Oak-pest
Guides
Aleuroplatus coronata
Crown Whitefly
Aleuroplatus coronata, known as the crown whitefly, is a small sap-feeding insect in the family Aleyrodidae. Native to the southern United States and Mexico, it has established populations in California where it primarily infests oak and chestnut trees. The species derives its common name from the distinctive crown of waxy filaments surrounding the puparium. Heavy infestations can cause leaf drop, though the species generally causes limited harm to healthy host trees.
Allokermes
oak kermes scales
Allokermes is a genus of gall-like kermes scale insects in the family Kermesidae, native to the United States and specialized on oak trees (Quercus spp.). Females are relatively large (4–5 mm), round, and mottled brown, while males are tiny (1 mm), white, and oval. The genus includes economically significant pests that cause branch dieback, reduced growth, and occasional tree mortality. At least two species are well-documented: A. kingii in the southeastern and eastern United States, and A. galliformis in the eastern United States and Colorado.
Anisota fuscosa
Anisota fuscosa is a moth species in the family Saturniidae, described by Ferguson in 1971. It is currently recognized as a synonym of Anisota stigma. The genus Anisota includes several species of wild silk moths whose caterpillars are known as oakworms, feeding primarily on oak foliage. These caterpillars are gregarious feeders and can cause localized defoliation of host trees. Adults are typically active in spring and summer, with larvae descending to soil to pupate and overwinter.
Anisota peigleri
yellowstriped oakworm, yellow-striped oakworm moth
Anisota peigleri is a saturniid moth native to the southeastern United States, described by Jules C. E. Riotte in 1975. Previously misidentified as Anisota senatoria, this species is distinguished by its diurnal adult activity and specific geographic range. The larvae are specialized oak feeders that develop in gregarious clusters, causing noticeable but generally non-lethal defoliation of host trees. The species completes one generation annually, with adults active from mid-July through late August.
Anisota senatoria
orangestriped oakworm, orange-tipped oakworm
Anisota senatoria is a Nearctic silk moth in the family Saturniidae, commonly known as the orangestriped oakworm. It is one of the more common Saturniids in eastern North America, occasionally reaching pest status in the northern parts of its range. The species is notable for being a late-season feeder on oak foliage, which limits its long-term impact on host tree health. Adults are sexually dimorphic: females are larger, yellow-orange with silver-white spots and faint black lines across the wings, while males are smaller and reddish-brown. The species is very similar to A. finlaysoni in southern Ontario and A. peigleri in the southern United States.
Archodontes melanopus
Live-oak Root Borer
Archodontes melanopus is a large root-boring beetle in the family Cerambycidae, and the sole species in the genus Archodontes. Native to the southeastern United States and Central America, it bores into the roots of oaks and other hardwood trees. The species was originally described by Linnaeus in 1767 as Cerambyx melanopus. Adults are active during warmer months and are attracted to lights.
Callirhytis quercuscornigera
Horned Oak Gall Wasp
Callirhytis quercuscornigera, the horned oak gall wasp, is a cynipid wasp that forms distinctive woody galls on oak twigs. The species exhibits complex heterogony—a cyclical parthenogenesis with alternating sexual and asexual generations that produce different gall types on different oak tissues. The horned twig galls are large, woody structures with conspicuous horn-like projections through which adult wasps emerge. Heavy infestations have been documented to contribute to decline and mortality of pin oaks, particularly in urban and suburban settings.
Conotrachelus posticatus
Oak Curculio
Conotrachelus posticatus is a small weevil (3.7–5 mm) commonly known as the Oak Curculio, native to North America with a range extending from Canada to Panama. The species is a specialist on oak acorns, using them for both larval development and adult feeding. Females oviposit in acorn seeds, and larvae complete development inside the nut, passing through five instars over 10–30 days depending on host species. Adults emerge in late spring and early summer, with a second winter spent hibernating under leaf litter. The species possesses a stridulatory mechanism for sound production and has been identified as a potential threat to the avocado industry, though its primary ecological role involves oak seed predation with complex implications for forest regeneration.
Corythucha
lace bugs
Corythucha is a large genus of lace bugs (family Tingidae) comprising approximately 75 described species, primarily distributed in the northern hemisphere including North America, Europe, and eastern Asia. Members of this genus are small, sap-sucking true bugs characterized by their distinctive reticulated, lace-like forewings and pronotal expansions. Several species are economically significant pests of ornamental and crop plants, including the sycamore lace bug (C. ciliata), oak lace bug (C. arcuata), cotton or bean lace bug (C. gossypii), and chrysanthemum lace bug (C. marmorata). Some species exhibit notable behavioral traits such as maternal care (C. hewitti). The genus has been subject to extensive invasion biology research due to the rapid spread of several species through human-mediated transport and natural dispersal.
Curculio occidentis
filbert weevil, California Acorn Weevil
Curculio occidentis, the filbert weevil, is a weevil species native to western North America. It is primarily known as a seed predator of oak acorns, with documented infestations on Garry oak (Quercus garryana), coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia), and other oak species. The species has also been recorded feeding on hazelnuts (Corylus avellana), though it generally prefers endemic oak species and rarely causes economic damage to commercial hazelnut crops. Females lay small batches of 2-4 eggs in developing acorns; larvae feed on kernels and exit in autumn to pupate in soil, potentially remaining dormant for 1-2 years before adult emergence.
Enaphalodes
Enaphalodes is a genus of longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae) in the tribe Elaphidiini, established by Haldeman in 1847. The genus contains approximately ten described species distributed across North America, with several species being significant wood-boring pests of oak trees. The most extensively studied species, E. rufulus (red oak borer), has been implicated in major oak mortality events in the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains during outbreak conditions. Species in this genus are characterized by their association with hardwood hosts, particularly oaks (Quercus spp.), and their larvae create extensive galleries in the phloem and wood of host trees.
Enaphalodes rufulus
Red Oak Borer
Enaphalodes rufulus, commonly known as the Red Oak Borer, is a native North American cerambycid beetle that develops in oak trees. It is typically associated with stressed or declining oaks and normally occurs at low population densities. However, the species gained significant attention following a major outbreak in the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains during the late 1990s and early 2000s, which contributed to widespread mortality of northern red oak. The beetle has become an important subject of ecological research regarding native insect outbreaks, tree resistance mechanisms, and climate-insect interactions.
Goes tigrinus
White Oak Borer
Goes tigrinus is a longhorn beetle in the family Cerambycidae, commonly known as the White Oak Borer. It was described by De Geer in 1775 and is native to North America. The species is known to infest oak trees, with larvae boring into wood and potentially causing structural damage to host trees.
Paranthrene simulans
Hornet Clearwing Moth, Red Oak Clearwing Borer, Oak Clearwing Borer
Paranthrene simulans is a clearwing moth in the family Sesiidae, known for its striking resemblance to hornets or wasps. Adults are active during daylight hours and are frequently mistaken for hymenopterans due to their transparent wings, wasp-like coloration, and flight behavior. The species is distributed across eastern North America, where larvae develop as borers in oak and other hardwood trees.
Parthenolecanium quercifex
oak lecanium scale
Parthenolecanium quercifex, commonly known as the oak lecanium scale, is a native soft scale insect in the family Coccidae. Adult females are hemispherical, 4–7 mm long, and light to dark brown or gray with lateral humps. The species is prevalent in the eastern United States, primarily infesting oak trees but occasionally found on hickory and birch. It has one annual generation, with eggs laid in late May to June and crawlers hatching in June to early July. Heavy infestations can cause stunted foliage, chlorosis, twig death, and dieback, while moderate populations may support beneficial natural enemies.
Phryganidia
California Oak Moth
Phryganidia is a genus of prominent moths in the family Notodontidae, containing three species found in western North America. The genus is best known for Phryganidia californica, commonly called the California Oak Moth or California Oakworm, which undergoes periodic population outbreaks that can cause extensive defoliation of oak trees along the California coast. The genus was formerly placed in its own family, Dioptidae, but has been reclassified into Notodontidae. Adults are dull brown with weak flight, while larvae are specialized feeders on oak foliage.
Phryganidia californica
California Oak Moth, California Oakworm
Phryganidia californica, commonly known as the California oak moth or California oakworm, is a moth in the family Notodontidae. It is the only member of its subfamily Dioptinae found north of Mexico. The species is notable for periodic population outbreaks that can cause extensive defoliation of oak trees along the California coast. Adults are active from March to November, with two generations per year in northern California and occasionally three in southern California.
Profenusa
oak mining sawflies, birch leafmining sawflies
Profenusa is a genus of leaf-mining sawflies in the family Tenthredinidae. Species in this genus are primarily associated with trees in the genera Quercus (oaks) and Betula (birches), though at least one species, P. japonica, has been documented on Rosa multiflora. Larvae are internal leaf miners that feed on mesophyll tissue, creating blotch mines. Several species are economically significant as forest and urban pests, including the invasive P. pygmaea in Kazakhstan and P. thomsoni in North America.
Pseudexentera spoliana
bare-patched leafroller moth
Pseudexentera spoliana, commonly known as the bare-patched leafroller moth, is a tortricid moth species found in eastern North America. The species is an economically important defoliator of oak trees (Quercus spp.), with larvae feeding on oak foliage. Adult moths are small, with a wingspan of approximately 19 mm. Mating is mediated by a species-specific sex pheromone system, with males attracted to (Z)-10-hexadecenyl acetate (Z10-16:Ac).
Pseudopityophthorus pubipennis
western oak bark beetle
Pseudopityophthorus pubipennis, the western oak bark beetle, is a small bark beetle in the family Curculionidae. The species has been identified as a vector of Geosmithia pallida, the causal agent of foamy bark canker disease on coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia) in California. Previously considered a secondary agent, this native beetle is now associated with significant tree decline and mortality in urban landscapes across multiple California counties.
Stegophylla
Woolly Oak Aphids
Stegophylla is a genus of aphids in the subfamily Phyllaphidinae, first described by Oscar W. Oestlund in 1923. Members are commonly known as woolly oak aphids due to their association with oak host plants and the waxy secretions they produce. The genus contains seven recognized species, including S. quercifoliae and S. quercicola, both linked to Quercus species.
Tuberculatus pallidus
pale oak aphid
Tuberculatus pallidus is a species of aphid in the family Aphididae, described by Davidson in 1919. It belongs to the genus Tuberculatus, which comprises aphids primarily associated with oak trees (Quercus spp.). The species name "pallidus" refers to its pale coloration. Like other members of its genus, it is likely a specialist feeder on oak foliage, though specific biological details remain poorly documented in accessible literature.