Corn Earworm (Heliothis zea)

Corn earworm larvae are striped and vary in color from yellow, pink, or green to almost black and when fully mature they are about 1 1/2 inches (38 mm) in length. The head capsule is usually yellowish-orange. The larvae damage peanuts by feeding on the peanut foliage.

Corn earworm

Lesser Cornstalk Borer (Elasmopalpus lignosellus)

Lesser cornstalk borers are dark, blue-green larvae ranging from about 1/2 to 3/4 inch in length(13-18 mm), with brown or purple bands around their bodies. It will "whip" about rapidly when disturbed. Damage to peanuts occurs when the borers feed on any part of the peanut plant that comes in contact with the soil. Lesser cornstalk borers leave a sand covered silken tube attached to the plant where they enter the stem or pod.

Lesser cornstalk borer-adult male, larva in stem, sand covered tube attached to stem

Southern Corn Rootworm (Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi)

The southern corn rootworms are slender, white or cream colored larvae that may reach a length of 1/2 to 3/4 inch (13-18 mm) when mature. They have 3 pairs of inconspicuous legs, and the head and the last segment of the body are dark brown to black. The adult is the spotted cucumber beetle, a greenish-yellow beetle approximately 1/4 inch long, with 12 irregular black spots on its back. Rootworms damage peanuts by feeding on all underground parts of the plant especially the pegs and pods.

Southern corn rootworm-adult, larvae, damage to pegs and pods

Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda)

Fall armyworms are multicolored striped larvae about I I / 2 inches long (38 mm), and usually have a light colored inverted "Y" on the head. The adults are moths that deposit their eggs in masses in a double layer on the foliage of the host plant. After hatching, the small larva will feed on the epidermis of the leaf and as they grow larger they will consume the entire leaf.

Fall armyworm

Tobacco Thrips (Frankliniella fusca)

The tobacco thrips and other species are tiny, slender insects, about I / 16 inch in length (1.5 mm) that jump or fly around when disturbed. They vary in color from yellow to black in both immature and adult stages. Thrips damage peanut plants by rasping or scraping the plant tissue of the tender parts of the plants and then sucking the juices which exude from the damaged tissue. This feeding results in the damaged leaves becoming scarred and deformed. Severe damage may kill the buds and delay growth of the plants.

Thrips

Granulate Cutworm (Feltia subterranea)

The granulate cutworm is dark gray to sandy brown in color, about 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 inches long (30-38 mm) and each segment has distinct V-shaped figures on the back. They will curl up into a tight coil when disturbed. Granulate cutworms damage peanuts by feeding on the foliage, primarily at night. During the day larvae usually stay beneath the foliage or in the soil.

Granulate cutworm

Two-Spotted Spider Mite (Tetranvchus urticae)

The two-spotted spider mite and other species of mites are tiny insect related pests about 1/60 inch (.4 mm) long. Immature spider mites have 3 pairs of legs, however, the mature mites have 4 pairs of legs. They feed by sucking plant juices from the undersides of peanut leaves. This feeding which usually begins near the mid-ribs of the leaves results in a speckling of the leaves. With severe damage the leaves may turn yellow and die. Hot, dry weather is most favorable for rapid buildup and most damage occurs during extended periods of dry weather.

Spider mites clustered on tips of leaves

Potato Leafhopper (Empoasca fabae)

The potato leafhopper is a small wedge-shaped, green insect about 1/8 to 1/4 inch in length (3-6 mm). These insects hop or fly ahead of persons moving through the field. Leafhoppers feed on the undersides of the peanut leaves by inserting their beak into the midrib of the leaves and sucking juices out of the plants. This feeding causes the leaf to turn yellow from the point where feeding occurred to the tip of the leaf. This yellowing, referred to as "hopper burn" can result in the leaves dying and dropping off the plants.

Leafhopper-adult and damage

Three-cornered Alfalfa Hopper (Spissistilus festinus)

Adult three-cornered alfalfa hoppers are light green in color, wedge-shaped and about 1/4 inch long (6 mm). The immature stage is similar in shape and color and does not have wings. Both adult and immature stages have piercing-sucking mouthparts and feed by inserting their beak into the stem and sucking the plant juices. As they feed around the stem, the stem is left girdled and weakened. These girdled areas callous over, leaving a swollen area on the stem. The same type feeding may occur on leaf petioles and pegs.

Threecornered alfalfa hopper

Beet Armyworm (Spodoptera exigua)

Beet armyworm eggs are deposited on peanut foliage in small fuzzy masses. The larva is pale green to blackish green, about 1 1/4 inches long (32 mm), with a black spot on each side of the thorax just above the second pair of thoracic legs. The larvae have 4 pairs of abdominal prolegs. When first hatched, and until they are about 1/2 inch long (13 mm), they feed on the leaves in groups often webbing the leaves together.

Beet armyworm