Following are the most important orders of insects that affect plants or are household pests. The links on each order will take you to detailed information on how to recognize the order, what its distinguishing characteristis are and the type of damage (or good!) a selection of the insects in the order cause. Pay special attention to the type of mouth parts each order has, e.g. chewing, piercing and sucking, etc. See Insect Orders Comparison Chart.

Blattodea

Cockroaches and termites

Coleoptera

Beetles and weevils

Dermaptera

 

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Earwigs

Diptera

Flies, mosquitoes, midges

Ephemeroptera

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Mayflies

 

Hemiptera

Auchenorrhyncha - Cicadas, leafhppers, spittlebugs, planthoppers

 

Heteroptera - True bugs 

 

Sternorrhyncha - Adelgids, phylloxera

 

Sternorrhyncha - Aphilds

 

Sternorrhyncha - Psyllids

 

Sternorrhyncha - Scales, mealybugs

 

 

Sternorrhyncha - Whiteflies

Hymenoptera

Aculeata - Ants

 

Aculeata - Bees

 

Aculeata - Wasps

 

Apocrita - Parasitoid wasps, gall wasps

 

 

Symphyta - Sawflies


Lepidoptera

Butterflies, moths

Mantodea

Mantids or mantises

Mecoptera

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Scorpionflies

Microcoryphia

Bristletails

Neuroptera

Lacewings, antlions

Odonata

Dragonflies, damselflies

Orthoptera

Crickets, katydids, grasshoppers

Phasmatodea

Walkingsticks

Thysanoptera

Thrips

Trichoptera

Caddisflies