Home Pests and Diseases

Pests and Diseases

  • Gopher
    Gophers feed on above- and below-ground portions of many plants. Roots crops, such as potatoes and carrots, and bulbs, such as tulips, are favorite targets.
  • Colorado Potato Beetle
    Techiques for prevention and control of Colorado potato beetles in your garden.
  • Potato Scab
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Mexican Bean Beetle
    Unlike most of the Coccinellidae which are carnivorous and feed upon aphids, scales and other small insects, this species attacks plants.
  • Bacterial Soft Rot
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Phomopsis Blight
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Most Bugs are Good Bugs
    Most garden visitors -- more than 95 percent -- are either beneficial or benign.
  • Onion Neck Rot
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • How to Control Blossom-End Rot on Tomatoes
    A water-soaked spot at the blossom end of tomato fruits is the classic symptom of blossom-end rot. This relatively common problem is caused by a calcium imbalance.
  • Squash Bug
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Asparagus Beetle
    These quarter-inch beetles and their larvae feed on young asparagus spears; damaged spears often develop blemishes and a shepherd's crook appearance.
  • Scale
    Scale is a soft-bodied insect that hides beneath a shell-like covering. As the insect feeds on plant juices, it excretes a waxy or wooly substance that forms this protective coating.
  • Bacterial Spot
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Lacewing
    Learn how to attract the lacewing, a beneficial insect.
  • Celery Leaftier
    Techniques for prevention and control of this caterpillar that chews on leaves of celery, beets, and other crops.
  • Cucumber Scab
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Are You Ready for Roses?
    To help ensure your success with roses, we've gathered some rose care products to help you get the most from your roses.
  • Yellow Jacket FAQs
    Often confused with bees, yellow jackets are much more aggressive, and most reported "bee stings" may in fact be yellow jacket stings. Here are some of the most commonly asked questions.
  • Tomato Hornworm
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Codling Moth
    Techniques for controlling codling moths.
  • Cabbageworm
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Corn Rootworm
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Cutworm
    Techniques for prevention and control of cutworms.
  • Earwig
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Club Root
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Black Rot
    This bacterial disease is affects all cabbage family crops.
  • Powdery Mildew
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Viruses in the Garden
    There are many kinds of viruses that can infect a wide variety of plants all over North America, including beans, celery, corn, cucurbits, peas, peppers, spinach, and tomatoes.
  • Late Blight
    This fungus disease attacks tomatoes and potatoes at any stage of growth. Irregular gray spots form on leaves.
  • Using Garden Fabric (Row Covers)
    We've got you covered. There are plenty of ways to protect your garden with garden fabric.
  • All About Bats
    Learn how -- and why -- you should make a home for bats in your backyard.
  • Controlling Lily Leaf Beetles
    How to keep lily leaf beetles from destroying your lilies.
  • Carrot Rust Fly
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • How to Control Slugs
    Techniques for prevention and control of slugs.
  • Fruit Fly
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Leafhopper
    Techniques for prevention and control of leafhoppers.
  • Alternaria Leaf Spot
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Aster Yellows
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Flea Beetle
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Leafminer
    Techniques for prevention and control of leafminer larvae which can hurt leafy crops like spinach and lettuce.
  • Grasshopper
    Techniques for managing grasshopper populations in the garden.
  • European Corn Borer
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Wireworm
    Wireworms are the larvae of click beetles; their feeding can destroy corn seeds before they germinate, deform the roots of beets and carrots, and damage potato tubers.
  • Early Blight
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Septoria Leaf Spot
    Techniques for prevention and control of septoria leaf spot, a fungal disease that can affect a wide variety of plants.
  • Bacterial Blight
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • A Savvy Gardener Gives Deer Their Own Clover Meadow
    Smart gardener gives deer their own clover meadow.
  • Spider Mite
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Mealybug
    Mealybugs suck plant juices from fruit crops, potatoes, and many kinds of houseplants.
  • Bacterial Wilt
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Corn Leaf Blight
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Fusarium Wilt
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Blister Beetle
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Four-Lined Plant Bug
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • How to Recognize Plant Stress
    Wilting plants? Blackened foliage?
  • Aphid
    These small, soft-bodied, pear-shaped insects cluster densely on tender new growth and the undersides of leaves to suck plant juices.
  • Wash Your Houseplants to Prevent Pest Problems
    Inspect houseplants thoroughly before moving them indoors for the winter. Here's how to wash them when you do.
  • Curculio
    Often called plum curculio, this beetle with the long, curved snout is a common pest of apples, peaches, cherries, apricots, pears, and plums, but only east of the Rocky Mountains and primarily in the north.
  • Parsnip Canker
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Asian Lady Beetles — More Than a Nuisance
    Both Asian lady beetles and native species hunt garden pests. However, Asian lady beetles have become a troublesome pest in many parts of the country.