Pest Look-Alikes – Part 2

Pest Look-Alikes – Part 2

There are a number of pests that look very similar but are, in fact, very different. In this blog series, we breakdown some of the most commonly confused pests and their differences. Today’s blog covers Grasshoppers and Crickets, Bat Bugs and Bed Bugs, and Sowbugs and Pillbugs.

Grasshoppers and Crickets

Grasshoppers and crickets are often very difficult to distinguish from one another. They are both part of the Orthoptera order, which is a Greek term meaning “straight wing,” referring to both the appearance and structure of the front wings of the species in the order. In addition to these wings, Orthoptera are known for having cylindrical-shaped bodies, powerful hind legs for jumping, fan-shaped back wings, and the ability to stridulate (create a chirping noise). In addition to these similarities within their order, crickets and grasshoppers are often similar in color and have very similar sounding stridulation. So, what sets them apart?

First of all, they are two different species entirely and have a variety of bodily and behavioral differences. Crickets typically measure about 1/8 inch to 2 inches in length, while grasshoppers are, on average, larger, measuring between 1/3 inch to 3 inches long when fully grown. Their antennae are also notably short, never measuring the same length as their bodies, while the antennae of crickets as as long as, or longer, than the length of their bodies. Grasshoppers also have the unique ability amongst these two species to be green in color, although more often than not both species are brown or grey.

In terms of their behaviors, crickets are omnivores and will consume a variety of plants and insects including fruits, vegetables, ornamental plants, seeds, live and/or dead insects, animal matter, and grasses. In addition to this, crickets have also been known to consume a surprising variety of textiles and artificial materials such as rubbers, wool, cotton, silk, leather, and nylon products. Grasshoppers, on the other hand, are primarily herbivores and will feast on a variety of organic matter including leaves, flowers, seeds, vegetables, stems, weeds, bark, and more. Both species also stridulate in different ways. Crickets stridulate by rubbing their wings together, while grasshoppers have to use their hind legs to rub their wings in order to create the chirping noises.

Bat Bugs and Bed Bugs

Bed bugs and bat bugs are both members of the Cimicidae family that feast on the blood of mammals. They look extremely similar and are very difficult to tell apart without close examination. Both are reddish-brown in color, have six legs, are shaped like an apple seed, have two antennas, are flat, and have eyes poking out on either side of their heads. However, there is a minor physiological difference that distinguishes these pests from one another. Bed bugs are generally a tad larger in size, able to reach up to 7mm long. They are also hairy, but not nearly as hairy as their cousins. Bat bugs have an excessive amount of hair along the edge of their flat-ish bodies. While bed bugs have similar hair, that of the bat bugs is 4 times larger than those of bed bugs, extending beyond the widths of their eyes. Furthermore, maximum size for bat bugs comes in at roughly 5mm long, making them generally smaller than their cousins.

While there are physical difference between these bloodsucking species, their primary difference actually lies in the types mammals that they feed on. Bat bugs, true to their names, primarily feed on bats, while bed bugs primarily feast on us. Interestingly, it was previously believed that the specific genus of bed bugs that feed on humans evolved several million years ago from a version of bat bugs. However, newly discovered evidence proves that Cimicidaes as a whole existed 80 million years before bats even came into existence, suggesting that the two species may have actually evolved completely separately.

Sowbugs and Pillbugs

While both sowbugs and pillbugs look similar to a lot of insects, they’re actually not insects at all. Both of these pests are actually classified as Crustaceans, which is a large range of animals including crabs, lobsters, krill, shrimp, and, of course, sowbugs and pillbugs. Sowbugs and pillbugs are part of the largest class of Crustaceans, called the Malacostracans which includes marine, freshwater and terrestrial invertebrates, making them more closely related to shrimp, crabs, and lobsters than any kind of insect. Furthermore, within the Malacostraca class, they are organized into the order Isopod, which specifies that they are terrestrial-bound crustaceans.

Both of these terrestrial crustaceans are light to dark grey or brown in color, are oval shaped, range between 1/4 – 1/2 inch in length, have 7 pairs of legs, 2 antennas, and a hard-shell exterior made up of a line of plates. They are the only crustaceans that have evolved to live their lives fully on land, yet they still breathe through a kind gill on the underside of their abdomens.

While at a first glance, there “bugs” seem practically identical, and their names are even often used interchangeably, there are a few physical features that set them apart. Sowbugs tend to be flatter while pillbugs have a more rounded/cylindrical appearance. This rounded body shape along with the fact that the plates of pillbugs are not only overlapping, but also flexible, allows these little crustaceans to roll up into a ball when they feel threatened. This ability is known as ‘conglobulation,’ and earned them the common nickname: roly polys. Sowbugs lack this ability, but they do possess a pair of large uropods which are like a pair of tails protruding from their rears. Pillbugs also have uropods, but they are far smaller and typically only visible if they are flipped over on their backs.

Citations

Blue, M.-L. (2018) The Differences Between Locusts, Grasshoppers and CicadasSciencing. Available at: https://sciencing.com/differences-between-locusts-grasshoppers-cicadas-8284950.html (Accessed: June 22, 2021).

Bousfield, E. and Conlan, K. (no date) Malacostracan – CrustaceanEncyclopedia Britannica. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/animal/malacostracan (Accessed: November 2020).

Britton, D. (2020) Grasshoppers, crickets, katydids and locusts: Order OrthopteraThe Australian Museum. Available at: https://australian.museum/learn/animals/insects/grasshoppers-crickets-katydids-and-locusts-order-orthoptera/ (Accessed: June 22, 2021).

Cranshaw, W., Camper, M. and Peairs, F. (2013) Bat Bugs, Bed Bugs and RelativesColorado State University Extension. Available at: https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/insects/bat-bugs-bed-bugs-and-relatives-5-574/ (Accessed: October 2020).

Damir, M. (2017) How to Deal with Bat BugsPest Control Technology. Available at: https://www.pctonline.com/article/how-to-deal-with-bat-bugs/ (Accessed: October 2020).

Ferreira, B. (2019) “Bed Bugs Menaced the Dinosaur Age Before Moving

into Our Mattresses,” The New York Times, 16 May. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/16/science/bedbugs-dinosaurs-evolution.html

Grasshoppers and Crickets (Order: Orthoptera) (no date) The Amateur Entomologists’ Society. Available at: https://www.amentsoc.org/insects/fact-files/orders/orthoptera.html (Accessed: June 15, 2021).

Ogg, B. and Kalisch, J. (no date) Bat Bugs and Bat TicksLancaster County University of Lincoln Nebraska. Available at: https://lancaster.unl.edu/pest/resources/351BatBugsTicks.pdf (Accessed: October 2020).

Phylum Arthropoda, Subphylum Crustacea (no date) Key to Australian Freshwater and Terrestrial Invertebrates. Available at: https://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/v3/TFI/start%20key/key/Starting%20key/Media/HTML/Arthropoda%20Crustacea.html (Accessed: November 2020).

Potter, M. (2020) Bed BugsThe University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment. Entomology at the University of Kentucky. Available at: https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef636 (Accessed: October 2020).

Potter, M. (2019) Sowbugs and PillbugsThe University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment. Entomology at the University of Kentucky. Available at: https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef439 (Accessed: June 23, 2021).

Ramsey, M. (2013) Holy Moly It’s A “Roly Poly” – Sowbugs and PillbugsUniversity of California Real Dirt Blog. University of California Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Available at: https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=12567 (Accessed: June 23, 2021).

Sajem, Y. (2020) What Kind of Food Do Grasshoppers Eat?Pets on Mom. Available at: https://animals.mom.com/kind-food-grasshoppers-eat-10974.html (Accessed: June 22, 2021).

Simpson, V. (2020) What Are The Differences Between Crickets And Grasshoppers?WorldAtlas. Available at: https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-are-the-differences-between-crickets-and-grasshoppers.html (Accessed: June 22, 2021).

Sowbugs, Pillbugs (no date) Texas A&M Agrilife Extension. Texas A&M University. Available at: https://texasinsects.tamu.edu/sowbugs-pillbugs/ (Accessed: June 23, 2021).

Towne, J. (2019) Are Insects Animals?Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/@jessicatowne/are-insects-animals-2f91da7506c (Accessed: November 2020).

Walker, T. (no date) How to Recognize Crickets, Katydids, and CicadasSinging Insects of North America (SINA). Available at: https://orthsoc.org/sina/i00dis.htm (Accessed: June 22, 2021).