Immature masked hunter. Masked hunters are given this name because the immature masked hunter carries dust and debris on its body to camouflage itself. They may appear as walking piles of dust and fluff.
Mealybugs
Mealybugs are small, soft-bodied insects that typically measure 1/10 to ¼ of an inch in length. They have a white, waxy coating on their bodies which gives them the appearance of lint or dust particles.
Reduvius personatus or the masked hunter is an insect belonging to the assassin bug (Reduviidae) family. The name is because its nymphs camouflage themselves with dust. The masked hunter is a predator of small arthropods, including woodlice, lacewings, earwigs, bed bugs and termites.
Woolly aphids are small, pear-shape insects that can look like tiny, fluffy cotton balls because they are covered with white waxy strands. This waxy covering serves as a deterrent for predator insects. The aphids will often be in clusters and are relatively easy to see once you look for them.
The Peloridiidae or moss bugs are a family of true bugs, comprising eighteen genera and thirty-four species. They are small, ranging in length from 2 to 4 mm, rarely seen, peculiarly lumpy, flattened bugs found in Patagonia (Argentina and Chile), New Zealand, eastern Australia, Lord Howe Island, and New Caledonia.
The katydid has a dorsally green head and pronotum, and bands on the abdomen that closely match the color of the moss where it hides. The legs, pronotum and abdomen have green-colored triangular projections that imitate moss leaves, completing the disguise. The insect remains motionless for prolonged periods of time.
Walking sticks, or stick insects, are a group of highly camouflaged insects. They escape predation by blending into plant material. As their name suggests, they look just like sticks, and may even sway back and forth to more closely resemble a twig moving in the wind.
The two spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) is the most common mite found infesting cotton. At full size, spider mites are only 0.3-0.4 mm long. They are greenish-yellow to orange, and under magnification, a dark spot can be seen on either side of the body.
The woolly adelgid is an aphid-like insect that sucks sap from trees and may inject a damaging toxin while it is feeding. It causes the needles to discolor and may kill branches or entire trees. The cottony substance that you see is actually a fluffy wax that the adelgids cover themselves with.
Cotton bollworm moths are about 0.75 inch long, with a wing span of 1 to 1.5 inches. Eggs are spherical, flattened, with 10 to 15 perpendicular rows of toothed ribs. Newly hatched, first-instar larvae have several rows of dark tubercles along the back, each bearing one or two bristles.
These white fluffy bugs are called Asian woolly hackberry aphids and typically appear in the Upper South region of the United States and in much of Asia. Although they don't cause harm to humans, they are a nuisance to homeowners due to the sticky sap they produce.
Bed bug eggs resemble grains of rice, but much smaller. Most are pearly white-gray in color with an elongated oval shape that's only about 1 millimeter long.
Dust mites have bodies resembling ticks, with eight bristly legs, no visible eyes, and a mouth that's straight out of your worst nightmare. Their sturdy glassy shells make them look even more sickening, disturbing even the boldest.
To the naked eye, baby bed bugs look like very small specks of dirt or lint on fabric. It can take magnification to tell the difference.
Fabric bugs or clothing bugs are a group of fabric-eating bugs usually found outdoors. They come indoors because of a food source or via items made from animal fibers. These insects feed upon and damage fabric and paper. It's possible to see them, but generally, you only see holes and other damage left behind.
White spider mites
White spider mites resemble tiny baby spiders and look like lint when clustered together. Spider mites usually attack plants during spring and target small branches or the underside of leaves.
ANSWER: The fuzzy balls are galls formed by the tree leaf in response to the feeding of the larvae hatched from an egg deposited by a tiny gall wasp in the Family Cynipidae, Genus Andricus.
These are galls. A gall is an abnormal growth produced by a plant under the influence of another organism. Most galls form after insects (tiny Cynipid wasps) lay their eggs in the host plant. Each gall-making insect forms a gall of a particular size, shape and color; no species forms their galls quite like any other.
Trees with Spiky Seed Pods. If you've encountered some round, spiny balls under a tree or maybe still on the plant, and you're wondering what it could be, it's likely one of several options: buckeye/horsechestnut (Aesculus), chestnut (Castanea), or sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua).
Wash bedding in hot water (at least 120 degrees F) once a week. Reduce clutter, stuffed animals, and other places where dust mites live. If that's not possible, wash stuffed animals weekly in hot water (at least 130 degrees) to kill and wash away dust mites.
A healthcare provider may think you have mites based on your health history and a physical exam. Intense itching and many small, red bumps, like pimples, are seen. Burrows may also be seen. These look like thin, wavy lines.
Eliminating sources of food and water that would otherwise help the stick bugs survive. Removing or cleaning up places where they might find shelter. Talking to local pest management experts — for example, professionals at a local nursery may have useful advice for your area's particular species.
They do not bite, sting, or attack humans. If you happen to come across a singular stick bug, don't worry – while they look a little strange, they are not harmful to you, your family, or your pets. In most cases, you can simply leave them alone or admire them from afar.
Walking sticks use their camouflaging ability to protect themselves. Our Chief Entomologist, Marissa Harrison says, “All of them are herbivores, harmless plant eaters. They're slow-moving, they don't run or jump. They don't bite or sting.