Quick damage-signs reference
Match what you see to a likely culprit, then jump to the pest card below.
Chewed edges or big holes in leavesCaterpillars, beetles, grasshoppers, slugs
Tiny round "shothole" pin-holesFlea beetles
Stippling, bronzing, fine webbingSpider mites
White clouds fly up when you brush a plantWhiteflies
Wilting vine with sawdust at the baseSquash vine borer
Curled, distorted, sticky leavesAphids, leafhoppers
Winding pale tunnels inside leavesLeafminers
Skeletonized leaves (only veins left)Japanese or Mexican bean beetles
Seedlings clipped off at soil lineCutworms
Stunted plants that wilt despite waterRoot maggots, grubs, wireworms
Pierced fruit with corky spots insideStink bugs, thrips
Signs: Curled, sticky leaves; clusters of tiny green/black insects on new growth; ants patrolling the plant.
- Most active
- Spring through early summer, again in fall
- Overwinters as
- Eggs on woody hosts; adults year-round in mild zones
- Worst on in your garden
- Kale, pepper, rose, bean, brassicas, lettuce
Organic controls
- ·Strong water spray, undersides of leaves, three days in a row
- ·Insecticidal soap in the evening (never in full sun)
- ·Release ladybugs at dusk after watering
Prevention
- ·Plant sweet alyssum and yarrow to attract hoverflies
- ·Skip high-nitrogen fertilizer on tender plants
- ·Interplant with chives, garlic, and nasturtium (trap crop)
🕷️
Spider Mites
Severity: HighTomato
Bean
Cucumber
Pepper
Strawberry
Herbs
Signs: Fine stippling and bronzing on leaves; yellowing and drop; faint webbing on undersides. Worst in hot, dry, dusty weather.
- Most active
- Hot, dry mid-summer
- Overwinters as
- Fertilized females in soil, bark crevices, debris
- Worst on in your garden
- Tomato, bean, cucumber, strawberry, indoor herbs
Organic controls
- ·Daily strong water spray focused on leaf undersides
- ·Insecticidal soap or neem oil — thorough coverage, repeat every 5–7 days
- ·Release predatory mites (Phytoseiulus, Neoseiulus) for heavy pressure
- ·Remove and bag the worst-infested leaves
Prevention
- ·Keep plants evenly watered — mites explode on drought-stressed plants
- ·Raise humidity around plants (mulch, grouping, morning misting)
- ·Avoid excess nitrogen fertilizer
🦟
Whiteflies
Severity: MediumTomato
Pepper
Cucumber
Squash
Herbs
Signs: Clouds of tiny white insects lift off when you brush a plant; sticky honeydew and sooty mold; scale-like nymphs on leaf undersides.
- Most active
- Late summer into fall; year-round in warm zones
- Overwinters as
- Adults on evergreen and greenhouse plants
- Worst on in your garden
- Tomato, pepper, cucumber, squash, brassicas
Organic controls
- ·Yellow sticky traps just above the canopy
- ·Strong water blast on undersides at dawn
- ·Insecticidal soap or neem — repeat coverage, undersides too
- ·Release Encarsia formosa in greenhouses or contained spaces
Prevention
- ·Row cover on young plants until they outgrow the pest
- ·Remove weedy hosts and old lower leaves
🪲
Flea Beetles
Severity: MediumEggplant
Tomato
Potato
Radish
Turnip
Arugula
Signs: Tiny round "shothole" pin-holes across leaves; shiny beetles that jump like fleas when disturbed.
- Most active
- Early spring emergence, peak late spring
- Overwinters as
- Adults in leaf litter and soil at the bed edge
- Worst on in your garden
- Eggplant, arugula, radish, brassica seedlings
Organic controls
- ·Row cover from transplant until plants are established
- ·Diatomaceous earth dusted on dry foliage
- ·Trap crop of radishes at the row ends
- ·Kaolin clay film on eggplant and potato
Prevention
- ·Transplant strong starts rather than direct-seeding
- ·Clear debris where adults overwinter
🪲
Cucumber Beetles
Severity: HighSigns: Chewed leaves and flowers; scarred fruit; sudden vine wilt from bacterial wilt they carry.
- Most active
- Late spring through mid-summer
- Overwinters as
- Adults in weeds and leaf litter
- Worst on in your garden
- Cucumber, squash, melon, pumpkin
Organic controls
- ·Row cover early, remove at flowering
- ·Yellow sticky traps and hand-picking at dawn
- ·Beneficial nematodes in soil for larvae
Prevention
- ·Plant wilt-resistant varieties
- ·Clean up cucurbit debris in fall
🐛
Squash Vine Borer
Severity: EmergencyZucchini
Summer squash
Pumpkin
Winter squash
Signs: Sudden midsummer wilt of one vine; sawdust-like frass at a hole near the base of the stem.
- Most active
- Early to mid-summer (moth flight)
- Overwinters as
- Larvae or pupae in the soil where vines grew
- Worst on in your garden
- Zucchini, pumpkin, hubbard-type winter squash
Organic controls
- ·Slit the stem lengthwise, remove the white grub, mound soil over the wound
- ·Inject Bt or neem into stems as a preventive at first flower
- ·Wrap lower stems in foil or nylon as a physical barrier
Prevention
- ·Row cover until female flowers open (then remove or hand-pollinate)
- ·Succession-plant a second crop in early summer to dodge the moth flight
- ·Destroy vines after harvest and till the soil
Seedlings of most vegetables
Signs: Young seedlings toppled at the soil line overnight; fat gray-brown caterpillars curled in a C-shape just under the surface.
- Most active
- Spring, at transplant time
- Overwinters as
- Larvae or pupae in the top few inches of soil
- Worst on in your garden
- Any seedling — tomato, pepper, brassicas, bean
Organic controls
- ·Cardboard, toilet-paper-tube, or foil collars pressed 1" into the soil around each stem
- ·Two toothpicks stuck vertically against the stem
- ·Nighttime hand-picking with a headlamp
Prevention
- ·Clear weeds and debris before planting
- ·Delay transplant 1–2 weeks after tilling to starve early larvae
🪲
Colorado Potato Beetles
Severity: HighSigns: Yellow-and-black striped adults, humped orange larvae, and yellow egg clusters on leaf undersides; rapid defoliation.
- Most active
- Late spring through summer
- Overwinters as
- Adults in the soil where potatoes grew
- Worst on in your garden
- Potato, eggplant, tomato
Organic controls
- ·Hand-pick adults and larvae into soapy water each morning
- ·Rub off yellow egg masses under leaves
- ·Bt (tenebrionis strain) for young larvae
Prevention
- ·Rotate solanaceous crops on a 3-year cycle
- ·Mulch heavily with straw to disrupt beetle movement
🪲
Japanese Beetles
Severity: HighBean
Grape
Rose
Basil
Raspberry
Signs: Leaves skeletonized to lace, veins left behind; metallic green-and-copper beetles clumped on top of the plant.
- Most active
- Mid-summer (roughly 6 weeks)
- Overwinters as
- Grubs deep in lawn and garden soil
- Worst on in your garden
- Rose, bean, basil, grape, raspberry, plum
Organic controls
- ·Knock beetles into a jar of soapy water at dawn while they're sluggish
- ·Milky spore and beneficial nematodes for lawn-stage grubs
Prevention
- ·Skip pheromone traps near the garden — they attract more beetles than they catch
- ·Encourage predator-friendly perennials (yarrow, goldenrod) at the edges
🐞
Mexican Bean Beetles
Severity: MediumSigns: Lace-skeletonized bean leaves; yellow-orange "bad ladybug" adults with black spots; spiny yellow larvae on undersides.
- Most active
- Mid to late summer
- Overwinters as
- Adults in leaf litter along wood edges
- Worst on in your garden
- Snap and lima beans
Organic controls
- ·Hand-pick adults, larvae, and yellow egg clusters
- ·Neem oil on undersides at first sighting
Prevention
- ·Plant beans early to harvest before beetle peak
- ·Interplant with rosemary, savory, and marigold
🪲
Stink Bugs
Severity: MediumTomato
Pepper
Bean
Corn
Fruit
Signs: Cloudy dimpled spots and "catfacing" on fruit; shield-shaped brown or green bugs — including brown marmorated stink bug — on stems.
- Most active
- Mid to late summer
- Overwinters as
- Adults in homes, sheds, tree bark
- Worst on in your garden
- Tomato, pepper, bean, corn, okra
Organic controls
- ·Hand-pick into soapy water (wear gloves — they stink)
- ·Kaolin clay film on ripening fruit
Prevention
- ·Row cover fruiting plants where practical
- ·Clear weedy field edges where adults overwinter
🐛
Tomato & Tobacco Hornworms
Severity: HighTomato
Pepper
Eggplant
Potato
Signs: Whole branches stripped overnight; large dark droppings on lower leaves; 3–4" green caterpillar with white diagonal stripes and a rear horn.
- Most active
- Mid to late summer
- Overwinters as
- Pupae 4–6" deep in the soil
- Worst on in your garden
- Tomato, pepper, eggplant, tomatillo
Organic controls
- ·Hand-pick — spot the frass first, then look up
- ·Leave any hornworm covered in white rice-shaped cocoons — those are braconid wasp pupae hatching more parasitoids
- ·Bt on young larvae for larger plantings
Prevention
- ·Till lightly after harvest to expose overwintering pupae
- ·Interplant with dill and basil to draw parasitic wasps
🐛
Cabbage Loopers
Severity: MediumCabbage
Broccoli
Kale
Lettuce
Celery
Signs: Ragged holes in leaves and heads; smooth green caterpillars that loop like inchworms; small mounds of frass.
- Most active
- Late summer
- Overwinters as
- Pupae in plant debris (south) — migrates north yearly
- Worst on in your garden
- Broccoli, cabbage, kale, lettuce, celery
Organic controls
- ·Hand-pick into soapy water
- ·Bt spray during moth flights, reapply after rain
Prevention
- ·Row cover brassicas from transplant to harvest
- ·Plant dill, alyssum, and yarrow for parasitic wasps
Onion
Bean
Tomato
Pepper
Flowers
Signs: Silvery streaks and bronzed scars on leaves; distorted buds; tiny slivers that slide out when you tap a flower onto white paper.
- Most active
- Warm, dry weather
- Overwinters as
- Adults in weeds, mulch, greenhouse crops
- Worst on in your garden
- Onion, bean, tomato, pepper, roses
Organic controls
- ·Strong water spray on buds and undersides
- ·Insecticidal soap or spinosad for heavy infestations
- ·Blue sticky traps
Prevention
- ·Keep plants well-watered — thrips punish drought stress
- ·Reflective mulch under susceptible crops
Signs: Winding pale tunnels or blotches inside leaves; small clusters of white eggs on undersides.
- Most active
- Spring through fall
- Overwinters as
- Pupae in the soil
- Worst on in your garden
- Chard, spinach, beet, tomato
Organic controls
- ·Pinch off and bag mined leaves as soon as you see the trails
- ·Rub off egg clusters weekly
Prevention
- ·Floating row cover from seeding
- ·Rotate chenopod family crops each year
🪱
Root Maggots
Severity: HighCabbage
Broccoli
Radish
Turnip
Onion
Carrot
Signs: Seedlings stunted or wilting despite watering; roots tunneled and slimy; small legless white maggots at the crown.
- Most active
- Cool wet spring
- Overwinters as
- Pupae in the soil
- Worst on in your garden
- Radish, turnip, cabbage, broccoli, onion
Organic controls
- ·Beneficial nematodes drenched around the root zone
- ·Diatomaceous earth worked into the top inch of soil
Prevention
- ·Row cover from day one — the fly must land to lay eggs
- ·Rotate brassicas and alliums; never replant into a bed that carried them last year
🪱
Beetle Grubs
Severity: MediumRoots of most crops
Lawn edges
Signs: Plants wilt despite moist soil; roots chewed off; fat C-shaped white grubs when you dig.
- Most active
- Larvae feed spring and fall
- Overwinters as
- Larvae deep in the soil
- Worst on in your garden
- Lawn, corn, potato, strawberry
Organic controls
- ·Milky spore for Japanese beetle grubs (long-term)
- ·Beneficial nematodes applied to moist soil in spring or fall
Prevention
- ·Turn beds in early spring to expose grubs to birds
- ·Keep chickens or ducks foraging over fallow beds
🦗
Earwigs & Sowbugs
Severity: LowSeedlings
Strawberry
Basil
Lettuce
Signs: Ragged notches in tender leaves and fruit at ground level; pincer-tailed bugs hiding under boards and mulch by day.
- Most active
- Warm damp nights all summer
- Overwinters as
- Adults and eggs under mulch, boards, pots
- Worst on in your garden
- Seedlings, lettuce, corn silks, dahlias
Organic controls
- ·Rolled-up newspaper or hollow bamboo traps, emptied each morning
- ·Sluggo Plus (iron phosphate + spinosad) as a targeted bait
- ·Diatomaceous earth around vulnerable seedlings
Prevention
- ·Pull mulch back from stems until plants are established
- ·Remove damp boards, pots, and debris near beds
🦋
Cabbage Worms
Severity: HighKale
Broccoli
Cabbage
Collards
Signs: Ragged holes in leaves; small green caterpillars matching the leaf color; dark frass on lower leaves.
- Most active
- Spring through fall
- Overwinters as
- Green pupae on brassica stems and nearby structures
- Worst on in your garden
- Cabbage, broccoli, kale, cauliflower, collards
Organic controls
- ·Handpick at dawn and evening
- ·Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) spray weekly during flights
- ·Cover crops with insect mesh from transplant to harvest
Prevention
- ·Row cover from day one; brassicas do not need pollinators
- ·Plant thyme, dill, and mint nearby to confuse the moths
🐌
Slugs & Snails
Severity: MediumLettuce
Strawberry
Hosta
Seedlings
Signs: Silvery slime trails; large ragged holes overnight; missing seedlings.
- Most active
- Cool, damp weather — spring and fall
- Overwinters as
- Adults and eggs under mulch, boards, pots
- Worst on in your garden
- Lettuce, hosta, strawberry, seedlings
Organic controls
- ·Iron-phosphate bait (safe for pets and birds)
- ·Shallow beer trap sunk to the rim, replaced every 2 days
- ·Nighttime handpicking with a headlamp
Prevention
- ·Water in the morning so the surface dries by dusk
- ·Copper tape around beds and containers
- ·Remove board and rock hiding spots near beds
🪲
Squash Bug
Severity: HighZucchini
Pumpkin
Winter squash
Signs: Bronze egg clusters on leaf undersides; wilting leaves; gray-brown shield-shaped adults.
- Most active
- Mid-summer
- Overwinters as
- Adults in leaf litter and woodpiles
- Worst on in your garden
- Zucchini, pumpkin, winter squash
Organic controls
- ·Crush egg clusters weekly
- ·Lay a board next to plants — bugs gather under it at night; flip and dispatch at dawn
Prevention
- ·Rotate cucurbits on a 3-year cycle
- ·Clean up all vines in fall; do not compost infested material
- ·Row cover until first flowers
Signs: Cleanly torn (not cut) leaves; hoof prints; entire tops of plants missing.
- Most active
- Year-round, worst late summer through winter
- Overwinters as
- Resident — n/a
- Worst on in your garden
- Beans, peas, hostas, roses, fruit trees, tulips
Organic controls
- ·Motion-activated sprinkler
- ·Rotate scents: Milorganite, blood meal, Irish Spring soap in mesh bags — change every 2 weeks
Prevention
- ·8 ft fence, or two 4 ft fences 4 ft apart (deer won't jump width)
- ·Plant lavender, rosemary, and yarrow along the perimeter
🌽
Corn Earworm / Tomato Fruitworm
Severity: HighSigns: Chewed tips of corn ears with brown frass; small round holes in green tomatoes with hollowed-out interior; caterpillar (green, tan, or pink) inside the fruit.
- Most active
- Late summer
- Overwinters as
- Pupae in the soil (south); migrates north
- Worst on in your garden
- Corn (ear tips), tomato (fruits), pepper
Organic controls
- ·Bt (kurstaki) or spinosad — spray silks every 5–7 days as soon as they emerge
- ·5–10 drops of mineral oil into the tip of each corn silk once silks brown
- ·Handpick worms from tomato and pepper fruit at first sighting; check daily
- ·Remove and destroy infested ears and fruit — do not compost
Prevention
- ·Plant early-maturing corn varieties with tight husks that extend past the ear tip
- ·Rotate corn and nightshades away from last year's spot
- ·Till or turn soil in fall to expose overwintering pupae
Corn
Lettuce
Kale
Bean
Tomato
Signs: Sudden overnight defoliation — leaves stripped in ragged patches; groups of striped caterpillars marching across beds; heavy dark green frass.
- Most active
- Late summer into early fall
- Overwinters as
- Pupae in the soil (south); migrates north
- Worst on in your garden
- Corn, lettuce, brassicas, beans, tomato foliage
Organic controls
- ·Bt (kurstaki) on small worms (under 1 inch); spinosad on larger
- ·Handpick at dawn or dusk when worms are on the plant
- ·Release trichogramma wasps early in the season to parasitize eggs
- ·Beneficial nematodes drenched around bed edges catch pupating larvae
Prevention
- ·Scout leaf undersides weekly for egg masses (fuzzy grey patches) and crush
- ·Keep grass and weedy edges mowed short — that's where moths lay
- ·Row cover through peak flight in late summer
🦗
Grasshoppers
Severity: HighBean
Corn
Lettuce
Chard
Young trees
Signs: Big irregular chunks bitten from leaf edges, working inward; damage to stems and even bark on young trees during drought years.
- Most active
- Mid to late summer in hot dry regions
- Overwinters as
- Eggs in undisturbed soil
- Worst on in your garden
- Beans, corn, lettuce, chard, young trees
Organic controls
- ·Nolo Bait or Semaspore (Nosema locustae) — biological bait for young nymphs in spring
- ·Kaolin clay film reduces feeding on prized plants
- ·Row cover or fine mesh over vulnerable crops
- ·Encourage guinea fowl, ducks, and wild birds — they clean up nymphs
Prevention
- ·Till or cultivate the border in fall to expose overwintering eggs
- ·Keep a tall grass buffer strip away from beds — pull hoppers out with sweep net
- ·Interplant with cilantro, calendula, and horehound — mild deterrents
Any plant with aphids or scale
Signs: Trails of ants up plant stems; they aren't feeding on the plant — they're farming aphids, mealybugs, or scale for honeydew, and defending them from predators.
- Most active
- Warm months
- Overwinters as
- Colonies deep in soil
- Worst on in your garden
- Any plant hosting aphids or scale (they farm them)
Organic controls
- ·Treat the actual pest (aphids, scale, mealybug) — ants leave when the honeydew stops
- ·Sticky barrier (Tanglefoot) on tree trunks blocks ant access to canopy pests
- ·Diatomaceous earth around mounds and along foraging trails
- ·Boric acid + sugar bait stations if colonies are inside beds
Prevention
- ·Fix any aphid or scale outbreak fast so ants have no reason to stay
- ·Cinnamon or coffee grounds around seedling stems disrupts scent trails
🪱
Root-knot Nematodes
Severity: HighTomato
Pepper
Carrot
Okra
Cucumber
Signs: Above ground: stunted plants that wilt in the afternoon even with water, yellowing, poor yields. Below ground: distinct galls / swollen knots along the roots (not the loose root nodules on legumes).
- Most active
- Warm soil, mid to late season
- Overwinters as
- Eggs and juveniles in roots and soil
- Worst on in your garden
- Tomato, pepper, carrot, okra, cucurbits
Organic controls
- ·Solarize the bed for 6–8 weeks in high summer under clear plastic
- ·Plant a dense stand of French marigold ('Nemagold', 'Tangerine') as a 60-day cover crop, then till in
- ·Amend heavily with well-finished compost — organic matter feeds fungi that trap nematodes
- ·Pull and destroy heavily infested plants; do not compost the roots
Prevention
- ·Rotate nightshades and cucurbits with resistant crops (corn, small grains, alliums)
- ·Buy nematode-resistant tomato varieties (look for 'N' on the label — VFN, etc.)
- ·Never move soil or transplants between infested and clean beds
Seedlings
Corn
Berries
Tomato
Stone fruit
Signs: Pulled seedlings scattered on the soil; pecked corn kernels at planting or milk stage; berries and tomatoes with clean holes and missing chunks.
- Most active
- Seed-sowing spring; fruit ripening summer
- Overwinters as
- Resident and migratory — always some presence
- Worst on in your garden
- Seedlings, corn seed, berries, tomato, stone fruit
Organic controls
- ·Bird netting draped over frames — keep it 6+ inches off the fruit
- ·Floating row cover on newly seeded beds until sprouts are 4 inches tall
- ·Reflective flash tape, holographic streamers, or old CDs — rotate location weekly
- ·Cheap plastic snake or owl decoy — move it every couple of days
Prevention
- ·Sacrifice one row of berries at the edge as a decoy — cover the rest
- ·Provide a birdbath away from the beds so they don't peck fruit for water
Lettuce
Bean
Pea
Carrot tops
Young trees
Signs: Clean 45° cut on stems (never torn); bark stripped near the ground on young trees in winter; small round pellet droppings nearby.
- Most active
- Spring and early summer
- Overwinters as
- Resident year-round
- Worst on in your garden
- Lettuce, bean, pea, carrot tops, young fruit trees
Organic controls
- ·2-ft chicken-wire or hardware-cloth fence, buried 4 inches, top loose so they can't climb
- ·Tree wraps or 1/4" hardware-cloth cylinders around young trunks each fall
- ·Blood meal, human hair, or predator-urine granules refreshed weekly
- ·Encourage owls and hawks with perches nearby
Prevention
- ·Clean up brush piles and tall grass near the garden — no hiding cover
- ·Interplant strong-smelling herbs — onion, garlic, oregano, mint
Root crops
Bulbs
Young trees
Signs: Surface runways in lawn and mulch; hollowed-out roots and bulbs; girdled bark on young trees (chewed at the base under mulch or snow).
- Most active
- Fall through spring under mulch and snow
- Overwinters as
- Active year-round in tunnels
- Worst on in your garden
- Root crops, bulbs, young tree bark (girdling)
Organic controls
- ·Snap traps (mousetraps) baited with peanut butter placed in runways under a shingle
- ·Hardware-cloth cylinders 1/4" mesh, 18" tall, buried 4" around trunks
- ·Line raised-bed bottoms with hardware cloth before filling
- ·Barn owl nest boxes if you have the space
Prevention
- ·Keep mulch pulled back 6" from tree trunks — no hiding cover
- ·Mow lawn edges short in fall so runways are exposed
- ·Plant bulbs with a sharp gravel collar around each one
🦫
Groundhogs / Woodchucks
Severity: EmergencyBean
Pea
Broccoli
Melon
Sunflower
Signs: Whole plants sheared off overnight; large burrow holes (8–12") near woodpiles, sheds, or foundations; well-worn paths from burrow to garden.
- Most active
- Spring through early fall
- Overwinters as
- Hibernate in burrows
- Worst on in your garden
- Beans, peas, broccoli, melons, sunflower
Organic controls
- ·4-ft welded-wire fence with the top 12" left un-stapled so it flops back when they climb
- ·Bury the fence 12" underground bent outward into an L to stop digging
- ·Live-trap with cantaloupe or apple, relocate at least 5 miles away where legal
- ·Fumigation cartridges into active burrows (last resort — check local law)
Prevention
- ·Fill and pack abandoned burrows so new ones can't be renovated
- ·Remove brush and rock piles that shelter burrow entrances
🔘
Scale Insects
Severity: MediumFruit trees
Rose
Bay
Rosemary
Houseplants
Signs: Bumpy tan, brown, or white shells stuck tight to stems and leaf undersides; sticky honeydew, sooty black mold; branch dieback in heavy infestations.
- Most active
- Spring crawlers; adults present year-round
- Overwinters as
- Adults and eggs on stems and undersides
- Worst on in your garden
- Fruit trees, roses, houseplants, herbs like bay, rosemary
Organic controls
- ·Scrape off with a soft toothbrush or fingernail on small plants
- ·Horticultural oil or neem — thorough coverage of stems and leaf undersides, repeat every 10–14 days
- ·Prune out heavily infested branches and bag the trimmings
- ·Release parasitic wasps (Aphytis) for citrus and greenhouse scale
Prevention
- ·Inspect nursery plants before you bring them home — scale is the #1 hitchhiker
- ·Wipe down plants moved indoors for winter before they cross the threshold
- ·Manage the ants that protect scale from natural predators
⚪
Mealybugs
Severity: MediumHerbs indoors
Citrus
Tomato
Pepper
Ornamentals
Signs: Cottony white tufts in leaf axils and along stems; sticky honeydew and sooty mold; wilting despite adequate water on heavily infested plants.
- Most active
- Warm weather; year-round indoors
- Overwinters as
- Adults and nymphs on stems and roots
- Worst on in your garden
- Herbs moved indoors, citrus, tomato, pepper, ornamentals
Organic controls
- ·Q-tip dipped in rubbing alcohol dabbed directly on each mealybug
- ·Insecticidal soap or neem — spray weekly, cover leaf axils and undersides
- ·Release Cryptolaemus (mealybug destroyer) beetles in greenhouses
- ·Quarantine and cut back badly infested branches
Prevention
- ·Inspect new plants — quarantine 2 weeks before moving in with others
- ·Rinse plants brought indoors for winter; check root balls too (root mealybugs)
- ·Avoid over-fertilizing — soft lush growth invites them
Plant your way to fewer pests
Weave these through the beds year-round to keep predators fed and confuse pests.
YarrowLady beetles, lacewings, parasitic wasps.
Dill & fennelBraconid wasps, hoverflies, swallowtails.
AlyssumHoverflies — plant along bed edges.
MarigoldRepels some beetles; deters root-knot nematodes.
NasturtiumAphid trap crop; sacrifice these to save the others.
Zinnia & sunflowerLanding pads and nectar for predatory insects.
CalendulaHoverflies and lacewings; long bloom season.
BasilConfuses thrips and hornworm moths near tomatoes.