Insect Classification and Identification

It’s important to classify and identify insects. Families of the same insect tend to feed on similar foods or suffer from similar issues, so classifying them can help to combat issues faster.

In most cases, the classification process is done through appearance. It could be through the number of wings a flying insect has, or through the separate body parts of number of legs. We just have to look at flies to see how they have only one pair of wings compared t other insects that fly.

A Universal Understanding of Insects

By classifying the insects, it’s easier for the whole world to work together on dealing with pests and ensuring the longevity of all creatures. This is why scientific names tend to be used for a lot of creatures. The term is universal.

In the United States, there is the use of common names rather than scientific names on some products. This is especially the case on pesticide labels, where there is a specific problem and not the insect group as a whole.

Common Pest Orders

There are eight common pest orders in the world:
Coleoptera: Bark beetles, leaf beetles, white pine weevils, wood borers
Diptera: gall midges
Hemiptera: lace bugs, plant bugs, boxelder bugs
Homoptera: psyllids, scales, aphids
Hymenoptera: ants, yellowjackets, gall wasps, sawflies
Lepidoptera: test caterpillas, budworms, hornworms, tussock moths
Orthoptera: crickets, grasshoppers, katydids

Thysanoptera: thrips
The Brownheaded Ash Sawfly Identification
The Brownheaded Ash Sawfly has a hierarchy that is important when it comes to identification. That is:
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Tenthredinidae
Genus: Tomostethus
Species: multicinctus

The brownheaded ash sawfly is one of those creatures that you’ll see listed as a common name on most pesticide labels. This is because it’s one of the more prevalent issues. Both the Entomological Society of America and the EPA have approved a list of common names to make sure the list is universal.