Complete List of Pests Killed by Beneficial Nematodes
September 14, 2016 | All About 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 the “Pests Controlled” tab of the product pages on our website to see which pests are well controlled by each of our nematode products.
And as always, if you have any pest specific questions, feel free to contact us!
Acanthoscelides obtectus (bean weevil) | Dysdercus cingulatus | Pantomorus spp |
Acheta assimilis (field cricket) | Dysdercus peruvianus | Papilio demodocus (citrus swallowtail) |
Acheta domescica (house cricket) | Eburia octomaculata | Papilio machaon (Old World swallowtail) |
Achroia grisella (lesser wax moth) | Ectinohoplia rufipes | Papilio epiphorbas |
Acrolepia assectella (leek moth) | Ectinus dahuricus | Parasa variabilis |
Acromyrmex octospinosus | Elasmopalpus lignosellus (lesser cornstalk borer) | Passalus unicornis |
Aedes aegypti (yellow fever mosquito) | Ephestia elutella (tobacco moth) | Paxillus puncticollis |
Aedes sierrensis (treehole mosquito) | Ephestia kuehniella (Mediterranean flour moth) | Pectinophora gossypiella (pink bollworm) |
Aegorhinus phaleratus | Epilachna varivestis (Mexican bean beetle) | Pennisetia marginata(raspberry crown borer) |
Aethina tumida(small hive beetle) | Epinotia aporema | Peridroma saucia (variegated cutworm) |
Agriotes lineatus (lined click beetle) | Estigeme acrea (saltmarsh caterpillar) | Periplaneta americana (American cockroach) |
Agrotis ipsilon (black cutworm) | Euxoa messoria (darksided cutworm) | Phlebestroma quadrimaculatum |
Agrotis segetum (turnip moth) | Fumibotys fumalis (mint root borer) | Phryganidia californica (California oakworm) |
Agrotis subterranea (granulate cutworm) | Galleria mellonella (honeycomb moth) | Phthia picta |
Alabama argillacea (cotton leafworm) | Glossina morsitans (Tsetse fly) | Phyllophaga(all types of white grubs) |
Alsophila pometaria (fall cankerworm) | Gnorimoschema operculella | Phyllotreta spp (including the striped flea beetle) |
Alticini spp (flea beetle) | Graphognathus leucoloma (white fringed beetles) | Pieris brassicae (cabbage white) |
Amphitornus coloradus (striped slant-face) | Graphognathus peregrinus | Pieris rapae (small white) |
Anabrus simplex (Mormon cricket) | Grapholitha molesta (peach moth) | Pikonema alaskensis (yellowheaded spruce sawfly) |
Anarsia lineatella (peach twig borer) | Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa (European mole cricket) | Pissodes notatus |
Anastrepha ludens (Mexican fruit fly) | Haptoncus luteolus | Plagiodera versicolora (imported willow leaf beetle) |
Anax junius (green darner) | Harrisina americana (grapeleaf skeletonizer) | Planococcus citri (citrus mealybug) |
Antheraea pernyi (Chinese tussar moth) | Heilipus latro | Platyptilia carduidactyla (artichoke plume moth) |
Anthonomus grandis (boll weevil) | Heliothis armigera (cotton bollworm) | Plectris aliena |
Anthonomus vestitus (Peruvian boll weevil) | Heliothis virescens (tobacco budworm) | Plodia interpunctella (Indianmeal moth) |
Aramyelois transitella (navel orangeworm) | Heliothis zea (corn earworm) | Plusia gamma (silver-y moth) |
Argyrotaenia citiana (apple skinworm) | Herse convolvuli | Plutella maculipennis (diamondback moth) |
Athalia proxima (mustard sawfly) | Hexacolus guyanensis | Pococera atramentalis |
Athalia rosae (turnip sawfly) | Hibernia defoliaria | Polystes spp |
Aubacophora foveicollis | Hieroxestis subcervinella | Popillia japonica(Japanese beetle) |
Aulocara elliotti (bigheaded cricket) | Hydraecia xanthenes (artichoke moth) | Poplar clearwing borer |
Barathra brassicae | Hylamorpha elegans | Porthetria dispar (gypsy moth) |
Barias spp | Hylemya antiqua(onion maggot) | Premnotrypes vorax (potato weevil) |
Baris caeralesceus | Hylemya brassicae | Prionoxystus robiniae(carpenterworm) |
Billbugs | Hylemya platura (seedcorn maggot) | Pristiphora californica (California pear sawfly) |
Blatella germanica (German cockroach) | Hylemya floralis (turnip root fly) | Pristiphora erichsonii (larch sawfly) |
Blissus leucopterus insularis (southern chinch bug) | Hylobius radicis (pine root collar weevil) | Prodenia eridania |
Bombyx mori (silkworm) | Hypera postica (alfalfa weevil) | Protoparce sexta (tobacco hornworm) |
Brachycerus undatus (garlic weevil) | Hyphantria cunea (fall webworm) | Pseudaletia separata |
Bradysia spp (fungus gnat) | Hyponomeuta malinellus | Pseudaletia unipuncta (armyworm) |
Brevicoryne brassicae (cabbage aphid) | Hypsipila grandella | Pseudexentera mali (pale apple leafroller moth) |
Bruneria brunnea (Bruner’s grasshopper) | Laphygma frugiperda (fall army worm) | Pseudosphinx tetrio (plumeria caterpillar) |
Caliroa aethiops (rose sawfly) | Lasioderma serricorne (cigarette beetle or tobacco beetle) | Psylliodes chrysocephala (cabbage stem flea beetle) |
Camponotus spp | Laspeyresia pomonella (coddling moth) | Pyrausta nubilalis |
Campsomeris dorsata | Lepttarsa decemlineataino (Colorado potato beetle) | Pyrausta nubilalis (European cornworm) |
Carpophilus hemipterus (dried-fruit beetle) | Leucinodes orbonalis (eggplant fruit and shoot borer) | Pyrrhocorus spp |
Carpophilus humeralis (pineapple beetle) | Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus (rice water weevil) | Rhagolites pomonella (apple maggot) |
Carpophilus multilatus | Listroderus costirostris obliquus (vegetable weevil) | Rhodnius prolixus |
Carpophilus obsoletus | Listronotus maculicollis(annual bluegrass weevil) | Rhyacionia buoliana (pine shoot moth) |
Cassida rubiginosa (thistle tortoise beetle) | Lyctus spp | Rhyacionia frustrana (Nantucket pine tip moth) |
Ceutorhynchus assimilis (cabbage seed pod weevil) | Macraspis tristis | Rhynchophorus cruentatus(palmetto weevil) |
Chaetocnema confinis (sweetpotato flea beetle) | Macronoctua onusta(iris borer) | Scirpophaga nivella (sugarcane top borer) |
Chilo suppressalis (rice striped stem borer) | Maculella noctuides | Scolytus scolytus (large elm bark beetle) |
Chlorida festiva (longhorned beetle) | Madoniella | Scotogramma trifoli (clover cutworm) |
Choristoneura fumiferana (eastern spruce budworm) | Malacosoma americanum (eastern tent caterpillar) | Selatosomus reichardti |
Choristoneura pinus (jack pine budworm) | Malacosoma neustria (lackey moth) | Sericesthis germinata |
Choristoneura rosaceana (oblique-banded leafroller) | Malacosoma californicum (western tent caterpillar) | Sesamia inferens (pink borer) |
Chrysopa collaris | Mamestra oleracea | Simulium vittatum |
Chrysoteuchia topiaria(cranberry girldler) | Margarodes vitium | Siphonapteraspp (flea) |
Cirphis compta (army-worm) | Melanoplus bruneri (black heeled grasshopper) | Sod webworm |
Coleomegylla spp | Melanoplus mexicanus | Solenopsis spp (fire ant) |
Conoderus falli (southern potato wireworm) | Melanoplus packardii | Sphex caliginosus |
Coptotermes formosanus (Formosan subterranean termite) | Meligethes spp | Spodoptera frugiperda (fall armyworm) |
Corythaica cyathicollis (lace bug) | Meloidogyne spp (root knot nematode) | Spodoptera littoralis (cotton leafworm) |
Cosmopolites sordidus (banana root borer) | Melolontha hippocastani | Spodoptera litura (Oriental leafworm moth) |
Culex pipiens (northern house mosquito) | Mescinia peruella | Stelidota geminata (strawberry sap beetle) |
Culiseta inornata (winter mosquito) | Mesocondyla condordalis | Symmerista albifrons |
Curculio caryae (pecan weevil) | Metagonistylum minense (Amazon fly) | Synanthedon exitios(peach tree borer) |
Curculionidae napae | Metamasius hemipterus (silky cane weevil) | Synanthedon scitula(dogwood borer) |
Curculionidae picitarsis (winter stem weevil) | Mocis punctularis | Systena spp |
Curculionidae quadridens (bark beetle) | Monochamus scutellatus (white-spotted sawyer) | Tenebrio molitor (yellow mealworm beetle) |
Curculionidae pleurostigma (turnip gall weevil) | Musca domestica (house fly) | Termes spp |
Cylas formicarius(sweetpotato weevil) | Nasutitermes costalis | Tipulidae spp(crane fly) |
Dasyneura brassicae (brassica pod midge) | Nauphoeta cinerea (speckled cockroach) | Triatoma infestans |
Delia radicum (cabbage root maggot) | Neocurtilla hexadactyla (northern mole cricket) | Tribolium castaneum (red flour beetle) |
Dendroctonus frontalis (southern pine beetle) | Neodiprion americanus pratti (Virginia pine sawfly) | Trichoplusia ni (cabbage looper) |
Dendrolimus pini (pine tree lappet) | Neodiprion lecontei (redheaded pine sawfly) | Tryporyza incertulas (yellow stem borer) |
Dermacentor marginatus | Neodiprion sertifer (European pine sawfly) | Turpilia rigulosa |
Dermestes vulpinus (leather beetle) | Nezara viridula (southern green stink bug) | Urbanus proteus (long-tailed skipper) |
Diabrotica balteata (banded cucumber beetle) | Noctuidae spp (including corn earworm) | Vespula pensylvanica (western yellowjacket) |
Diabrotica virgifera virgifera(corn rootworm) | Oncopera fasciculata | Vespula rufa atropilosa |
Diacrisia obliqua | Operophthera brumata (winter moth) | Vitacea polistiformis (grape root borer) |
Diaphania hyalinata (melonworm moth) | Opogona sacchari (banana moth) | Xylocopa mordax (carpenter bee) |
Diaprepes abbreviata (diaprepes root weevil) | Orfelia spp (fungus gnat) | Yponeumata padella (orchard ermine) |
Diatraea saccharalis (sugarcane borer) | Ostrinia nubilalis (European corn borer) | Zabrus tenebriodes |
Dicyphus famelicus | Othnonius batesi | Zinkenia fascialis |
Dinoderus minutus (bamboo borer) | Otiorhynchus ovatus (strawberry weevil) | Zophobas atratus (giant mealworm beetle) |
Diprion similis (introduced pine sawfly) | Otiorhynchus sulcatus(black vine weevil) |
Source: Poinar, George O. Nematodes for Biological Control of Insects. Boca Raton, FL: CRC, 1979. Print.