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 or Agricultural Insect Netting as a 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 or Agricultural Insect Netting 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 or Agricultural Insect Netting 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 or Agricultural Insect Netting 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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