Articles listed under “insect”
Brown marmorated stink bug — August 24, 2010
The brown marmorated stink bug, or BMSB, is about 1/2-in. long, shield-shaped and mottled brown.
Black-legged or deer tick — July 20, 2010
Not all garden pests are found on plants. Some are actually on the gardener! Unfortunately, this pest is hard to spot.
Spotted cucumber beetle — June 29, 2010
Adult beetles are 1/4 to 1/3-in. long and yellow to green with 11 black spots on their backs. The wormlike larvae are yellowish and start out about 1/8 in. long.
Eastern firefly — June 8, 2010
Adult fireflies (also called lightning bugs) are actually winged beetles, not flies.
Cabbage looper — May 11, 2010
Now’s the time of year to be on the lookout for a small 1 1/2-in. green caterpillar with white racing stripes and a voracious appetite each spring in North America.
Minute pirate bug — April 20, 2010
It may be tiny, but this 1/4-in.-long bug has a big appetite — for other bugs, that is.
Big-eyed bug — April 6, 2010
These insects may not be pretty, but they’re good to have around.
Fiery searcher — March 9, 2010
Quietly going about the business of hunting insects, especially caterpillars, the fiery searcher is a helpful predator to have in the garden.
Four-lined plant bug — February 9, 2010
The four-lined plant bug is one of the most common pests in the garden. It likes to feed on more than 250 species of ornamental, woody and edible plants.
Cyclamen mite — January 19, 2010
These minute, semitransparent mites are too small for the naked eye to see. They hide in young, tender stem ends, leaves and flower buds of cyclamens (Cyclamen spp.) and many other indoor and outdoor plants.
Spined assassin bug — January 5, 2010
Spined assassin bug may have a sinister-sounding name but it’s actually one of the good guys.
Rose slug sawfly — November 10, 2009
Smooth, translucent pale-green larvae eat the leaves of roses in May and June.
Pillbugs and sowbugs — October 20, 2009
Here are two bugs that look almost identical — pillbugs and sowbugs.
Flea beetle — September 29, 2009
Young leaves of vegetables and flowers riddled with “shot” holes are a sign that flea beetles may be attacking your garden.
Squash vine borer — September 15, 2009
There’s nothing worse than having your squash die on the vine because of squash vine borers.
Emerald ash borer — September 1, 2009
If you have an ash tree (Fraxinus spp.), keep an eye out for emerald ash borer.
Three-lined potato beetle — July 28, 2009
True to their name, these beetles have yellow bodies with three black stripes running down the length of them.
Tobacco budworm — July 14, 2009
Tobacco budworm larvae are generally yellow to yellow-green with a brown head, but body color can sometimes be pink, red or maroon, as well.
Asian lady beetle — June 30, 2009
Multicolored Asian lady beetles, or ladybugs, are beneficial, but you might not think so when they swarm your back porch or come indoors for a visit.
Eastern tent caterpillar — June 30, 2009
There are several kinds of caterpillars that spin webs in trees, but you’ll see Eastern tent caterpillars and their webs in late spring or early summer.
Columbine sawfly — June 23, 2009
These larvae of a non-stinging wasp have green heads and bodies without stripes or spots.
Slugs — June 9, 2009
These creatures can be ¼ to 6 or 7 in. long, and may be gray, orange, yellow, brown or black, with stripes or other markings.?
Japanese beetle — May 19, 2009
If these pests weren’t so destructive, they’d be pretty. Shiny bronze-green adults are about 3/8 in. long. Larvae are 1-1/4-in.-long, C-shaped white grubs.
Aphids — April 28, 2009
Orange, green, yellow, red, brown, black or covered with a waxy white or gray coating — there are all kinds of aphids out there.
Columbine leaf miner — March 31, 2009
If you have columbine, you’ll eventually have to deal with leaf miners.
Tobacco hornworm — March 10, 2009
These 3- to 5-in.-long giants of the caterpillar world have a large harmless spike, or horn, on their tails.
Spider mites — January 20, 2009
You’ll probably notice the symptoms long before you see the actual pest.
Whiteflies — December 30, 2008
If you brush the foliage of a plant and a white cloud floats up and quickly resettles, chances are your plant has whiteflies.
Fungus gnat — November 25, 2008
Adult fungus gnats are generally considered a nuisance. But the larvae, in large enough numbers, can be a real problem.
Boxelder bug — October 21, 2008
Chances are, you’ve noticed a swarm of these 1/2-in.-long, black-and-red insects loitering in sunny spots as the weather turns cool.
