoming Gardens (UW CES pub B-1176 2006)

Blister Beetles (UW CES pub B-1013.3 )

Corn Earworm: Heliothis zea (UW CES pub B-1013.13)

Earwigs: Forficula spp. (UW CES pub B-1013.15)

Flea Beetles (UW CES pub B-1013.18)

Grasshoppers, Common Wyoming (UW CES pub B-1161)

Insects and Related Pests of Trees, Shrubs and Lawns (1991)

Insect Control Options for Plants Grown in Greenhouses, High Tunnels, etc. (2013)

Leafhoppers (UW CES pub B-1013.17)

Lygus Bugs (UW CES pub B-1013.4)

Management of Hardwood Borers of Trunks and Large Branches (UW CES pub B-1050)

Mexican Bean Beetle: Epilachna varivestis (UW CES pub B-1013.19)

Pests of the Home Vegetable Garden (UW CES pub from 1996)

Scales and Mealybugs (UW CES pub B-1050.1)

Slugs, Snails and Slug Sawflies (UW CES pub B-1050.3)

Sowbugs and Pillbugs (UW CES pub B-1050.2 )

Spiders (UW CES pub B-1050.5)

Spider Mite, Two-Spotted: Tetranychus urticae (UW CES pub B-1013.10)

Western Corn Rootworm: Diabrotica virgiferis (UW CES pub B-1013.12)

Wireworms: Melanotus spp. (UW CES pub B-1013.14)

Other University Publications

Insects in Wyoming Alfalfa (includes pests and beneficials)

WHAT’S IN YOUR TOOLBOX? Options for the management of pests in Wyoming gardens and greenhouses

Blister Beetle (Kansas State University)

Field guide to tree diseases & insects of the Rocky Mountain Region (USFS)

Barnyards and Backyards Articles

Watch your ash because the Emerald Ash Borer could sneak into Wyoming

Other Publications

Emerald Ash Borer - Quick Guide (Colorado State Forest Service)

Diagnosing Emerald Ash Borer and Other Ash Tree Damage (Colorado EAB Response Team)

EAB Look-Alikes (University of Nebraska Extension)

Recognizing Wood Boring Insects of Ash Trees in Colorado (Colorado State University)

Managing Emerald Ash Borer: Decision Guide (Colorado State University)

CSU Treatment Options Fact Sheet (Colorado State Forest Service March 2010)

Insecticide Options for Protecting Ash Trees from EAB 3rd Edition (North Central IPM Center)

Potential Side Effects of Systemic Insecticides Used to Control EAB (Various Universities)

State of WY EAB Response Plan (Wyoming State Forestry Division)

Videos

Protecting our trees from insect invaders ( Barnyards & Backyards Live! show)

Whitney Cranshaw 2019 Video: Emerald Ash Borer Update

CSU Extension 2020 Emerald Ash Borer Video

Barnyards and Backyards Articles

Ask Sam: Pheromones for bark beetle control

Harvesting bark beetle-infested firewood brings unwanted pests to town

Little beetles big problems

Throw down the gauntlet against mountain pine beetle

Mountain pine beetles still active in Wyoming forests

Other University Publications

Summary of Products for Preventive Use Against Mountain Pine Beetle (Colorado State Forest Service March 2010)

Videos

Mountain Pine Beetle pt 1 (Webinar, May 17, 2011)

Mountain Pine Beetle pt 2 (Webinar, May 17, 2011)

Mountain Pine Beetle pt 3 (Webinar, May 17, 2011)

Options for Handling Trees Infested by Mountain Pine Beetle

Protecting Trees from Mountain Pine Beetle

Websites

Bark Beetle Information (Colorado State Forestry)

Ips Beetles (sometimes a pest of spruce and pine) (Colorado State University)

Barnyards and Backyards Articles

Ask Sam: How to reduce grasshopper infestations

Never too early to protect against grasshoppers

Grasshoppers and RAATs? They're a great combination

UW Extension Publications

Grasshoppers, Common Wyoming (UW CES pub B-1161)

Videos

Grasshoppers! Part 1 (Webinar, May 23, 2011)

Grasshoppers! Part 2 (Webinar, May 23, 2011)

Websites

Grasshoppers of Wyoming and the West (website which rounds up a lot of info on grasshoppers) (University of Wyoming)

Barnyards and Backyards Articles - Pollinators

Ask Sam - will pollinator plants attract nuisance wasps?

The backyard buzz: Wyoming's native bees

Butterflies of Wyoming

Couple turns eastern Wyoming property into pollinator playground

Featured landowner: Diversity, adaptability key to bee, beef, vegetable operation

Honey bees, hives need TLC to help them survive Wyoming winter, early spring

Land blossoms under direction of northeastern Wyoming family

Like pollinators and hate bloat and weeds? Think sainfoin - the honey crop

Pollination it is a bee-autiful thing

Pollinator partners

Promoting Pollinators on Your Place: A Wyoming Guide

Take advantage of unlikely moisture source to help establish pollinator plots

The Importance of Pollination

There's a buzz about beekeeping in Wyoming

Wyoming hosts many native pollinators

Barnyards and Backyards Articles - Other

Encourage ladybird beetles to stay in your garden

Spider Savvy, education helps identify the beneficial from the harmful

UW Extension Publications

Alfalfa Leafcutting Bee: Megachile rotundata (UW CES pub B-1013.5)

Honey Bee: Apis mellifera (UW CES pub B-1013.6)

Insects in Wyoming Alfalfa (UW CES pub B-1275)

Ladybird Beetles (UW CES pub B-1013.20)

Parasitic Wasps (UW CES pub B-1013.21)

Syrphid Flies (UW CES pub B-1013.22)

Barnyards and Backyards Articles

Beneath the water's surface: What lives in our streams?

Correct identification of insect order important for pest control

Good bug, bad bug

Insects have cool strategies to weather winter extremes

UW Extension Publications

Landscape Pests: Integrated Pest Management Strategies for Controlling the Dastardly Dozen (UW CES pub B-1035)

Videos

Something Bugging You... In the Garden?
Scott Schell, UW Assistant Entomologist, gives us the big picture view of insects and their sometimes surprising roles in our landscapes. (1 hour, 2 parts)
Part 1
Part 2

Websites

High Plains IPM web site (This site provides current information on the management of insects, weeds, and plant pathogens affecting plants and livestock in Colorado, Western Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana and Western South Dakota.)

Contact Us

UW Extension

College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources

1000 E. University Ave
Laramie, WY 82071
Dept. 3354
Email: barnyardsbackyards@uwyo.edu
Phone: (307) 766-5124

The University of Wyoming has earned its Research Level 1 (R1) status from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, placing Wyoming's only four-year university with the top research universities in the United States.