Acaricide, a chemical which kills and controls mites and ticks
Aestivation, summer dormant, or resting, period
Anal, pertaining to the last abdominal segment
Antennae, the paired, segmented, sensory appendages located on the head of an insect, millipede, centipede, sowbug, etc.
Anterior, at or near the front
Apex, uppermost point, top
Apical, pertaining to the apex; at or near the top
Arthropod, an animal having a segmented body, an exoskeleton and jointed legs
Bait, a pesticide and food substance mixture used to attract and kill various pests
Basal, at or near the base
Biological control, a pest control strategy which employs methods such as introduction, augmentation and mass release of parasites, predators and disease organisms
Brood, individuals, usually offspring of the same parents, that hatch at approximately the same time
Bug, in the truest sense, any insect belonging to the order Heteroptera, e.g., stink bugs
Caudal, at or near the tail
Cell, closed area of an insect wing bounded by veins
Centimeter, metric unit of length; 0.394 inch
Chemical control, the use of pesticides, attractants, repellents, growth regulators, etc., to control or prevent the buildup of economically damaging pests
Chlorinated hydrocarbons, a group of synthetic, organic insecticidal chemicals known for their persistence in the environment and for their action as nerve poisons
Class, in the animal kingdom, a division lower than a phylum and higher than an order, e.g., the Class Hexapoda or Insecta
cm, see Centimeter
Cocoon, a silken or fibrous case spun by a larva to afford protection during its pupal period
Commodity, any commercial item, including agricultural produce or staples
Complete metamorphosis, the development of an insect through 4 morphologically different life states: egg, larva, pupa, and adult
Contiguous, adjacent; adjoining; next to each other
Convex, raised or curved like the surface of a sphere
Cosmopolitan, common throughout most of the world
Diapause, a period of dormancy induced by factors other than an unfavorable environment
Dorsal, top or uppermost; pertaining to the back or upper side
Economic injury, sufficient damage to cause monetary loss
Economic threshold, the pest density at which controls should be employed to prevent the population from causing economic injury
Epidermis, outer layer of cells in plants and animals
Eradicate, to completely eliminate a particular pest from a designated area
Estivation, see aestivation
Family, in animal and plant classification, a subdivision of an order containing many related genera
Femur, in insects, the third leg segment from the body
Filiform, long and slender
Forewings, the front pair of insect wings
Frass, insect droppings, usually a combination of leaf fragments or wood borings, and excrement
Generation, a group of offspring of the same species which develop in approximately the same time frame
Genitalia, reproductive organs
Genus (pl. genera), a group of closely related species
Gradual metamorphosis, see Simple metamorphosis
Granulate, rough; composed of granules; to appear rough
Gregarious, living, feeding and/or moving in a group
Grub, typically a sluggish, C-shaped beetle larva of the family Scarabaeidae having 3 pairs of forelegs and a fat, whitish body; also, used loosely to refer to many soil inhabiting larvae of Coleoptera and Hymenoptera
Halter (also haltere), in Diptera, a slender, knobbed structure which takes the place of each hind wing
Head, the first of the 3 major body regions in insects
Hectare, a metric unit of area; 2.471 acres
Hibernation, winter period of rest or dormancy
Hind wings, the second, and usually smaller, pair of wings often hidden by the forewings when the insect is at rest
Host, a plant or animal suitable for the nutrition of another plant or animal
Imago, adult stage
Immobile, fixed, incapable of movement
Incubation, the development period between egg deposition and hatch; also, the time between infection by a pathogen and appearance of disease symptoms
Infestation, the presence of large numbers of an animal or plant pest species where they are likely to cause damage or annoyance to man
Insect, a six-legged arthropod that, as an adult, has 3 distinct body regions and, often, 1 or 2 pairs of wings
Instar, the life stage of an arthropod between successive molts
Integrated control, a pest control strategy in which all possible techniques are considered and consolidated, thereby preventing economic damage and minimizing adverse environmental repercussions
Kilometer, a metric unit of length (distance); 0.621 mile
Labial palps, jointed sensory appendages arising from the mouthparts of an insect
Larva (pl. larvae), in reference to insects with complete metamorphosis, the immature form occurring between the egg and pupal stages; in reference to mites and ticks, the six-legged first instar
Lateral, pertaining to or at the side
Latitude, the distance in angular degrees north and south of the equator
Life cycle, the development of an insect or mite from its egg to its reproductive stage
Light trap, trap designed to attract night-flying insects by means of a light
Litter, forest or crop debris, consisting of decaying or dried plant material often mixed with soil
Maggot, the larva of a fly
Mechanical control, a pest control strategy which employs the use of various types of mechanical devices or barriers, such as window screens, ditches, earthen walls, fly swatters, fly paper, traps, etc.
Mesothoracic, pertaining to the middle segment of the thorax
Metamorphosis, a change in form during development; see also: Simple metamorphosis and Complete metamorphorsis
Meter, a metric unit of length; 1.094 yards
Migration, movement over a relatively great distance
Millimeter, a metric unit of length; .0394 inch
Mite, a minute arthropod, usually eight-legged as an adult and closely related to ticks
Miticide, a chemical compound with mite-killing properties
m, see Meter
Mm, see Millimeter
Molt, the process of shedding the outer layer of skin
Morphological characters, those pertaining to size and shape, form and structure
Motile, capable of movement
Muscoid, belonging to the fly family Muscidae
Natural control, control of pests by such natural forces as weather and unmanipulated parasites, predators and diseases
Nematode, an unsegmented, elongate worm (plant pathogenic species usually minute in size)
Nit, the egg of a louse
Nocturnal, active at night
Nymph, in reference to insects with simple metamorphosis, the immature form between egg and adult; in reference to mites and ticks, the eight-legged immature form
Order, in animal and plant classification, a subdivision of a class or subclass containing a group of related families
Organophosphates, a class of synthetic, organic pesticides which contain phosphorus, generally have a short residual life and act as nerve poisons on most animals
Overwinter, to survive the winter, often, but not always, in a state of dormancy
Oviparous, egg laying
Oviposit, to lay eggs
Ovipositor, an elongated structure extending from the abdomen of some female insects through which eggs are deposited
Ovoviviparous, producing eggs which hatch inside the body of the female
Parasite, any plant or animal which lives in or on another organism to the detriment of the host
Parasitoid, a parasite that eventually kills its host
Parthenogenic, capable of reproduction without mating or male fertilization
Partial metamorphosis, see Simple metamorphosis
Pathogen, any disease-causing organism, e.g., certain bacteria fungi, viruses, protozoans, etc.
Phylum, a major subdivision of classification in the animal kingdom
Physical control, a pest control strategy that employs methods such as heat, cold, electricity, and sound waves
Piercing-sucking mouthparts, a type of insect mouthparts composed of a slender stylet for piercing tissue and a strong pumping mechanism for withdrawing fluids
Posterior, the rear, or hindmost part; of or pertaining to the rear
Predaceous, hunting and killing other animals for food
Predator, an animal which kills other animals for food
Preovipositional period, the time interval between emergence of the adult female and the initiation of her egg-laying period
Prepupa, the fat, sluggish, nonfeeding last larval instar just prior to pupating; or, in reference to thrips and male scale insects, the next to last nymphal instar that has wing pads and short, thickened legs
Progeny, offspring
Proleg, a fleshy, abdominal leg of some insect larvae, particularly caterpillars
Pronotum, the upper or dorsal surface of the anterior part of the thorax
Propupa, see Prepupa
Prothorax, the first segment of the thorax and that bearing the first pair of legs, if legs are present
Protozoan, a one-celled animal
Pubescent, hairy, fuzzy
Pupa, (pl. pupae), a quiescent, nonfeeding developmental stage between larval and adult stages
Puparium, in some Diptera, the hardened skin of the last larval instar which becomes a protective covering for the pupa
Pupate, to become quiescent and develop from a larva into an adult
Quarantine, a ban on the movement of certain materials or living organisms from one area to another in an effort to prevent the spread of harmful organisms
Quiescent, in a state of rest or inactivity
Race, a population of insects or mites which differs from other very similar arthropods in feeding habits, habitation or some other behavioral trait but not in appearance
Reinfestation, the return of a pest population, usually after the cessation of control measures
Resistance, a. Of plants to insects, the ability of a plant variety to repel, appear unattractive to, or tolerate insects, thereby exceeding the yield of other varieties at similar levels of insect infestation: b. Of pests to pesticides, the ability of species, races or biotypes, to withstand normally lethal doses of pesticides due to genetic or behavioral selection
Reticulated, netlike, arranged in a netlike manner
Sanitation, the act of keeping clean; cultural method of disease and insect control involving the removal and destruction of infested or diseased plant material
Scavenger, any organism which feeds on dead plants and/or animals and decaying organic matter
Sclerite, a distinct region of the body of an arthropod delimited by a groove or change in texture
Scutellum, in Heteroptera (true bugs), a more or less triangular sclerite located on the thorax behind the pronotum
Secretion, the release of a substance from an organism as a waste product or for the performance of a specialized function
Segment, a section of the body or appendages of an arthropod
Seta (pl. setae), a hairlike structure
Shield, a sclerite on the upper body of a tick
Simple metamorphosis, the development of an insect through 3 morphologically different life states (egg, nymph, adult) with no prolonged resting stage; gradual or partial metamorphosis
Species, a genetic subdivision whose numbers are capable of mating and producing fertile progeny
Spinose, covered with spines
Spiracle, in insects, a pore through which diffusion of gases, or respiration, takes place
Subterranean, below ground
Subtropic, of or pertaining to near tropical conditions
Systemic insecticide, a chemical absorbed by a plant or consumed by an animal which subsequently kills insects feeding in or within the treated organism
Tarsal formula, the number of tarsal segments on the front, middle and hind tarsi, respectively
Tarsus (pl. tarsi), the last (fifth) major insect leg segment, itself divided into several small segments
Taxonomic, of or pertaining to the systematic classification of living organisms
Temperate zone, either of 2 regions of the earth (one in each hemisphere) which lie between the polar circles and the tropics
Terminal, of or pertaining to the end; occurring at the top
Thoracic, of or pertaining to the thorax
Thorax, the second major body region of adult insects from which the legs and wings arise
Tibia (pl. tibiae), fourth segment of an insect leg, located between the femur and tarsus
Toxin, a poisonous substance
Transverse, across; from side to side
Tropic zone, that region of the earth along the equator extending north and south to the temperate zones
Tubercle, small, knoblike protuberance
Tumbler, the pupal stage of a mosquito
ULV, ultra low volume
Unpalatable, displeasing to the taste
Vector, an agent of transmission; carrier; an insect bearing disease organisms
Ventral, of or pertaining to the underside
Vestigial, rudimentary; degenerate, atrophied; of or pertaining to the last trace of something that once existed
Virus, a submicroscopic, disease-causing agent
Viviparous, bearing live young as opposed to laying eggs
Wiggler, the larval stage of a mosquito