Pest & Disease Encyclopedia

  • 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.
  • How to control fungus gnats
    Fungus gnats look like fruit flies, hovering over the soil in houseplants or seedlings. It's easy to get them under control.
  • Pea Weevil
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Bean Leaf Beetle
    Techniques for prevention and control of bean leaf beetles, which primarily munch on soybeans and dried bean crops.
  • Root Weevil
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Onion Neck Rot
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Phomopsis Blight
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Colorado Potato Beetle
    Techiques for prevention and control of Colorado potato beetles in your garden.
  • 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.
  • Squash Bug
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Squash Vine Borer Prevention and Control
    Techniques for prevention and control. Includes a video on how to remove squash-vine borers.
  • Scale
    Scale is a soft-bodied insect that hides beneath a shell-like covering and feeds on plant fluids.
  • Downy Mildew
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • What You Need To Know About Yellow Jackets
    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 yellow jacket questions.
  • Armyworm
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Celery Leaftier
    Techniques for prevention and control of this caterpillar that chews on leaves of celery, beets, and other crops.
  • Verticillium Wilt
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Cutworm
    Techniques for prevention and control of cutworms.
  • Root-Knot Nematodes
    Nematodes feed on the roots of a wide variety of plants, including tomatoes, celery, beans, and spinach.
  • Earwig
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Corn Rootworm
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Peach Tree Borer
    This pest is mostly a problem in California, but can occur wherever peaches grow.
  • White Mold
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Cabbage Looper
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Codling Moth
    Techniques for controlling codling moths.
  • Tomato Hornworm
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Fusarium Basal Rot
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Black Scurf
    Techniques for prevention and control of this fungal disease that attacks potato stems and tubers.
  • Pythium
    Techniques for prevention and control of this common fungus that attacks seedlings.
  • Japanese Beetle
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Fire Ant
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Angular Leaf Spot
    Techniques for prevention and control of angular leaf spot, a bacterial disease in cucumbers, squash and melons.
  • Septoria Leaf Spot
    Techniques for prevention and control of septoria leaf spot, a fungal disease that can affect a wide variety of plants.
  • Early Blight
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Aster Yellows
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Alternaria Leaf Spot
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Stinkbug
    Techniques for prevention and control of stunkbugs which suck plant juices from leaves, flowers and fruits in the garden.
  • Leafhopper
    Techniques for prevention and control of leafhoppers.
  • Carrot Rust Fly
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Aphids
    These small, soft-bodied, pear-shaped insects cluster densely on tender new growth and the undersides of leaves to suck plant juices. Keep your plants healthy and bug-free with these tips to control aphid infestation.
  • 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.
  • Mealybug
    Mealybugs suck plant juices from fruit crops, potatoes, and many kinds of houseplants.
  • Corn Earworm
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Thrip
    Techniques for controlling these tiny insect pests.
  • Tarnished Plant Bug
    Techniques for prevention and control of tarnished plant bugs and their nymphs that feed on fruit.
  • Catfacing
    Don't let this strangely named disorder take down your tomato crop this season.
  • Bacterial Wilt
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Corn Smut
    This fungus disease occurs on corn over most of the United States.
  • Blister Beetle
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Pepper Maggot
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Blackleg
    Techniques for prevention and control of the blackleg fungal disease on cabbage-family plants in your garden.
  • Fruit Cracking
    Major fluctuations in soil moisture can affect your tomato crop — learn how to prevent the damage.
  • Rust
    This fungus is most prevalent in wet, humid growing conditions.
  • Bacterial Soft Rot
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Bacterial Canker
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Cucumber Beetle
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Root Maggot
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Root Rot
    Prevent this fungus, which can be common in bean plants.
  • Mexican Bean Beetle
    Unlike most of the Coccinellidae which are carnivorous and feed upon aphids, scales and other small insects, this species attacks plants.
  • Critter-Proofing Fall Bulbs
    Safeguard your garden with our tips for critter-proofing fall bulbs 🌷🦔 Keep pesky animals away, and enjoy a beautiful blooming season!
  • Anthracnose
    Techniques for prevention and control of the anthracnose fungal disease in beans, cucumbers and fruits.
  • Bacterial Spot
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Potato Scab
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Late Blight
    This fungus disease attacks tomatoes and potatoes at any stage of growth. Irregular gray spots form on leaves.
  • Club Root
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Cabbageworm
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Whitefly
    Techniques for prevention and control for Whiteflies.
  • Pickleworm
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Black Rot
    This bacterial disease is affects all cabbage family crops.
  • Powdery Mildew
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Mosaic Virus
    Mosaic virus can affect more than 100 different fruit and vegetable crops — learn the symptoms.
  • Cucurbit Scab
    Learn how to identify and prevent this fungus which can impact cukes, zucchini, and winter squash.
  • Harlequin Bug
    These small, shield-shaped bugs with bright red, orange, or yellow markings suck plant juices from leaves, stems flowers, and fruits, causing yellow or white blotches on leaves, distortion of plant parts, stunting, and dieback. They favor all plants in the cabbage family, including broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and Brussels sprouts.
  • Wirestem
    Wirestem gets its name from the damage it causes to plant stems at the soil line. The stem shrivels and becomes wire-like, leading to wilting and death.
  • How to Control Slugs
    Techniques for prevention and control of slugs.
  • Fruit Fly
    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.
  • European Corn Borer
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Grasshopper
    Techniques for managing grasshopper populations in the garden.
  • 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.
  • Bacterial Blight
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Phytophthora Fruit Rot
    Techniques for prevention and control of a fungal disease that can affect all cucurbits, especially winter squash and pumpkins.
  • How To Identify, Prevent & Control Scarlet Lily Leaf Beetles
    How to keep lily leaf beetles from destroying your lilies.
  • Here Comes the Leek Moth
    Sadly, we found evidence of the leek moth (Acrolepiopsis assectella) in our garlic beds last week. Find out more.
  • 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.
  • Spider Mite
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Sweet Potato Weevil
    How to prevent the sweet potato weevil.
  • Corn Leaf Blight
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Four-Lined Plant Bug
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Parsnip Canker
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Fusarium Wilt
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Gray Mold
    Techniques for prevention and control.
  • Shady Solutions for the Impatiens Downy Mildew Disease
    Worried about impatiens downy mildew disease? 🌺🦠 Learn how to prevent and treat it in your garden with our helpful tips!