Descriptions of the most common plant pests.

This page might help you to identify your plant pest.

It is an abbreviated listing of plant pests. For instance there are many different types of Aphids - that loathsome sap sucker - which have the same basic characteristic.

At Gardenseeker, we coma across new pests to add almost daily. Keep the mails coming in and we will try to help.

Adelgids - Adelgids are similar to aphids, but with white wooly tufts that will be found on conifer foliage or on an assortment of trees. Mature trees are difficult to spray, and the adelgids will do no lasting damage, but will not look nice.
Ants - The main problem with ants, is that they build underground nests and disturb the root systems of nearby plants. They do not keep greenfly at bay, simply farm them for the sugary 'sap' that they can get from them. They are a good indicator, that you have insects on your plant if you see ants wandering round stems and leaves. In the lawn, ants are a different type of pest!
Aphids - Aphids are sap suckers, and come in several forms. Most will know the Greenfly or Blackfly, but there are also many other types of aphids - including mealybugs, wooly aphids and others. All aphids need to be controlled - or prevented.
Beetles - Most of the fast running beetles you find scurrying about, are 'fast' because they need to catch prey! Normally harmful insects.. These are normally 'ground beetles' and if anything should be encouraged - not killed. There are also beetles that bore holes in fruit etc, but they are generally smaller and slower moving.
Bugs - Bugs come in all shapes and sizes, and cannot really be described here. have a look for something a bit more specific in the lists.
Butterflies - Butterflies in themselves do no harm - however, their young are caterpillars which normally feed on leaves!
Caterpillars - This is where you have to decide if you want your garden full of butterflies or not! If you kill the caterpillars - which are probably eating away at the leaves on your prize plant - then you are depriving yourselves of butterflies in the future!
Cuckoo Spit - Cuckoo Spit looks like something has been spitting on your plant. Normally on the stems, the frothy little 'home' houses the larvae of the Frog Hopper. It is not too much of a problem, other then looking unsightly. Wash all the spit off with a water spray - hose or even a watering can will do the trick.
Cutworms - More like a caterpillar because it has some small legs - just visible. they are grey or light brown. Not easy to find, for they live just below surface, and pop out at night to cut off the stems of small seedlings. Cutworms - a good name!
Earwigs - Nasty little brown creepers that have a pair of pincers on they rear end. Bit of a problem for Chrysanthemums and Dahlia flowers. They like to nibble petals!
Eelworms - You will never see an Eelworm - only the damage it does. They are microscopic 'nematodes' that damage specific plants. For instance, potatoes have their very own 'Potato Cyst Eelworm. There are others!
Froghoppers - These are the 'grown-ups' from the hideous 'cuckoo spit' sometimes found on plants. Not enough of a problem to worry about, so don't go sploshing about with an insecticide spray.
Grubs - A wide range of maggots and larvae are described at 'grubs'. Normally found in the soil - or in compost of potted plants. They are normally white or cream - sometimes with a brown head. Most are up to no good, so best dealt with. In any case you will probably have a wilting plant, that has had its roots eaten into by various 'grubs'.
Ladybirds - Ladybirds - Small red beetle-like insects with black spots are NOT pests. Far from it! They and their larvae eat aphids as their main source of food. Do NOT KILL!
Leaf Cutter Bees - Leaf cutter bees are small brown bees that like to cut out a slice of leaf to build their nests with. Not too much of a pest, so no need to start spraying. Just enjoy!
Leaf Hoppers - Leaf hoppers - because they leap away when you disturb them - are small green insects - something like an aphid. They can spread viruses and other nasties as they suck the sap from good - and bad - plants!
Leaf Miners - Leaf Miners like to burrow their way inside plant leaves. You will see the white-ish tracks of their tunnels, and if you hold to light, you may even see the little pest at the end of the tunnel. So, you can squeeze them, or apply a suitable insecticide. Chrysanthemums are particular prey to these pests.
Leaf Rollers - Roses - A particular type of sawfly that seems happy to attack roses, literally rolling the leaves up to make its nest for the young larvae!
Leatherjackets - Leather Jackets - Nasty pests that are greyish colour and live underground - happily eating away through root systems. Plants wilt. Lawns have circular dead patches. There is no insecticide available, but there are various other methods of control.
Maggots - If you are an angler, you will know what a maggot is! In the garden, they are normally little white grubs - the larvae of assorted flies. They either live underground, or burrow into fruit. Apples in particular, but many other fruits as well.
Mealybugs - In particular, a pest of houseplants, where they like to 'hide' in the leaf joint sucking away at the lifeblood sap of the plant. Some mealybugs live on the roots of potted plants in the greenhouse! they are normally covered in a white fluffy waxed coat, which makes them a little difficult to get at with sprays.
Mites - Many mites - which are related to spiders, having eight legs -are ok. BUT the Red Spider Mite is not ok. It is very small, and you normally see the effect of the problem before you find the little pests. Mottling on the upper side of leaves - houseplant in particular - could mean that you have red spider mite, which will be under the leaves - nicely hidden away! You can probably fit 4 on a pinhead to give you an idea of size. they may be black, brown, or red dots! If they have taken a good hold on your plant, they will probably have started their fine webs under the leaves as well.
Moths - Generally, moths are ok in the garden. There are exceptions! The Brown Tail Moth, the Codling Moth are the worst. Their caterpillar young eat away at plants and also enjoy an apple!
Red Spider Mites - Red Spider Mite - a pest of houseplants and also many outdoor plants. Greyish mottling of leaves is a sign that they may be underneath sucking away at the sap. They are very small, and you may need a magnifying glass to see them properly. then you can see their eight legs, and see why they are called 'spider' mites.
Root Flies - Flies that lay their eggs in the soil around carrots, onions and cabbages in particular. The emerging larvae feed on the plants. The onion root fly larvae probably does not have too many friends!
Root Bugs - Root bugs will include mealy bug aphids. It is also a general term for any root eating grub or bug.
Saw Flies - Saw fly larvae, normally feed on foliage or inner plant tissue - also some fruits. Slugworms are the larvae of sawflies as are several other caterpillr-like crawlers and slitherers!
Scale Insects - Scale insects normally attack the underside of leaves - sometimes the stems. they are literally like small brown scales. You will not see them move, or see any legs under their shell. The first sign of scale insect, is normally the sooty mould which lives on the sweet sugary substance that the scale insect leaves behind!
Slugs - Tender leaves and young stems are the feasting places for slugs. If you grow hostas, then slugs will be your BIG problem. They need no description here.
Slugworms - A slugworm is not a slug - just a slimy little caterpillar-like crawler that is the young of a sawfly or something similar. Normally grey, and a few centimetres long. It will be found sliming along the surface of leaves.
Snails - Snails are basically slugs with a house on top! they do the same damage as slugs, and are normally easier to find - often in clusters.
Sap Suckers - Anything that sucks sap from plants. A wide range of aphids and things like red spider mites.
Thrips - Very small flies that do damage to flower petals and leaves. White or silvery streaks or spots appear. They like hot weather and absolutely adore the flower of Gladiolus.
Vine Weevil Beetle - Not many people have seen a Vine Weevil. They come out at night, look like small black beetles that move slowly on gangly legs, and have a small head with a couple of antennae poking out front. they cut little notches out of the edges of leaves - not too much of a problem, but it will probably mean that their maggot like larvae are underground nearby, feeding on your plant roots. Alpines, pansies and primroses are a particular feast. The plant will wilt and you can lift it off the soil easily - minus the roots!
Wasps - The common Wasp actually prey on many types of garden pests. They also sting and eat ripe fruit on trees! there are many other wasp-like flies which are very beneficial to the gardener. All hover flies are ok, and they are not generally wasps or stingers!
Weevils - A range of beetle-like insects that eat at plants and roots in particular. the vine weevil beetle - see above - is the most common for gardeners.
Whiteflies - White flecking and mottling of the surface of leaves of indoor plants and greenhouse plants are the signs that you may have whitefly problems. Tap the plant stem and you will probably see a cloud of them flying around.
Wireworms - These are shiny brown worm-like creatures that move very slowly in the soil. They are yellow to orange in colour, and often a pest in newly cultivated ground. They like potatoes and other assorted roots!
Woodlice - Grey creatures with a jointed shell. Likes to curl up if exposed to danger. They like the stems and roots of young plants. They also feed on damages leaves.
Wooly Aphids - A Wooly Aphid is basically a greenfly with a white fluffy wooly coat. this coat protects it from predators - and also insecticides! Attacks many different types of plants.