Bugs in the Bud: An Entomological Road Trip Through Cannabis Fields of the West

Abstract

ABSTRACT Cannabis sativa L. (Cannabaceae) has undergone significant shifts in its cultivation and regulatory history in North America, evolving from a colonial fibre crop to a contemporary multipurpose plant grown for cannabinoids. Despite the recent expansion of legal Cannabis agriculture, particularly in the western United States, the ecological dynamics of arthropod communities associated with this crop remain poorly understood. This study provides one of the first multi‐state surveys of arthropods associated with Cannabis , spanning 29 sites across five states and three chemotypes: cultivated marijuana (high‐THC), cultivated hemp (high‐CBD) and feral hemp (low‐cannabinoid). Sampling was largely opportunistic and not designed to quantify the importance of factors structuring arthropod communities but was used to describe community composition while encompassing variation in chemotypes, cultivation contexts and geographic regions. Across all sites, we documented 194 morphospecies from 70 arthropod families, including 68 insect families and two non‐insect arthropod families (Ixodidae, Entomobryidae), representing 14 insect orders. Cultivated hemp sites exhibited the highest morphospecies richness, followed by cultivated marijuana and feral hemp. Hemiptera dominated across all sites, with aphids emerging as the most abundant and widely distributed taxa. Many morphospecies were restricted to single locations or specific chemotype‐by‐location combinations, suggesting high levels of spatial turnover and potentially local specialization. Differences in plant chemistry among chemotypes—particularly the presence and concentration of cannabinoids and other secondary metabolites—may further mediate arthropod colonization and persistence and could be investigated in future studies of insect communities on Cannabis . The dataset reported here provides a basis for future research on pest dynamics, chemical‐mediated interactions, biological control and the broader ecological role of Cannabis in agricultural landscapes.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Journal of Applied Entomology, 2026 · DOI ↗