Insects can be found in almost every corner of the world, from the frigid conditions of polar regions or the highest mountains, to scorched deserts and steamy rainforests. In Michigan, as the weather warms, it is inevitable that bugs will come out to play. 

Whether you have a fear or fascination with them, bugs are a part of our everyday lives. Although they can be real pests — we don’t call them bugs for nothing — some bugs are actually beneficial. The trick is to determine which bugs are "good" bugs, and which are "bad."

For our purposes, "bad" bugs are those that have a negative impact on human or plant health. From an agricultural standpoint, even some bugs that do not harm people often have voracious appetites for plant life, and can severely affect crop production. 

Examples of Bad Bugs in Michigan:

Emerald Ash Borer
The Emerald Ash Borer is an exotic insect from Asia that is quickly killing ash trees in Southeast Michigan. Discovered in the summer of 2002, this green, wood-boring beetle is 100 percent fatal to an ash tree and poses a serious threat to Michigan’s estimated 700 million ash trees. Researchers think this pest probably invaded Michigan up to five years ago or more, possibly on wood used as packing material in a shipment from Asia, and silently munched away at the core of ash trees until the damage was significant enough that a pattern was noticed and investigated. Surveyors from the Michigan Department of Agriculture are currently trying to further determine the exact extent of the pest’s spread, and a Task Force of state, federal, local and university experts has been created to control and eradicate the insect.

Gypsy Moth Caterpillar
Gypsy Moth caterpillars feed on the leaves of oak or other hardwood trees and can completely defoliate them. Although gypsy moth has been identified in Michigan since the mid-1950s, major defoliation events have occurred only since the mid-1980s. Once considered an invasive species, gypsy moth is now here to stay as a part of Michigan’s forest and urban forest ecosystems. Elimination of the gypsy moth is not possible, so the focus is on suppression, preventing spread to areas not yet infested. Although defoliation does not kill healthy trees, it robs neighborhoods of beautiful shade-producing canopies during the hot summer months.

Gypsy moth caterpillars are easily identified by pairs of red and blue spots along their backs. Long dark hairs are present from May to early June. The caterpillars spin reddish-brown cocoons in July and pupate for one to two weeks. Adult moths live for only a few days and do not feed, but the caterpillars are born hungry. 

Trees defoliated by gypsy moth caterpillars will produce a second set of buds in late summer, and the second set of leaves will produce enough energy for the tree to survive winter. Severe defoliation does stress the tree, however, and if defoliation occurs for a few years, other stress factors, like drought conditions, disease or poor growing conditions, may lead to the death of the tree.

Housefly
Houseflies are always found in association with humans or activities of humans. The housefly is also the most common fly species found on hog and poultry farms, horse stables and ranches. Not only are they a nuisance, but they can also transport disease-causing organisms, including typhoid, cholera, bacillary dysentery, tuberculosis, infantile diarrhea and parasitic worms. 

Adult flies suck liquids containing sweet or decaying substances. Their mouth parts allow them to ingest only liquid materials, so solid food materials are liquefied by means of regurgitated saliva. Pathogenic organisms are picked up by flies from garbage, sewage and other sources of filth, and then transferred on their mouthparts and other body parts to human and animal food.

Mosquito
Mosquitoes are more than a nuisance; they are a menace. The incessant buzzing and bites of mosquitoes can be annoying and uncomfortable, but through their bites, mosquitoes transmit diseases, including malaria and encephalitis.

They also are responsible for spreading West Nile virus, which can infect people, horses, many types of birds, and some other animals. Most people who become infected with West Nile virus will have either no symptoms or only mild ones. However, on rare occasions, West Nile virus infection can result in severe and sometimes fatal illnesses. There is no evidence that West Nile virus can be spread from person to person or from animal to person, so mosquitoes seem to be the key to the spread of the disease. In Michigan last year, West Nile virus caused the death of 51 people and sickened an additional 644. The disease also affected nearly 350 horses.

Examples of Michigan’s Good Bugs:

Praying Mantis

Ladybird Beetle
Ladybird beetles, or ladybugs, are a gardener’s friends. Ladybugs eat aphids, mealy bugs and scale mites (all bad bugs) that can destroy gardens. Ladybugs can eat up to 24 insects every day. Some gardeners purchase ladybugs and release them in their gardens to help control insects. Even a beneficial bug can be a nuisance when it gets into your house, though. Click here for tips on how to keep these beneficial bugs outside where they belong.

Honeybee
Without honeybees, there would be no crops or flowers. Honeybees are essential to crop production because they pollinate the flowers that in turn become the fruits and vegetables we enjoy. Honeybees also turn the nectar from flowers into honey. Honeybees must feed from at least two million flowers to make one pound of honey – living up to the expression, "busy as a bee."

Controlling Bad Bugs While Encouraging the Presence of Good Bugs:
There are a lot of ways to control harmful bugs, while maintaining healthy beneficial bugs. From fly swatters, flea collars, and candles to more sophisticated methods like  pheromone traps, integrated pest management techniques,pesticide applications, and crop rotation, the choices are numerous. 

With all pest management strategies, it is critical to correctly and comprehensively identify all advantages and disadvantages of a particular strategy. Some of the keys to successfully using a strategy are: properly identifying the pest, accurately estimating the population, obtaining the correct natural enemies or chemical treatments, following use directions correctly, and monitoring the effectiveness of the biological or chemical control method.

First and foremost, good sanitation goes a long way, especially for indoor pests like cockroaches, ants and houseflies. Cleanliness is also important on farms for pest control, especially around feed piles and manure-prone areas.

Visual scouting for signs of pests or infestation damage, like egg masses or defoliation, help determine the type of bugs and the extent of infestation. Once you know what you are dealing with, control and eradication options can be selected. 

Integrated Pest Management
Integrated pest management (IPM) is a pest management system that focuses on managing pests with the least possible impact on people, property, and the environment. IPM uses all suitable techniques in a total management system, to prevent pests from reaching unacceptable levels, or to reduce existing pest populations to acceptable levels. IPM techniques can include trapping, and using biocontrol methods and targeted chemical and biological pesticide applications.

Pheromone traps are devices used to lure and capture certain pests in homes or gardens. Pheromone traps use natural or man-made attractants, or scents, to entice pests to the device where they are captured in liquid or stuck to a glue strip. Flies, Japanese beetles, pantry pest beetles, grain moths, and clothes moths are examples of pests controlled by pheromones. The bugs get caught in the trap and die. Killing adult bugs stops the cycle of egg laying or larval development and reduces pest populations.

Another important bug control method is using biocontrol techniques. An insect’s worst enemies are other insects. Biological control is the use of naturally occurring organisms that act as natural enemies to the pests in question — bugs that eat other bugs. When used effectively, biocontrol methods can be a safe and effective approach to pest management and can reduce pesticide use. 

Many farmers and gardeners use crop rotation as a method to control pests. Crops are changed year by year in a planned sequence. With crop rotation, pesticide use may be reduced by naturally breaking the cycles of weeds, insects and diseases. 

Pesticide applications are also a viable option when applied according to label instructions by registered or certified pesticide applicators.

The most important thing you can do to control bugs is to learn as much as you can about the life cycles and preventative treatments for bugs that are bugging you. Some resources include your local public library, your local Michigan State University Extension office, online insect databases, and entomology clubs.

Obscure Bug Facts Everyone Should Know:

• Adult houseflies usually live 15 to 25 days, unless they meet their demise under the face of a fly swatter.
• Mosquitoes can fly an estimated 1 to 1.5 miles per hour, and can smell a person from as far away as 20 to 35 meters. Only female mosquitoes actually suck blood. You can run, but you can’t hide ...
• Praying mantis females are among the biggest insects. A mantis sheds its shin 12 times before it is fully grown.
• Honeybees can fly 15 miles per hour. A queen bee lays 800 to 1,500 eggs in one day.
• The loudest insect in the world is the male cicada. He can be heard over 400 meters away, about the distance of four football fields (slightly more than 1/4 of a mile). 
• When it gets hot some dragonflies point their long abdomens right at the sun. This way the sun's rays only hit the tip of the abdomen and not the whole length, keeping the dragonfly much cooler. 
• There may be as many as 659,000 ants in a single nest. 
• Honeybees air-condition their hive when it gets hot – some of the workers position themselves at the entrance to the hive and fan their wings. When it gets really hot they bring droplets of watered-down honey with them to cool the air even more.
• An estimated 200 million insects and mites may live in the soil of an acre of rich pastureland. 
• Honeybees may travel a distance equal to twice around the world in order to gather enough nectar to make a pound of honey. During its lifetime, a worker honeybee collects enough nectar to make about 2 ounces of honey.
• More trees are lost to insects each year than are destroyed by forest fires. 
• Houseflies use hairy, micro-hooking, glue-oozing toe pads to walk upside down on the ceiling. 
• Lightning bugs, also known as fireflies, produce light from a chemical substance called luciferin. When luciferin is mixed with oxygen in the presence of a special enzyme known as luciferase, a chemical reaction takes place that produces light. 
• The female of most insect species is generally larger than the male of the species. 
• It would take an estimated 1,120,000 mosquito bites to drain all the blood from an adult human being.
• The fire ant, which is about the size of a rice grain, has a sting that is worse than the sting of a hornet. 
• A housefly "hums" in the key of F and beats its wings over 20,000 beats per minute. 
• There are many people in the world whose religion forbids killing a louse. It is, however, okay to pick it off and put it on someone else. 
• There are some species of insects for which a male of the species has never been found. 
• Some species of ants use aphids as "cows," defending them from predators, building shelters for them, and even taking them into their nest during bad weather. In return the aphids provide the ants with honeydew. 
• There are insects that live in caves and never see the light of day. 
• Discoveries of insect fossils show us that insects have been around for at least 350 million years. 
• There are well over 3 million species of insects, and more are being discovered every day.