Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Identify whether the larva is a "nymph". Nymphs are young insects that closely resemble their adult forms but with less developed wings. Common insects with nymph forms include grasshoppers, crickets, mantids, cockroaches, assassin bugs, squash bugs, milkweed bugs and boxelder bugs (boxelder bug nymphs are red).
Determine if the larva is a caterpillar. Caterpillars have distinct heads and worm-like bodies with segmented sections. They can be naked, spiny, or hairy and have fleshy legs coming out of the midsection with rows of tiny hooks on them. They have harder less fleshy legs up near the head. Caterpillars are the larva form of moths and butterflies.
Examine if the larva is a small, fat, slimy version of a worm. This is a grub. Grubs are the larva version of flies, wasps, bees, mosquitoes and beetles, and the exact species they can grow into is often difficult to identify.
Consider where you found the larva. If you found it in a bee hive, it is most likely a bee larva. Sawflies' larva looks like a caterpillar, but have no hooks on their leg pairs and often group on pines, dogwoods and other tree leaves. Cattle grubs are found in the swellings on the backs of cattle.