Articles listed under “insect”
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.
Potato leafhopper — September 16, 2008
You may never have seen a potato leafhopper up close before. They move quickly, scuttling sideways to hide under leaves, or simply flying to another plant.
Grasshoppers — August 26, 2008
If you’ve walked through tall grass in the summer, you’ve seen grasshoppers leaping away in all directions.
Root-knot nematodes — July 29, 2008
There are good nematodes that feed on decaying plants and there are bad nematodes that feed on living plants.
Iris borer — June 10, 2008
This pest may be the most dreaded problem for gardeners with iris. It is difficult to know if you’ve got a problem until you see the signs.
Rose chafer — May 27, 2008
Rose chafers have a deceptive name – they feed on a wide variety of plants, not just roses. These tan beetles are about a ½-in. long and have long, orange legs.
Black blister beetle — May 13, 2008
The black blister beetle comes by its name honestly – if you touch it, you can get blisters on your skin.
Boxwood psyllid — May 6, 2008
The boxwood psyllid is a small sucking insect that attacks tender young boxwood foliage as it emerges in spring.
Tarnished plant bug — April 15, 2008
Medium brown and about ¼ inch long, tarnished plant bugs don’t look like garden menaces, but they are.
Hemlock wooly adelgids — April 8, 2008
Hemlock woolly adelgids are relatively easy to identify because they’re woolly. You will find wooly adelgids on the undersides of hemlock needles and twigs.
Radish root maggot — March 25, 2008
The radish root maggot can be a particularly rude pest in the vegetable garden. These pale larvae tunnel through the root flesh of many root crops including radish, turnip and other members of the mustard family.
Mealybugs — February 5, 2008
Mealybugs are common pests of house plants and greenhouse crops. They will feed on a wide range of species.
Gypsy moth — January 15, 2008
Gypsy moth is a major pest in the Eastern United States and Canada, but it is moving west.
Yellow jacket — September 25, 2007
Ever been buzzed by one of these aggressive insects? Yellow jackets feed on meats and sugars, which makes summer picnics very attractive to them.
