Striped Seedcorn Beetle vs European Spruce Sawfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Striped Seedcorn Beetle European Spruce Sawfly
Scientific Name Agonoderus lecontei Gilpinia hercyniae
Order Coleoptera Hymenoptera
Family Carabidae Diprionidae
Size 7-10 mm 7-10 mm
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Seed Feeders Omnivores
Regions North America Europe, introduced to North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Striped Seedcorn Beetle

A small, pale brown ground beetle with darker stripes on its elytra. It is sometimes a minor pest of germinating corn and other crop seeds, though it also eats many weed seeds.

💡

Did You Know?

While it occasionally damages germinating crop seeds, studies show it consumes far more weed seeds, so its net economic impact on agriculture is actually beneficial.

European Spruce Sawfly

A moderately sized sawfly with dark brown to black coloring and pectinate antennae in males. Larvae are green with white lateral stripes and feed on spruce needles.

💡

Did You Know?

After its introduction to North America in the 1920s, it caused massive spruce defoliation until a naturally occurring nuclear polyhedrosis virus brought populations under control.