Pests
Insects, mites, molluscs, birds and animals: how to recognise each by its damage, and what actually controls it.
Most pests leave a signature: ragged holes from slugs, fine speckling from mites, sticky leaves under aphids and whitefly, tunnels in roots from fly larvae. Find the culprit before you act. Barriers and timing beat sprays for nearly all of them, and many are kept in check by predators if you let them.
Start with what you see
Choose the symptom that looks most like your plant.
Pest problems
27 problems
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Aphids
Tomatoes, Bell peppers, Chili peppers Small, soft insects clustered on new growth and under leaves, leaving sticky honeydew. -
Whitefly
Tomatoes, Bell peppers, Chili peppers Tiny white flies that rise in a cloud when you touch the plant. Leaves go sticky and yellow. -
Spider mites
Cucumbers, Bell peppers, Chili peppers Fine pale speckling on leaves, then yellowing and webbing. The mites are barely visible. -
Thrips
Onions, Garlic, Avocado Silvery, flecked patches on leaves and petals, dotted with tiny black specks. -
Fungus gnats
Monstera, Microgreens, Snake plant Small black flies around pots. Their larvae feed in wet compost and on seedling roots. -
Slugs and snails
Lettuce, Cabbage, Basil Ragged holes in leaves and seedlings gone overnight, with silvery slime trails. -
Caterpillars
Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower Holes chewed in leaves, often down to the veins, with green droppings below. -
Flea beetles
Radishes, Broccoli, Cabbage Lots of tiny round holes in young leaves, and small beetles that jump when disturbed. -
Tomato hornworm
Tomatoes, Bell peppers, Chili peppers A huge green caterpillar with a horn on its tail, stripping tomato leaves fast. -
Scale insects
Lemon trees, Hydrangea, Rosemary Brown or white bumps stuck to stems and leaf veins, with sticky leaves below. -
Mealybugs
Aloe vera, Monstera, Lemon trees White, cottony insects tucked into leaf joints and under leaves, with sticky honeydew. -
Fruit flies
Raspberries, Blackberries, Blueberries Small holes in ripening fruit, then soft, collapsing flesh with tiny maggots inside. -
Guava moth
Pineapple guava Caterpillars that tunnel into feijoas, guavas and citrus, leaving brown, rotten flesh. -
Carrot fly
Carrots, Parsley Rusty-brown tunnels just under the skin of carrots, and reddish, wilting leaves. -
Cabbage root fly
Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower Young brassicas wilt and die; white maggots are eating the roots. -
Onion fly
Onions, Garlic Onion leaves yellow and collapse; maggots have eaten into the bulb. -
Cutworms
Tomatoes, Bell peppers, Lettuce Seedlings cut off at soil level overnight, with a fat grey caterpillar curled in the soil nearby. -
Wireworms
Potatoes, Carrots, Sweet potatoes Narrow, round holes bored through potatoes and root crops. -
Colorado potato beetle
Potatoes, Tomatoes Striped yellow and black beetles and red larvae stripping potato leaves. -
Cucumber beetles
Cucumbers, Zucchini, Pumpkins Yellow-and-black striped or spotted beetles chewing cucurbit leaves and flowers, spreading wilt. -
Squash bugs
Pumpkins, Zucchini Flat grey-brown bugs and bronze egg clusters on squash; leaves speckle, yellow and wilt. -
Vine weevil
Strawberries, Blueberries, Hydrangea Notched leaf edges from adults, and plants collapsing as grubs eat the roots. -
Leaf miners
Spinach, Beets, Onions Pale, winding tunnels or blotches inside the leaves. -
Leafhoppers
Basil, Rosemary, Cilantro (coriander) Pale stippling on leaves and small insects that hop sideways when disturbed. -
Raspberry beetle
Raspberries, Blackberries Small grubs at the stalk end of ripe raspberries and blackberries, with dry, brown patches. -
Birds
Kale, Cabbage, Broccoli Torn, stripped brassica leaves, pecked fruit, and seeds or seedlings pulled from the soil. -
Rabbits, deer and other mammals
Lettuce, Peas, Sweet corn Plants bitten off cleanly or browsed, with droppings or footprints nearby.
