Solutions by Insect Name
Search this table for your insect, then by the types of crops they affect, in order to determine potential solutions.
| Insect Name | Crops They Affect | Damage | Solutions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aphids | Cabbage family (Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Kale, etc.) | Aphid-covered foliage, leaves deformed | Spray with water, Floating row cover as physical barrier, insecticidal soap labeled for aphid control, let ladybugs and green lacewings eat them! |
| Apple codling moths | Apples, pears | Hole visible in fruit, sometimes on side of fruit or near blossom end of fruit; worm in apple; frass often visible | Apple maggot barriers, Spinosad spray, kaolin clay + water spray, attractants. Also indicator traps to determine when the moths are active. |
| Asparagus beetles | Asparagus ferns and spears | Deformed spears, yellowing fern foliage | Hand-picking |
| Blister beetles | Calendula (edible flower) and others | Eat flower petals | Hand-picking |
| Cabbage worms | Cabbage family (Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Kale, etc.) | Holes in leaves, also in broccoli, cabbage or cauliflower heads. | Hand-picking, Bt var. kurstaki, floating row cover as a physical barrier to prevent cabbage butterfly from laying eggs. |
| Carrot weevils | Carrots, celeriac, celery, dill, fennel, parsley, parsnips | Scars on leaf petioles or plant crowns, yellow or wilting leaves, dead plants | (Refer to carrot weevil pest profile) |
| Cherry fruit flies, Western | Cherries | Hole in fruit, small white maggots inside fruit | Spinosad spray. Also indicator traps to determine when the flies are active |
| Colorado potato beetles and larvae | Nightshade family crops (Potato, tomato, pepper, eggplant, tomatillo) | Chewed foliage, orange tubular eggs on leaf undersides | Bt var. tenebrionis |
| Corn earworms | Corn | Chewed corn silks, worm in ear | Place drops of mineral oil on corn silks where they go into the ear to smother eggs laid there |
| Cutworms | Small tender seedlings (cucumbers, squash, cabbage family seedlings, etc.) | Wilted plant, chew marks on stem at or below soil surface | Paper collars around seedlings, monitor frequently for signs and hand-pick, diatomaceous earth at base of seedlings' stem |
| Earwigs | Corn, peppers, tree fruits such as apricots, peaches and plums, sometimes strawberries | Chewed corn kernels, damage to the insides of peppers, chewing damage to soft fruits along with frass | Clean up garden debris or nearby boards that they hide under during the day. Try cardboard or newspaper traps. |
| Fungus Gnats | Houseplants, seedlings | There are a nuisance indoors, although they can chew on plant roots and spread root diseases | Sticky traps, Bt israelensis |
| Japanese Beetles | Perennials, trees, shrubs, fruit trees, berry vines | Holes in leaves, skeletonized leaves | Hand-picking, use of biological controls. |
| Leaf-footed Bugs | Tomatoes, watermelons | Discolored tomato fruits, sunken areas in melons | Hand-picking, floating row cover until plants bloom, insecticidal soap, Neem, pyrethins |
| Leaf Miners | Beet family (beets, spinach, Swiss chard) | Wiggly lines through plants' leaves, clear "window" in leaves | Floating row cover for entire season |
| Pea weevils | Peas, fava beans and other broad beans | Holes in pea seeds, chewing damage to pea flowers | (Refer to pea weevil profile page) |
| Pickleworms | Cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, summer and winter squash | Less productivity, round holes in vine tips or flowers, holes in fruit and frass at entrance, fruits drop off prematurely, deformed fruits, scarred rinds. | (Refer to pickleworm pest profile) |
| Pillbugs, sowbug | Young seedlings, primarily in the Cabbage family (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, etc.) and the Cucurbit family (cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, squash) | Chewed stems, which can kill the seedlings | Sprinkle diatomaceous earth around base of main stem, hand-picking from bothered plants |
| Root Weevils | Strawberries, along with ornamentals such as peonies, lilacs and rhododendrons | Notched leaf margins (not leaf holes) | Hand-picking at night, parasitic nematodes |
| Slugs | Many plants such as lettuce, spinach, broccoli, kale, tomatoes, hostas | Holes in leaves, slime trails | Organic slug bait, copper bands or tape, beer traps, hand-picking, diatomaceous earth |
| Spittlebugs | Legumes, currants, strawberries, etc. | Nymphs surround themselves with bubbles | None needed! But refer to profile for more information. |
| Spotted Wing Drosophila | cherries, peaches, plums, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries | Maggots in fruit, fruit flies in area | Create a monitoring trap (refer to information sheet for details) |
| Squash bugs | Cucurbit family: summer/winter squash, melons, cucumbers, pumpkins | Yellow spots on leaves, wilting of leaves | Hand-picking; floating row cover; crop rotation; planting your Cucurbits in different areas throughout the garden so they're not all together. |
| Stink bugs, Brown Marmorated and Green | Artichokes, tomatoes, small fruits. | Holes, deformed growth, frass. | Hand-picking, stink bug traps, control weeds in and around your garden area. Try planting "trap crops" of sunflowers or legumes to draw the stinkbugs away from susceptible plants. |
| Tent Caterpillars, Western | Apples, pears, plums, peaches, cherries, aspens, roses | "Tents" of webbing that encompass branches | Primarily aesthetic problem, trim off affected branches |
| Tomato Hornworms | Nightshade family (tomato, potato, pepper, eggplant, tomatillo -- but mostly tomato) | Chewed tomatoes (or other fruits of Nightshade family crops), chewed leaves | Hand-picking, Bt var. kurstaki |
| Tomato-Potato Psyllids | Nightshade family: Tomato, potato, eggplant, pepper, tomatillo | Stunted plants, yellow leaves, curled, leaves, minimal to no fruits or abnormally small fruits; misshapen and prematurely sprouting potato tubers | Monitor nightshade crops regularly. Hang yellow sticky traps nearby. Apply spinosad and/or horticultural oil. |
| Whiteflies | Tender new plants from nurseries (sometimes), grapes, tomatoes, rhododendrons, some cabbage family crops, also greenhouse plants. | Leaves may become mottled due to whiteflies' sucking activities. Clouds of whiteflies when plant disturbed. | Sticky traps |
| Wireworms | Roots of vegetable and fruit crops, also feed on seeds | Wilting foliage when plants' roots are being chewed on, poor seed germination esp. on large-seeded crops | Natural traps using potato chunks (read page on Wireworms for details) |
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