MSU Urban IPM Alerts

It is the time of year when large, orange spiders are appearing on our front porches and decks. These are cat-face spiders.

Several phone calls and emails have come in about masses of insects infesting outsides of buildings and entering homes this week (Three Forks, Bozeman, Townsend, and Belgrade). These are immature seed bugs (Family Lygaeidae) and are most likely the false chinch bug, Nysius sp.

Hobo spiders are entering buildings and homes. The male spiders start entering this time of year and females follow in September. They are common in the home until the end of November.

The Schutter Diagnostic Lab has received various samples and questions in regard to leaf scorch. Leaf scorch is an abiotic disorder that usually appears as brown necrotic areas on the margin of leaves which move from the leaf tip downward. More information and management recommendations are provided in the attached PDF file. For questions and concerns, please contact the Schutter Diagnostic Lab (406-994-5150).

Aspen samples and pictures are coming into the Schutter Diagnostic Lab with large white blotches on the leaves. The spots on the leaves are due to mining from the aspen blotch leafminer, which is a moth.

Solfugids are also known as "sun spiders" or "whip scorpions". They are a type of arachnid and a beneficial predator.

During this wet weather, you might be having issues with earwigs. Our most common earwig found here is the European earwig.

Montana has several home-invading weevils that come into our homes. They range from small, grey weevils (less than 3mm) to larger black beetles.