Fact Sheets / Information

INSECTS:	OTHER:
Listados de insectos en Español (Penn State)	Plant Diseases Other Critters (Bats, Mice, Squirrels, etc.) (Maine.gov)

Maine Household Pests (and/or Nuisances):

• American Cockroach
• American Dog Tick (often carried in from outdoors via one’s clothing or a family pet)
• Ants
• Assassin Bugs— see also listing for Masked Hunter
• Bald-faced Hornets
• Bed Bugs
• Black-legged Tick / Deer Tick (often carried in from outdoors)
• Blow Flies (and Flesh Flies)
• Booklice
• Camel Crickets
• Carpenter Ants
• Carpet Beetles
• Cellar Spiders
• Centipedes
• Clothes Moths
• Cluster Flies — People often mistake cluster flies for house flies.
• Cockroaches
• Crickets (often found in basements)
• Deer Tick (often carried in from outdoors)
• Dog Tick (often carried in from outdoors)
• Drain Flies (also called Moth Flies)
• Dust Mites (House Dust Mites)
• Earwigs
• Firebrats (and Silverfish)
• Fleas
• Flesh Flies (and Blow Flies)
• Flour Beetles
• Flour / Grain Mites (University of Kentucky)
• Fruit Flies
• Fungus Gnats
• Grain Beetles
• Grain / Flour Mites (University of Kentucky)
• Head Lice
• Hornets/Wasps/Yellowjackets
• House Centipedes
• House Dust Mites
• House Flies
• Indian Meal Moth
• Ladybugs (Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle)
• Larder Beetles
• Lesser Mealworms
• Masked Hunter (University of Minnesota)
• Mealworms
• Millipedes
• Mites (Dust Mites) (Grain / Flour Mites) (Spider Mites) (Parasitic Mites of Humans)
• Moth Flies (also called Drain Flies)
• Powderpost Beetles
• Roaches
• Silverfish (and Firebrats)
• Sowbugs (considered an occasional household invader) (University of Maryland / UMD Cooperative Extension)
• Spider Beetles (Penn State) (people sometimes mistake these for ticks)
• Spider Mites
• Spiders
• Termites (Ohio State University) — Very rare in Maine; mostly occur only in pocket areas in some southern and coastal locations.
• Ticks — Ticks are sometimes found indoors after hitching a ride on you or a family pet.
• Yellowjackets/Hornets/Wasps

• 
  • Ants
  • Centipedes
  • Click Beetles (fly in through open windows, doors, etc. at night; attracted to lights)
  • Crane Flies (resemble giant mosquitoes; sometimes a household nuisance; attracted to lights at night)
  • Crickets (Camel Crickets, Field Crickets and House Crickets)
  • European Red Ants (invasive) — see also the UMaine site that’s all about this ant!
  • Fishing Spider
  • Ladybugs (Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle)
  • Millipedes
  • Sowbugs and Pillbugs (Univ. of Maryland / UMD Cooperative Extension)
  • Springtails / Snowfleas
  • Western Conifer Seed Bug
  • Wood Cockroach / Pennsylvania Wood Roach (Penn State) (generally found outdoors in moist, woodland areas but often they enter homes as “accidental invaders”)

Yard, Garden and Woodlot Pests and Critters (Some of these critters will occasionally hitch a ride into the house on such things as firewood, clothing, a family pet, etc.)

• Allegheny Mound Ant
• American Dog Tick — see Ticks
• Ants
• Aphids
• Apple-Boring Beetles (Cornell)
• Apple Maggot
• Apple Mealybug
• Armyworms
• Asian Longhorned Beetle (invasive) (no confirmed sightings in Maine as yet)
• Asiatic Garden Beetle
• Asparagus Beetle
• Aster Leafhopper
• Azalea Lace Bug
• Bald-faced Hornets
• Bark Beetles
• Black Flies
• Black Vine Weevil
• Black-legged Tick — see Ticks
• Blister Beetles
• Blow Flies (and Flesh Flies)
• Blueberry (specific to Maine low-bush blueberry) Insect Pests:
  • Blueberry Flea Beetle
  • Blueberry Maggot Fly
  • Blueberry Spanworm
  • Blueberry Thrips
  • Spotted-wing Drosophila (invasive) (see Fruit Flies)
  • Red-striped Fireworm
• Browntail Moth / Caterpillar
• Cabbage Flea Beetle (Rutgers)
• Cabbage Looper
• Cabbage Maggot
• Cabbageworm (Imported Cabbageworm)
• Candy-striped Leafhopper
• Carpenter Ants
• Chinch Bugs
• Click Beetles
• Codling Moth
• Colorado Potato Beetle
• Common Asparagus Beetle
• Common Stalk Borer
• Corn Earworm
• Corn Rootworm (Northern, Western & Southern)
• Crickets
• Cucumber Beetle (Striped Cucumber Beetle)
• Cutworms
• Deer Flies
• Deer Tick / Black-legged Tick  — see Ticks
• Diamondback Moth
• Dog Tick / Wood Tick
• Drain Flies (also called Moth Flies) (around sewage or other wet areas)
• Earwigs
• Eastern Tent Caterpillars
• Elm Sawfly
• Emerald Ash Borer (invasive)
• European Apple Sawfly
• European Chafer
• European Corn Borer
• European Crane Fly (invasive)
• European Hornet
• European Pine Sawfly
• European Red Ant (invasive) — see also the UMaine site that’s all about this ant!
• European Red Mite
• Fall Armyworm
• Fall Webworm
• Fishing Spider
• Flea Beetles
• Flesh Flies (and Blow Flies)
• Forest Tent Caterpillars
• Fruit Flies (includes information about Spotted-wing Drosophila)
• Green Peach Aphids
• Gypsy Moth
• Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (invasive)
• Hickory Tussock Caterpillar
• Hornets/Wasps/Yellowjackets
• Horntails
• Hornworms
• Horse Flies
• Inchworms (also called Loopers or Geometers) (USGS)
• Imported Cabbageworm
• Japanese Beetles — includes a VIDEO: How to Get Rid of Japanese Beetles
• June Beetles
• Lace Bugs
• Leafhoppers – see also:
  • Aster Leafhopper (Univ. of Minnesota)
  • Candy-striped Leafhopper
  • Potato Leafhopper (part of UMaine Extension’s Potato IPM Program)
• Leafminers (University of Florida)
• Lily Leaf Beetle
• Longhorned Beetles (and Roundheaded Borers) (Iowa State Univ.) — see also listing for Asian Longhorned Beetle and/or Whitespotted Sawyer Beetle
• Loopers (also called Inchworms or Geometers) (USGS)
• May/June Beetles
• Mealybugs (Washington State Univ.)
• Mexican Bean Beetles (Univ. of Florida)
• Metallic Wood-Boring Beetles (Univ. of Minnesota Extension)
• Mosquitoes (Maine Forest Service) see also:
  • Mosquito Biology (UMaine Extension)
  • Mosquito Management (UMaine Extension)
  • Insect Repellents (UMaine Extension)
  • West Nile Virus (CDC)
  • Preventing Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) Virus in Maine
• Mullein Plant Bug (Cornell)
• Northeastern Pine Sawyer Beetle
• Northern Corn Rootworm (Northern, Western & Southern) (Univ. of Illinois)
• Oblique-banded Leafroller (Cornell)
• Onion Maggots
• Onion Thrips (Cornell)
• Paper Wasps/Yellowjackets/Hornets
• Plum Curculio (Cornell)
• Potato Leafhopper (UMaine Extension Potato IPM Program)
• Powderpost Beetles
• Raspberry Insect Pests (University of Minnesota Extension)
  • Raspberry Cane Borer
  • Raspberry Cane Maggot
  • Raspberry Crown Borer
  • Raspberry Fruitworm (Univ. of Minnesota Extension)
  • Spotted-wing Drosophila (invasive) (see Fruit Flies)
• Red-banded Leafroller (Cornell)
• Redheaded Flea Beetle.(University of Wisconsin – Madison)
• Redhumped Caterpillars (Washington State University)
• Rose Chafer
• Rose Leafhopper (Univ. of Washington)
• Roundheaded Apple Tree Borer (Cornell)
• Sap Beetles (Univ. of Minnesota Extension)
• Sawyer Beetles
• Seed Corn Maggot (Univ. of Minnesota Extension)
• Slugs
• Sod Webworm (Penn State)
• Spiders
• Spider Mites
• Spotted Asparagus Beetle
• Spotted Wing Drosophila (invasive) (see Fruit Flies)
• Spruce Budworm (Maine Forest Service)
• Squash Bugs
• Squash Vine Borer (Penn State)
• Stable Fly (University of Florida)
• Stink Bugs
• Strawberry Clipper Weevil
• Strawberry Rootworm
• Strawberry Root Weevil (Oregon State University)
• Striped Cucumber Beetle
• Tarnished Plant Bug
• Tent Caterpillars: Eastern Tent Caterpillars and Forest Tent Caterpillars
• Thrips
• Ticks
• Tortoise Beetles
• Tussock Caterpillars
• Two-Spotted Spider Mites
• Viburnum Leaf Beetle (Cornell); Viburnum Leaf Beetle (UMass)
• Wasps/Yellowjackets/Hornets
• Western Conifer Seed Bug
• Western Corn Rootworm (Northern, Western & Southern) (University of Illinois)
• Whiteflies (University of Missouri)
• White Grubs
• White Pine Weevil
• Whitespotted Sawyer Beetle
• Winter Moth (Maine Forest Service) (found in Harpswell, ME – winter, 2011-2012) [see also Control of Winter Moth Damage in New England Blueberries — UMass] [2012 Bangor Daily story] and the Maine Forest Service Press Release (Nov-Dec 2015) “When moths fly with snow, let the Maine Forest Service know!”
• Wireworms
• Wood Cockroach / Pennsylvania Wood Roach (Penn State) (generally found outdoors in moist, woodland areas)
• Wood Tick / American Dog Tick — see Ticks
• Woodchuck Tick (Ixodes cookei) — see Ticks
• Yellowjackets/Wasps/Hornets
• Yellownecked Caterpillars (Penn State University)

Aquatics:

• Backswimmers and Water Boatmen (UWM)
• Black Flies
• Damselflies (BugGuide.net)
• Deer Flies
• Diving Beetles/Predaceous Diving Beetles (BugGuide.net)
• Dobsonflies
• Dragonflies
• Fishflies
• Giant Water Bugs
• Mayflies (Michigan State Univ. Extension)
• Mosquitoes (Maine Forest Service) see also:
  • Mosquito Biology (UMaine Extension)
  • Mosquito Management (UMaine Extension)
  • Insect Repellents (UMaine Extension)
  • West Nile Virus (CDC)
  • Preventing Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) Virus in Maine
• Oblique-banded Leafroller (Cornell)
• Predaceous Diving Beetles (BugGuide.net)
• Stoneflies (University of Arizona)
• Water Boatmen (UWM)
• Water Scavenger Beetles (Texas A&M)
• Water Scorpions
• Water Striders

Beneficials [see also Beneficial Insects and Spiders in Your Maine Backyard]

• Ambush Bugs and Assassin Bugs
• American Carrion Beetle
• Ants (Although it is true that many ants are pests and/or a nuisance from a human perspective, ants are also beneficial in many ways, as discussed in this University of Iowa publication entitled Ants in Lawns)
• Bees  — some online materials available include: “Understanding Native Bees, the Great Pollinators: Enhancing Their Habitat in Maine” (UMaine Extension), “How to Create a Bee-Friendly Landscape“ (UMaine Extension); see also the comprehensive website “Bee Health“ by eXtension!
• Bumblebees (BugGuide.net)
• Centipedes
• Dragonflies
• Eyed Click Beetle (Eyed Elater) (Texas A&M)
• Honey bees (eXtension)
• Horsehair Worms
• Hover Flies/Syrphid Flies.(eduwebs.org)
• Hummingbird Clearwing Moths (or Hummingbird Hawk-moths) (USGS)
• Lacewings (Virginia Tech)
• Ladybugs/Ladybird Beetles (Univ. of Kentucky) Ladybugs are beneficial but they are sometimes a household nuisance.
• Praying Mantids (Univ. of Kentucky)
• Sowbugs and Pillbugs [pdf] (Univ. of Maryland / UMD Cooperative Extension) They are beneficial decomposers.
• Spiders
• Springtails / Snowfleas — A few species are agricultural pests but by and large springtails are beneficial to agriculture and nature.
• Syrphid Flies (also called Hover Flies or Flower Flies)
• Tachina (Tachinid) Flies
• Tiger Beetles (Texas A&M); (Common genus: Cicindela) (Maine IF&W: Rare Tiger Beetles) (Good photos — University of Vermont)
• Water Scavenger Beetles (Texas A&M)
• Water Striders

Curiosities:

For a listing of butterflies in Maine (with photos), visit the Maine Butterfly Survey site. And, for a comprehensive listing of backyard tree caterpillars (with photos), check out the USGS’s Caterpillars of Eastern Forests.

• American Carrion Beetle
• Backswimmers and Water Boatmen (University of Wisconsin)
• Bella Moth / Beautiful Utetheisa
• Candy-striped Leafhopper
• Cecropia Moth
• Cicadas
• Click Beetles
• Crane Flies (sometimes a household nuisance; attracted to lights at night)
• Dobsonflies
• Fishflies
• Flying Ants (Colorado State University)
• Giant Water Bugs
• Horntails
• Horsehair Worms
• House Centipedes
• Hover Flies / Syrphid Flies.(eduwebs.org)
• Hummingbird Moth / Clearwing (USGS) Caterpillar stage (University of Missouri)
• Katydids / Long-horned Grasshoppers
• Luna Moth (USGS)
• Mayflies (Michigan State Univ. Extension)
• Monarch Butterfly
• Polyphemus Moth (Virginia)
• Praying Mantids (Univ. of Kentucky)
• Predaceous Diving Beetles (BugGuide.net)
• Pseudoscorpions (BugGuide.net)
• Rove Beetles (Iowa State University)
• Scorpionflies (Univ. of Kentucky)
• Silverfish and Firebrats
• Slug Caterpillars (BugGuide.net)
• Spider Beetles (Penn State) (people sometimes mistake these for ticks)
• Springtails / Snowfleas
• Stoneflies (University of Arizona)
• Syrphid Flies (also called Hover Flies or Flower Flies)
• Tiger Beetles (Texas A&M); (Common genus: Cicindela) (Maine IF&W: Rare Tiger Beetles) (Good photos — University of Vermont)
• Tortoise Beetles
• Tussock Caterpillars
• Water Boatmen (University of Wisconsin)
• Water Scavenger Beetles (Texas A&M)
• Water Scorpions
• Water Striders
• Western Conifer Seed Bug
• Woollybear / Woolly Bear Caterpillars (Univ. of Missouri Extension): Banded Woolly Bear and Yellow Woolly Bear

Spiders and Ticks