Did periodical cicadas make their presence known around your house? Are you now seeing the ends of tree branches turning brown and dying? The dead branch tips are the result of our recently deceased cicadas laying their eggs inside these tree branches near their tips. This damages the branch...

Our recent hot weather has not only helped our garden plants to grow, but it has also helped our garden pests to arrive a little earlier than usual. The Tobacco hornworm is showing up in local gardens with 3-inch ones present in at least one local garden. The hornworm caterpillar is the larva of a...

We have been hearing for months that two broods of periodical cicadas will emerge from the ground this May in central Illinois: the 13-year Brood XIX and the 17-year Brood XIII. These cicadas have been living underground, feeding on tree roots for either 13 or 17 years, depending on the brood. Is...

This is the “wheel bug.” While it resembles something out of a horror movie, it is actually one of the “good’ insects. The semi-circle crest of this bug resembles half of a cog wheel, hence the name. It is a member of the ...