| Pest |
Symptoms |
Controls |
| Aphids |
Curled
or yellow leaves, sticky honeydew on
twigs or leaves, general weakness in
plant |
Spray
plants with strong stream of water.
Sticky yellow traps. Aluminum foil
mulch. Predatory insects. Horticultural
oil sprays. Most general purpose garden
sprays or dusts, including pyrethrins,
rotenone, and Malathion. |
| Borers |
Holes
in trunks of dogwoods, roses and other
shrubs (gummy sawdust (frass) usually
visible by the holes or at the base of
the trunk); brown mottled foliage on
irises |
Remove
and destroy infested parts or plants
where possible. Poke a wire into borer
holes in tree trunks to kill borers.
Trap with Tanglefoot or burlap wraps
around the trunks of trees. Cover squash
vines with floating row covers except
when flowers are blooming. For woody
plants, squirt pesticide containing
paste into holes, then plug holes.
Malathion provides partial control of
iris borer. |
| Caterpillars
(cutworms, cabbage worms, Tomato Hornworms,
etc.) |
Chewed
leaves; cutworms fell young seedlings |
Handpick.
Predators and parasites. Dust with
Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Many
general purpose insecticides including
pyrethrins, rotenone, and Malathion. |
| Flea
Beetles |
Small
holes all over leaves, tiny insects jump
off when you disturb leaves; vegetables
(tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes, spinach)
are common targets |
Cover
crops with floating row covers. Dust
with diatomaceous earth. Introduce
parasitic nematodes into soil.
Insecticides, including neem, nicotine,
pyrethrines, sabadilla, Malathion,
Sevin. |
| Other
Beetles |
Large
holes in leaves or skeletonized leaves;
beetles usually visible near damage |
Floating
row covers. Handpick. Pheromone traps
placed away from plants at risk.
Insecticides including rotenone, ryania,
carbaryl, Malathion. |
| Leafminers |
Tunnels
in leaves |
Remove
and destroy damaged leaves as soon as
they appear. General-purpose gardening
insecticides times to catch adult flies
that lay the eggs. Systemic
insecticides. |
| Mites,
Spider Mites |
Speckled
yellowish spots progressing to yellow,
bronze, and/or curled leaves; fine webs
between leaves and stems,; small specks
visible on webs or on leaf undersides |
Keep
plants well watered to prevent them.
Remove chickweed and other host plants.
Spray with strong stream of water.
Predatory mites. Insecticidal soaps.
Horticultural soil sprays. Insecticides
including pyrethrins, rotenone,
nicotine, phosphate insecticides,
miticides |
| Slugs
and snails |
Large
portions of leaves and flowers chewed
(damage generally done at night); shiny
trails on soil and plants |
Surround
beds with copper strips. Traps under
boards and destroy. Sprinkle with salt.
Hand pick and destroy. Slug and snail
baits, methaldehyde (beer traps lure
more slugs to the garden). |
| Whiteflies |
Clouds
of tiny white insects fly up from
foliage when disturbed; plants look
generally unhealthy |
Sticky
yellow traps. Insecticidal soap. Most
general purpose insecticides, including
neem, nicotine, pyrethrins, Malathion,
Sevin. |
