Mealybugs are very small soft, oval insects that are usually covered with white or gray waxy fluff. A mealybug is about 1/10 of an inch long. Mealybugs suck the juices from citrus, apples, pears, apricots, avocadoes, and grapes as well as ornamental and tropical plants. Honeydew excreted by mealybugs supports the growth of sooty mold […] More
Spider mites are nearly microscopic creatures about 1/50 inch long. They are reddish-brown or pale in color with eight legs, much like a spider. The spider mite is not an insect; it is an arachnid, the class of invertebrate animals that includes spiders. Good Products for Pest and Disease Control at Amazon: Mites are the […] More
Ants are an important component of the garden ecosystem. Ants are cleaners: they eat and help decompose organic matter in the soil, enriching the soil. Ants also eat pests insects such as fleas, fly larvae, and termites. Ants tunneling in the soil improve soil aeration which is helpful to plant roots. Ants become a garden […] More
Adult leafminers are black-bristled gray or black flies usually with yellow stripes about 1/10-inch long. Larvae leafminers are stubby, green translucent maggots about 1/8- inch long. Leafminer maggots feed between the upper and lower surfaces of leaves creating tunnels or mines that appear irregular and white or brown on the surface. Good Products for Pest […] More
Whiteflies look like very tiny white moths. Like their close relatives aphids, they suck juices from tender plant leaves. Whiteflies congregate in large numbers on the undersides of leaves and fly up in a cloud when disturbed. Whiteflies are found year-round in warm climates; in colder climates, they are seen in the summer. They thrive […] More
The adult imported cabbageworm is a white day-flying butterfly with one to four black spots on its wings and a wingspan of 1½ to 2 inches. The cabbageworm larvae are 1¼ inch velvety, light-green caterpillars with a fine yellow stripe down the back. Imported cabbageworm larvae chew ragged holes in the foliage of cabbage-family plants […] More
Weevils are oval, brownish-gray or black, flightless, hard-shelled beetles about ⅓-inch long with a pronounced snout. Weevil larvae are plump, white grubs up to ½-inch long with yellowish-brown heads. Adult weevils chew on leaf edges leaving small scalloped bite marks. Larvae are soil-dwelling and feed on plant roots. Weevil-chewed leaves do little harm to plants, […] More
Adult tarnished plant bugs are oval and small, just ¼ inch big. They are brown mottled with yellow, bronze, or reddish marks and each forewing is black-tipped with a yellow triangle. Tarnished plant bug nymphs are yellow-green and wingless, somewhat similar to adults in appearance. Tarnished plant bug eggs are yellow and long and curved. […] More
The squash vine borer is a wrinkled, cream-colored caterpillar with a brown head, about 1 to 2 inches long. The adult form of the vine borer is a narrow-winged olive-brown moth with a 1- to 1½-inch wide wingspan. The moth has fringed hind legs, a red abdomen with black rings, and translucent wings. It is […] More
Adult and young squash bugs suck the juices from leaves causing leaves to wilt, dry up, and turn brown. Squash bugs commonly attack plants in the cucumber and squash family. Adult female squash bugs lay eggs from spring through midsummer on the stems and undersides of leaves. The orange-yellow to bronze eggs are elliptical and […] More
Adult Mexican bean beetles are oval yellowish-brown to copper-colored beetles with 16 black spots on their wing covers. They are ¼-inch long and look something like a ladybug. Bean beetle larvae are fat yellowish or orange humpbacked grubs with long branching spines 5/16-inch long. Mexican bean beetle larvae and adults feed on snap beans, lima […] More
Tomato hornworms are green caterpillars up to 4½ inches long with a black horn protruding from the tail and eight V-shaped white marks along the side. A related hornworm is a tobacco hornworm with a red horn on the tail and seven white diagonal lines with a black border. Hornworms feed on leaves, stems, and fruit […] More
Stephen Albert