Top 20 Most Common Insects in Catskill

The eastern Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa virginica) is considered a pest and a benefit in the same body. It has earned its pest status from its ability to tunnel into human-made structures and weaken them. They can also stain their excrement on the building as they leave the tunnel. Their benefits as pollinators heavily outweigh any damage they do to structures. 

The northern Paper Wasp (Polistes fuscatus) has a complex society that is dominated by one queen. The first children that a queen gives birth to are infertile females, giving them the regular job of maintaining the nest. Much like human societies, northern Paper Wasps pamper their youth. There are no nursing homes for the elderly.

The japanese Beetle (Popillia japonica) was introduced to the Americas from a tourist's car in Nova Scotia. This beetle has been limited in its ability to fully infest the environment, but cannot be fully eradicated. A swarm of them have been known to strip an entire peach tree in a matter of minutes.

The black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) is one of the fastest swallowtails out there. With a lifespan that maxes out at 45 days, it has a limited amount of time to get a mate. As a result, courtship is only around forty seconds long. They can also put their abdomen at the top of their wings, keeping them warm during colder flights.

The brown-belted bumble bee (Bombus griseocollis) can be distinguished from other bumble bees because of the brown belt on its abdomen. It's often found in urban landscapes, near sunflowers, thistles, and milkweed. The males often fly very high in search of females, and they've even been spotted at the top of the Empire State Building.

The eastern pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis) has much in common with American fishermen, they love living near the sides of ponds. They are a beautiful insect that is easy to distinguish when it comes to different genders. Females are bright green with bands around the abdomen and the males are bright blue with a green face.

The silver-spotted skipper (Epargyreus clarus) constructs a series of nests throughout its development that depends on its growth stage. Its caterpillar form is considered a major homebody, as they rarely leave the spot they call home. When they are adults, males perch on high branches in order to claim and defend favorable territory. Unusually, silver-spotted skipper adults never visit yellow flowers.

The rosy Maple Moth (Dryocampa rubicunda) has an incredibly colorful color scheme that makes it easy to identify. It has a combination of pink and yellow that makes it pretty cute. Otherwise, the "maple" part of its name comes from the mother laying their eggs underneath maple leaves. If the caterpillars come in a large enough group, they can defoliate trees.

Ischnura verticalis can reach a body length of 2 - 3 cm. These small green, black and blue damselflies have a slender body with four wings folding over the back. The thorax of the males is black above, with pale green sides and green shoulder stripes. Eyes are dark above, greenish below. Abdomen is mainly black, with thin pale rings. The top of the abdomen (eighth and ninth abdominal segments) is blue, with black markings on sides. The males' abdomens shows tiny projections off the tip (hence the common name verticalis of this species). Females are usually grayish-blue, with greyish markings on the abdomen. In the immature female thorax is bright orange with black dorsal and shoulder stripes. The abdomen is black above and orange below. Eyes are dark above, orange below. The pterostigma is white to light brown. The females may be less commonly yellow-green like the male.

The oriental Beetle (Exomala orientalis) is the smaller, less colorful cousin of the Japanese Beetle. It is considered exotic in the US but was introduced in the early 1900s to Hawaii. Their introduction caused a great deal of destruction to sugarcane fields. Their major expansion was done through the shipment of nursery stock.