Pests and Pest Management
"Don't knock the power of a pest. Persistence and stubbornness can be useful in many situations".
- Maria V. Snyder
- Maria V. Snyder
introduction
Pests are an unavoidable part of gardening. They see your well-kept garden as a beautiful bed and breakfast made just for them, and for that reason it's pretty hard to get them to move on. At first, these insects may not make much of an impact, but after some time passes and some babies are born, they will start to cause visible damage to your plants, interfering with photosynthesis through lost foliage, and inviting accompanying problems like mold and disease. The following list of common garden pests is a comprehensive representation of many of the pests you will encounter as a home gardener in the San Francisco Bay Area. This page includes the common and scientific names of each pest, what damage they can cause to your plants, how to identify an infestation, and how to eradicate them and prevent future issues using evidence-based Integrated Pest Management techniques.
Quick Question: What is a pest?
A pest is an organism that damages or interferes with desirable plants in our fields and orchards, landscapes, or wild areas, or causes damage to homes or other structures. The label 'pest' also includes organisms that impact human or animal health, such as ticks, mosquitoes, and bedbugs. Pests can either transmit disease or not, but either way are considered nuisances. Pests can be plants (weeds or parasitic plants), vertebrates (birds, rodents, or other mammals), invertebrates (insects, ticks, mites, and snails), nemotodes, pathogens (bacterias, viruses, and fungi), or other unwanted organisms that cause damage to water quality, animal life, or other aspects of the ecological system.
A pest is an organism that damages or interferes with desirable plants in our fields and orchards, landscapes, or wild areas, or causes damage to homes or other structures. The label 'pest' also includes organisms that impact human or animal health, such as ticks, mosquitoes, and bedbugs. Pests can either transmit disease or not, but either way are considered nuisances. Pests can be plants (weeds or parasitic plants), vertebrates (birds, rodents, or other mammals), invertebrates (insects, ticks, mites, and snails), nemotodes, pathogens (bacterias, viruses, and fungi), or other unwanted organisms that cause damage to water quality, animal life, or other aspects of the ecological system.
Meet the gang
Aphids (Aphididae)
Aphids are common insects in home gardens, and are sap-sucking critters. They use their mouthparts to pierce stems, leaves and other tender parts of plants to extract the fluids inside. They can be green, yellow, brown, red, or black depending on the species. Some species even appear 'wooly' in appearance, and be mistaken for other wooly pests like mealybugs. They have a pair of tubes at the back of their bodies called cornicles, which distinguishes them from all other insects. These cornicles produce pheromones or defensive secretions. In California's mild climate, they can reproduce throughout the entire year, in some species asexually. Large infestations of Aphids can turn the leaves on plants yellow, stunt developing shoots, or cause leaves to curl. Colonies will produce large amounts of a substance commonly called 'honeydew', which in turn can cause other issues, like fungus, to take hold on plants. Ants feed on this honeydew, and are a good indicator that you may have an aphid problem. The following list includes different types of Aphids, and the types of plants they feed on.
Aphids are common insects in home gardens, and are sap-sucking critters. They use their mouthparts to pierce stems, leaves and other tender parts of plants to extract the fluids inside. They can be green, yellow, brown, red, or black depending on the species. Some species even appear 'wooly' in appearance, and be mistaken for other wooly pests like mealybugs. They have a pair of tubes at the back of their bodies called cornicles, which distinguishes them from all other insects. These cornicles produce pheromones or defensive secretions. In California's mild climate, they can reproduce throughout the entire year, in some species asexually. Large infestations of Aphids can turn the leaves on plants yellow, stunt developing shoots, or cause leaves to curl. Colonies will produce large amounts of a substance commonly called 'honeydew', which in turn can cause other issues, like fungus, to take hold on plants. Ants feed on this honeydew, and are a good indicator that you may have an aphid problem. The following list includes different types of Aphids, and the types of plants they feed on.
Bean Aphid
Aphis fabae These Aphids feed on Legumes, woody ornamentals, and flowers.
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Cabbage Aphid
Brevicoryne brassicae These Aphids feed on Mustard Family plants.
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Green Peach Aphid
Myzus persicae These Aphids feed on Peppers, Spinach, Carrots, Tomato, flowers, Corn, Legumes, flowering Plum trees, and Stonefruit trees.
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Melon (Cotton) Aphid
Aphis gossypii These Aphids feed on Carrot, Citrus, flowers, and woody ornamentals.
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Potato Aphid
Macrosiphum euphorbiae These Aphids feed on Potato, Spinach, Lettuce, and Tomato plants.
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Green Apple Aphid
Aphis pomi These Aphids feed on Apple, Pear, Hawthorne, and Cotoneaster trees and shrubs.
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Leaf Curl Plum Aphid
Brachycaudus helichrysi These Aphids feed on Plum and Prune trees.
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Mealy Plum Aphid
Hyalopterus pruni These Aphids feed on Plum and Prune trees.
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Rosy Apple Aphid
Dysaphis plantaginea These Aphids feed on Apple trees.
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Wooly Apple Aphid
Eriosoma lanigerum These Aphids feed on Apple, Pear, Hawthorn, and Pyracantha trees and shrubs.
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Ash Leaf Curl Aphid
Prociphilus species These Aphids feed on Ash trees.
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Crapemyrtle Aphid
Sarucalis kahawaluokalani These Aphids feed on Crape Myrtle trees.
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Mites
Mites are small, insect-like arachnids related to spiders and ticks. The largest mites top out around a quarter of an inch in length. These little bugs form colonies on the undersides of leaves that can include hundreds of mites. Because they are so small, they are often difficult to detect until foliage damage appears on your garden plants. These bugs feed on leaves, bruising cells with their small, whip-like mouthparts and ingesting the sap. This damage can end up killing plants. If you've got a mite problem in your yard, you'll notice small yellow or white speckles on your plants' leaves. When too many of these spots occur in close proximity, leaves will turn yellow or bronze, and drop off the plant prematurely. Check out the following list for help identifying which mites you are having trouble with:
Mites are small, insect-like arachnids related to spiders and ticks. The largest mites top out around a quarter of an inch in length. These little bugs form colonies on the undersides of leaves that can include hundreds of mites. Because they are so small, they are often difficult to detect until foliage damage appears on your garden plants. These bugs feed on leaves, bruising cells with their small, whip-like mouthparts and ingesting the sap. This damage can end up killing plants. If you've got a mite problem in your yard, you'll notice small yellow or white speckles on your plants' leaves. When too many of these spots occur in close proximity, leaves will turn yellow or bronze, and drop off the plant prematurely. Check out the following list for help identifying which mites you are having trouble with:
Worms and Larvae
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Bagworm
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Beetle Grub
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Cabbage Looper Caterpillar
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Cabbage White Caterpillar
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Codling Moth Larvae
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Corn Earworm
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Cutworm
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European Corn Borer
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Leaf Miners
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Leaf Roller Caterpillar
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Rose Slug
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Sawfly Larvae
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Tomato Hornworm
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Tomato Moth Caterpillar
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Vine Weevil Larvae
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Winter Moth Larvae
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Wire Worms
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Beetles
japanese beetles
viburnum beetle
vine weevil
cucumber beetle
flea beetle
colorado potato beetle
Mexican Bean Beetle
asparagus beetle
japanese beetles
viburnum beetle
vine weevil
cucumber beetle
flea beetle
colorado potato beetle
Mexican Bean Beetle
asparagus beetle
Flies
whiteflies
thrip (thunder fly)
whiteflies
thrip (thunder fly)
Scale Insects & Mealybugs
whiteflies
whiteflies
Grasshoppers and Earwigs
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Stink Bugs and Squash Bugs
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Snails and Slugs
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Ants
red imported fire ant
Black carpenter ant
red imported fire ant
Black carpenter ant
Tarnished Plant Bug
Lygus
yellow dog tick
squash bug
four lined plant bug
Lygus
yellow dog tick
squash bug
four lined plant bug