ORDER
|
TYPES
|
NO. OF SPECIES
|
HABITAT
|
NATIVE/NON-NATIVE
|
BENEFICIAL/PEST
|
Thysanura |
Silverfish |
6 |
domesticated buildings, ant nests |
unknown |
pests: eats documents |
Collembola |
Springtails |
100+ |
soil |
native |
beneficial: feed on soil fungi |
Ephemeroptera |
Mayflies |
70+ |
fresh water |
native |
beneficial: important food for fish. Also their larvae stir and clean the sandy bottoms of lakes |
Odonoto |
Dragonflies Damsel Flies
Darners
Skimmers |
150+ |
lakes, streams, ditches, ponds |
most are native |
beneficial: eat mosquito larvae |
Orthoptera |
Grasshoppers
Katydids
Crickets |
250+ – approx. 20 species are found only in Florida |
gardens, marshy fields, grassy fields |
most are native |
beneficial: important food for birds |
|
Mole crickets |
4 species |
sandy areas |
non-native |
pests: $11.7 million has been spent in Florida on this insect whose only sin is that it leaves brown spots on lawns and golf courses. |
Mantodeo |
Praying Mantids |
75 |
gardens & marshy areas |
most are native |
beneficial: eat other insects |
Phosmatodeo |
Walkingsticks |
6 |
trees & shrubs |
most are native |
beneficial: eat other insects |
Dermoptera |
Earwigs |
10 |
flowers & shrubs |
several species were accidently imported from Europe & Russia |
beneficial: eat other insects such as aphids & scale insects |
Isoptera |
Termites |
175 |
dead wood |
both native and non-native |
pests & beneficial:
Termites are decomposers of dead wood and litter, but also destroy structures. Florida spends millions of dollars each year on the chemical spraying of termites. |
|
Cockroaches |
38 |
logs, native grasses, leaf litter, houses |
both native and non-native |
Cockroaches are pests at this time but may turn out to have beneficial properties if or when they are studied fully. |
Psocoptera |
BookliceBarklice |
80+ |
in old booksoutdoors |
non-native |
pests: the booklice eats old books and the barklice eat plants |
Hemiptera |
Burrower Bugs
Marsh Treaders
Stink Bugs
Milkweed Bugs
Water Bugs
Bed Bugs
Assassin Bugs
|
800+ |
diverse habitat |
mostly native – some species are non-native |
pests & beneficial: Many of these “true bugs” feed on & destroy crops but others are beneficial because birds feed on them. |
Homoptera(probably about 1000 species total) |
Aphids |
75+ |
vegetables, fruits, flowers |
unknown |
pests: can harm fruit & vegetable crops and sometimes carry plant diseases. However, they have many natural enemies such as: crickets, ladybugs, earwigs, wasps, flies. |
|
Scale Insects
Mealybugs |
44+ |
perrenial plants |
most are non-native |
pests: but can usually be controlled by their natural enemies. |
|
White Flies |
unknown |
vegetables, fruit, flowers |
almost all are non-native |
pests: destroy crops, carry plant disease. many species have become immune to chemical spraying & must be controlled by natural enemies |
|
Cicadas |
12+ |
underground, sucking sap from the roots of trees |
native |
possible pests: Florida species do not appear to harm the trees as there are not a sufficient number of them to do so. |
|
Plant Hoppers |
220 |
plants |
most are native |
pests: carry plant disease |
|
Tree Hoppers |
65 |
trees |
native |
beneficial: food for birds |
Anoplura |
Sucking Lice |
unknown |
animals & humans |
non-native |
pests: carry diseases |
Neuroptera |
Ant Lions
Lacewings
Mantisflies
Owlflies |
90+ |
diverse habitat |
most are native |
beneficial: eat insect pests |
Coleoptera(The beetles – of which there are well over 5000 species & many more not yet described. ) |
Tiger Beetles |
24 |
sand & soil
(several of these are becoming extinct because their habitats are disappearing) |
native |
beneficial: eat other insects |
|
Ground Beetle |
370 – some found only in Florida |
litter |
native |
beneficial: eat other insects |
|
Scarab Beetle |
250+ |
dung, carrion, decomposing plants |
native |
beneficial: eat other insects |
|
Metallic Woodborer Beetle |
100 |
dead trees |
native |
beneficial: eat other insects |
|
Soldier Beetle |
30 |
plants |
native |
pests: eat plants |
|
Net-winged Beetle |
30+ |
plants |
native |
pests: eat plants |
|
Fireflies |
57 |
forests, marshes, creeks |
native |
beneficial: eat other insects |
|
Blister Beetle |
30 |
flowers |
most are native |
pests: can kill cattle & horses |
|
Predaceous Diving Beetle |
100+ |
freshwater habitats |
native |
beneficial: eat mosquito larvae & sssmall crabs |
|
Whirlgig Beetle |
17 |
freshwater ponds |
native |
beneficial: feed on other insects |
|
Leaf Beetle |
375 |
leaves & grasses |
native |
pests & beneficial: some are crop pests but many others control weeds & are good prospects for natural control of imported plant pests. |
|
Longhorn Beetle |
225+ |
dead wood |
native |
beneficial: eat dead wood |
|
Weevils |
575+ |
plants, flour staples |
native & non-native |
pests & beneficial: most are agriculture pests, but several species have been imported for weed control |
|
Ladybird Beetle |
100+ |
plants & flowers |
some native, most are non-native |
beneficial: feed on aphids & scale insects |
Diptera(flies, lovebugs
mosquitos) |
Mosquitos |
80+ |
standing water |
native |
pests: carry disease |
|
Lovebugs |
unknown |
open grasslands |
non-native |
pests & beneficial: eat pollen & may possibly be pollinators but are too numerous & have no natural enemies |
|
Crane Flies |
200+ |
cool, damp ravines |
native |
beneficial: larvae feed on roots of dead vegetation |
|
Fruit Flies |
50+ |
rotten fruit & vegetables |
50 native, 4+ non-native |
pests: some varities lay their eggs in fruit that has just ripened, destroying the fruit. Most are not pests & eat only rotten fruit & vegetables |
|
House Flies |
unknown |
garbage, manure, houses |
non-native |
pests: may carry disease |
|
Parasitic Flies |
200+ |
lay their eggs in insects, feed on nectar |
native |
beneficial: help control other insects as their larvae kills the host |
|
Horse Flies & Deer Flies |
100+ |
aquatic habitats |
native/non-native |
pests: bloodsuckers |
|
Sand Flies |
200+ |
sandy areas |
native/non-native |
pests: carry disease, bloodsuckers |
|
Midges |
unknown |
mud of lakes |
native |
pests: bloodsuckers |
|
Flower Flies |
90+ |
flowers |
native |
beneficial: important pollinators |
|
Bee Flies |
50-100 |
flowers |
native |
beneficial: pollinator of native plants through contact |
|
Gnats |
75+ |
diverse |
native |
pests: carry eye disease |
|
Black Flies |
5+ |
fresh water |
native |
pests: stinging insect |
|
Mydas Flies |
8 |
each specie has a specific habitat |
native |
beneficial: feed on other insects |
Siphonaptera |
Fleas |
unknown |
animals |
native |
pests: bloodsuckers, carry disease |
Hymenoptera(bees, wasps, ants, sawflies, parasitic wasps – probably between 3000-5000+ species in Florida)
|
Ichneumon Wasps |
500-600 |
plants & vegtation |
native |
beneficial: control crop-eating insects |
|
Braconid Wasps |
unknown |
diverse |
native |
beneficial: eat insect larvae |
|
Minute Parasitic Wasps |
1000-2000 |
diverse |
native |
beneficial: control insect population |
|
Green Metallic Bees |
55 |
deep burrows in the soil |
native |
beneficial: pollinators of small plants that may be overlooked by other pollinators |
|
Bumble Bees |
7 |
diverse |
native |
beneficial: pollinators of wild plants |
|
Carpenter Ants |
207 total species of ants in Florida* |
dead wood |
native |
minor pests |
|
Fungus-Growing Ants |
*(included in above total) |
uplands, in the dirt |
native |
minor pests |
|
Cone Ants |
* |
dirt, open areas |
native |
beneficial: fight with fire ants |
|
Harvester Ants |
* |
dirt |
native |
beneficial: feed on the larvae of other insects |
|
Pharoh’s Ants |
* |
houses |
non-native |
pests: common house pest |
|
Fire Ant |
* |
dirt |
non-native |
pests: stinging insect |