Leaf Feeders
William Fountain, University of Kentucky, Bugwood.org
Bagworms are caterpillars that live in distinctive spindle-shaped silk bags covered with small bits of leaves from the host plant. Large populations of bagworms can strip plants of their foliage and eventually cause them to die. Infestations often go unnoticed because people mistake the protective bags for pine cones or other plant structures. For more information, see Entfact 440.
Sap Feeders
Herbert A. 'Joe' Pase III, Texas A&M Forest Service, Bugwood.org
Giant bark aphid is the largest aphid in North America. This sap feeder can live on several tree species. Winged forms disperse from tree to tree. Wingless aphids occur in large colonies. These aphids produce a large amount of sticky liquid waste, honeydew, which drips onto objects below. Feeding by large numbers of these aphids can damage or kill small twigs. They are eaten by lady beetles and other predators.
Maja Jurc, University of Ljubljana, Bugwood.org
Sycamore lace bugs are 1/8 inch to 3/16 inch long sap-feeding insects with clear, ornate, lacy wings; nymphs are spiny and wingless. Both stages live on the lower surface of leaves. As they feed, they leave tiny yellow to white spots on leaves and dark, varnish-like waste spots on the under sides.
These lace bugs spend the winter as eggs under bark or in leaf litter. The eggs hatch in early spring and the nymphs begin to feed on plant sap. There are several generations each season. Initially, numbers are so small that feeding symptoms are not noticed until the population peaks in late summer. When abundant, feeding can make plants unsightly and may cause premature leaf drop.
Lace bugs that fall from the trees and land on people will cause a biting sensation as they attempt to probe the skin with their piercing-sucking mouthparts. This can be a temporary nuisance in parks and playgrounds.