Complete List of Pests Killed by Beneficial Nematodes

Below is a list of insect pests controlled by beneficial nematodes. In most cases we have included both the scientific name and the common name. It is important to note that this list is ever changing as we learn more about beneficial nematodes and the pests they can control.

There are some insects that nematodes can kill in a lab setting, but due to challenges associated with application we do not advertise our nematode products as good controls for those pests (such as ticks). Beneficial nematodes are soil dwelling, so they are generally only a good control for pest insects that spend part of their life cycle in the soil. Check our product pages to see which pests are well controlled by each of our nematode products.

Please note: most of the results in this list come from laboratory tests, and some of these pests are not practical to treat with nematodes in the field. For the pests we recommend treating, and how and when to treat them, see our Pest ID pages.

And as always, if you have any pest specific questions, feel free to contact us!

Scientific name	Common name
Acanthoscelides obtectus	bean weevil
Acheta assimilis	field cricket
Acheta domesticus	house cricket
Achroia grisella	lesser wax moth
Acrolepia assectella	leek moth
Acromyrmex octospinosus
Aedes aegypti	yellow fever mosquito
Aedes sierrensis	treehole mosquito
Aegorhinus phaleratus
Aethina tumida	small hive beetle
Agriotes lineatus	lined click beetle
Agrotis ipsilon	black cutworm
Agrotis segetum	turnip moth
Agrotis subterranea	granulate cutworm
Alabama argillacea	cotton leafworm
Alsophila pometaria	fall cankerworm
Alticini spp	flea beetle
Amphitornus coloradus	striped slant-face
Amyelois transitella	navel orangeworm
Anabrus simplex	Mormon cricket
Anarsia lineatella	peach twig borer
Anastrepha ludens	Mexican fruit fly
Anax junius	green darner
Antheraea pernyi	Chinese tussar moth
Anthonomus grandis	boll weevil
Anthonomus vestitus	Peruvian boll weevil
Argyrotaenia citrana	apple skinworm
Athalia proxima	mustard sawfly
Athalia rosae	turnip sawfly
Aulacophora foveicollis
Aulocara elliotti	bigheaded cricket
Barathra brassicae
Barias spp
Baris caerulescens
Blattella germanica	German cockroach
Blissus leucopterus insularis	southern chinch bug
Bombyx mori	silkworm
Brachycerus undatus	garlic weevil
Bradysia spp	fungus gnat
Brevicoryne brassicae	cabbage aphid
Bruneria brunnea	Bruner’s grasshopper
Caliroa aethiops	rose sawfly
Camponotus spp
Campsomeris dorsata
Carpophilus hemipterus	dried-fruit beetle
Carpophilus humeralis	pineapple beetle
Carpophilus mutilatus
Carpophilus obsoletus
Cassida rubiginosa	thistle tortoise beetle
Ceutorhynchus assimilis	cabbage seed pod weevil
Ceutorhynchus napi
Ceutorhynchus picitarsis	winter stem weevil
Ceutorhynchus pleurostigma	turnip gall weevil
Ceutorhynchus quadridens	cabbage stem weevil
Chaetocnema confinis	sweetpotato flea beetle
Chilo suppressalis	rice striped stem borer
Chlorida festiva	longhorned beetle
Choristoneura fumiferana	eastern spruce budworm
Choristoneura pinus	jack pine budworm
Choristoneura rosaceana	oblique-banded leafroller
Chrysopa collaris
Chrysoteuchia topiaria	cranberry girdler
Cirphis compta	armyworm
Coleomegilla spp
Conoderus falli	southern potato wireworm
Coptotermes formosanus	Formosan subterranean termite
Corythaica cyathicollis	lace bug
Cosmopolites sordidus	banana root borer
Culex pipiens	northern house mosquito
Culiseta inornata	winter mosquito
Curculio caryae	pecan weevil
Cylas formicarius	sweetpotato weevil
Dasyneura brassicae	brassica pod midge
Delia radicum	cabbage root maggot
Dendroctonus frontalis	southern pine beetle
Dendrolimus pini	pine tree lappet
Dermacentor marginatus
Dermestes vulpinus	leather beetle
Diabrotica balteata	banded cucumber beetle
Diabrotica virgifera virgifera	corn rootworm
Diacrisia obliqua
Diaphania hyalinata	melonworm moth
Diaprepes abbreviata	diaprepes root weevil
Diatraea saccharalis	sugarcane borer
Dicyphus famelicus
Dinoderus minutus	bamboo borer
Diprion similis	introduced pine sawfly
Dysdercus cingulatus
Dysdercus peruvianus
Eburia octomaculata
Ectinohoplia rufipes
Ectinus dahuricus
Elasmopalpus lignosellus	lesser cornstalk borer
Ephestia elutella	tobacco moth
Ephestia kuehniella	Mediterranean flour moth
Epilachna varivestis	Mexican bean beetle
Epinotia aporema
Estigmene acrea	saltmarsh caterpillar
Euxoa messoria	darksided cutworm
Fumibotys fumalis	mint root borer
Galleria mellonella	honeycomb moth
Glossina morsitans	Tsetse fly
Gnorimoschema operculella
Graphognathus leucoloma	white fringed beetles
Graphognathus peregrinus
Grapholita molesta	Oriental fruit moth
Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa	European mole cricket
Haptoncus luteolus
Harrisina americana	grapeleaf skeletonizer
Heilipus latro
Heliothis armigera	cotton bollworm
Heliothis virescens	tobacco budworm
Heliothis zea	corn earworm
Herse convolvuli
Hexacolus guyanensis
Hibernia defoliaria
Hieroxestis subcervinella
Hydraecia xanthenes	artichoke moth
Hylamorpha elegans
Hylemya antiqua	onion maggot
Hylemya brassicae
Hylemya floralis	turnip root fly
Hylemya platura	seedcorn maggot
Hylobius radicis	pine root collar weevil
Hypera postica	alfalfa weevil
Hyphantria cunea	fall webworm
Hyponomeuta malinellus
Hypsipila grandella
Laphygma frugiperda	fall armyworm
Lasioderma serricorne	cigarette beetle or tobacco beetle
Laspeyresia pomonella	codling moth
Leptinotarsa decemlineata	Colorado potato beetle
Leucinodes orbonalis	eggplant fruit and shoot borer
Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus	rice water weevil
Listroderus costirostris obliquus	vegetable weevil
Listronotus maculicollis	annual bluegrass weevil
Lyctus spp
Macraspis tristis
Macronoctua onusta	iris borer
Maculella noctuides
Madoniella
Malacosoma americanum	eastern tent caterpillar
Malacosoma californicum	western tent caterpillar
Malacosoma neustria	lackey moth
Mamestra oleracea
Margarodes vitium
Melanoplus bruneri	black heeled grasshopper
Melanoplus mexicanus
Melanoplus packardii
Meligethes spp
Meloidogyne spp	root knot nematode
Melolontha hippocastani
Mescinia peruella
Mesocondyla condordalis
Metagonistylum minense	Amazon fly
Metamasius hemipterus	silky cane weevil
Mocis punctularis
Monochamus scutellatus	white-spotted sawyer
Musca domestica	house fly
Nasutitermes costalis
Nauphoeta cinerea	speckled cockroach
Neocurtilla hexadactyla	northern mole cricket
Neodiprion americanus pratti	Virginia pine sawfly
Neodiprion lecontei	redheaded pine sawfly
Neodiprion sertifer	European pine sawfly
Nezara viridula	southern green stink bug
Noctuidae spp	including corn earworm
Oncopera fasciculata
Operophthera brumata	winter moth
Opogona sacchari	banana moth
Orfelia spp	fungus gnat
Ostrinia nubilalis	European corn borer
Othnonius batesi
Otiorhynchus ovatus	strawberry weevil
Otiorhynchus sulcatus	black vine weevil
Pantomorus spp
Papilio demodocus	citrus swallowtail
Papilio epiphorbas
Papilio machaon	Old World swallowtail
Parasa variabilis
Passalus unicornis
Paxillus puncticollis
Pectinophora gossypiella	pink bollworm
Pennisetia marginata	raspberry crown borer
Peridroma saucia	variegated cutworm
Periplaneta americana	American cockroach
Phlebestroma quadrimaculatum
Phryganidia californica	California oakworm
Phthia picta
Phyllophaga	May/June beetles
Phyllotreta spp	including the striped flea beetle
Pieris brassicae	cabbage white
Pieris rapae	small white
Pikonema alaskensis	yellowheaded spruce sawfly
Pissodes notatus
Plagiodera versicolora	imported willow leaf beetle
Planococcus citri	citrus mealybug
Platyptilia carduidactyla	artichoke plume moth
Plectris aliena
Plodia interpunctella	Indianmeal moth
Plusia gamma	silver-y moth
Plutella maculipennis	diamondback moth
Pococera atramentalis
Polistes spp
Popillia japonica	Japanese beetle
Porthetria dispar	spongy moth (formerly gypsy moth)
Premnotrypes vorax	potato weevil
Prionoxystus robiniae	carpenterworm
Pristiphora californica	California pear sawfly
Pristiphora erichsonii	larch sawfly
Prodenia eridania
Protoparce sexta	tobacco hornworm
Pseudaletia separata
Pseudaletia unipuncta	armyworm
Pseudexentera mali	pale apple leafroller moth
Pseudosphinx tetrio	plumeria caterpillar
Psylliodes chrysocephala	cabbage stem flea beetle
Pyrausta nubilalis	European corn borer
Pyrrhocorus spp
Rhagoletis pomonella	apple maggot
Rhodnius prolixus
Rhyacionia buoliana	pine shoot moth
Rhyacionia frustrana	Nantucket pine tip moth
Rhynchophorus cruentatus	palmetto weevil
Scirpophaga nivella	sugarcane top borer
Scolytus scolytus	large elm bark beetle
Scotogramma trifoli	clover cutworm
Selatosomus reichardti
Sericesthis germinata
Sesamia inferens	pink borer
Simulium vittatum
Siphonaptera spp	flea
Sphex caliginosus
Spodoptera frugiperda	fall armyworm
Spodoptera littoralis	cotton leafworm
Spodoptera litura	Oriental leafworm moth
Stelidota geminata	strawberry sap beetle
Symmerista albifrons
Synanthedon exitiosa	peach tree borer
Synanthedon scitula	dogwood borer
Systena spp
Tenebrio molitor	yellow mealworm beetle
Termes spp
Tipulidae spp	crane fly
Triatoma infestans
Tribolium castaneum	red flour beetle
Trichoplusia ni	cabbage looper
Tryporyza incertulas	yellow stem borer
Turpilia rigulosa
Urbanus proteus	long-tailed skipper
Vespula pensylvanica	western yellowjacket
Vespula rufa atropilosa
Vitacea polistiformis	grape root borer
Xylocopa mordax	carpenter bee
Yponomeuta padella	orchard ermine
Zabrus tenebrioides
Zinkenia fascialis
Zophobas atratus	giant mealworm beetle
	billbugs
	poplar clearwing borer
	sod webworm

Source: Poinar, George O. Nematodes for Biological Control of Insects. Boca Raton, FL: CRC, 1979. Print.