Arthropods

There’s not an avid hiker alive who hasn’t walked face-first into at least one orb-weaver spider web in his or her time in the woods. Arthropods, the creepy-crawlies that populate the forest floor and your back yard, are everywhere if you only know where to look; but most of them serve a purpose, except for mosquitoes and lantern flies. Oh, and ticks. Watch out for ticks. Remember to cover yourself in a repellant spray and check yourself after any trips through thick brush.
Daktaridudu, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

 

The following list of resources may help in your quest to identify the insects and arachnids you locate on your journeys through our woods, and walkways:

POLLINATOR QUICK GUIDES 

Pollinator Quick Guide: What You Can Do to Help Native Bees: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/ent-80  

Pollinator Quick Guide: What you can do to help bumble bees: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/ent-81  

Pollinator Quick Guide: What you can do to help pollinators: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/ent-78  

Pollinator Quick Guide: What you can do to help honey bees: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/ent-79  

Pollinator Quick Guide: What you can do to help monarchs: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/ent-82 

OHIO’S NATURAL ENEMIES 

Ohio’s Natural Enemies: Funnel Weaver Spiders: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/ent-76 

Ohio’s Natural Enemies: Crab Spiders: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/ent-70 

Ohio’s Natural Enemies: Lacewings: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/ent-72 

Ohio’s Natural Enemies: Long-legged flies: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/ent-69 

Ohio’s Natural Enemies: Harvestmen: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/ent-68 

Ohio’s Natural Enemies: Mantids: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/ent-67 

Ohio’s Natural Enemies: Jumping spiders: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/ent-74 

Ohio’s Natural Enemies: Hover Flies: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/ent-73 

 

OHIO BEES 

How to identify and enhance Ohio’s Wild Bees in Your Landscape: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/ent-85  

Bumble Bees in Ohio: Natural History and Identification of Common Species: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/ent-84  

Ohio Trees for Bees: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/ent-71 

Ohio Bee Identification Guide: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/ENT-57 

 

OHIO INSECTS OF INTEREST 

Millipedes: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/HYG-2067A-10 

Cicada Killer Wasp: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/ENT-63 

Periodical and “Dog-Day” Cicadas: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/ENT-58 

Fungus Beetles: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/HYG-2084-10 

Ground Beetles: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/HYG-2102-10 

Giant Caterpillars: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/HYG-2015-11 

 

PESTS AND INVASIVE SPECIES 

Be alert for spotted lanternfly: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/anr-83  

Distinguishing Emerald Ash Borer from Native borers: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/ent-77    

Asian Longhorned Beetle: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/ent-75  

Ticks and tick-borne diseases: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/HYG-2073   

Aphids on trees and shrubs: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/HYG-2031-10  

 

ODNR FIELD GUIDES: 

Butterflies and Skippers of Ohio: (PDF)

Common Spiders of Ohio: (PDF)

Dragonflies and Damselflies of Ohio: (PDF)  

Moths of Ohio: (PDF)  

Bees and Wasps of Ohio: (PDF)  

Millipedes of Ohio: (PDF)