Controlling Garden Pests Naturally and Organically

RSS Feed for Harmful BugsHarmful Bugs

Rose Chafers

Rose chafers are small beetles (8-12mm long) tan coloured with a reddish brown head. They have long spiny legs. 


Rose Chafers-Cooper Seeds

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Cucumber Beetles

Cucumber beetles are about 6mm long. There are many different types of them. Two of the most common are Striped cucumber beetles and Spotted cucumber beetles.

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Spotted Cucumber Beetle (left)-Clemson University, Striped Cucumber Beetle & Spotted Cucumber Beetle (right)-University of Wisconsin

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Harlequin Bugs

Harlequin bugs are reddy orange & black spotted and are related to the stink bug family. They are small (about 9mm) shield-shaped and have a pair of wings that overlap making it look like an X on their backs. 

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Harlequin Adult (right), Harlequin Nymph (left)-James Castner, University of Florida

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Stalk Borers

The European stalk borer and the common stalk borer are the two types. They are small 2.5 cm caterpillars, grey, brown and black in colour with a thin white stripe running down their backs an an off-white stripe running along their sides. 

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Leaf Cutting Bees

Leaf-cutting bees (also called mason bees) are similar in colouration to the common honeybee but are a little smaller and darker with light yellow bands on their abdomen.

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Leaf cutting bee-photo unknown

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Spit Bugs

Spit bugs (spittle bugs) measure around 12mm long. Spit bug nymphs are smaller and produce a frothy white ’spit’ to enclose themselves in.

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Adult Spit Bug-Auburn University (left), Adult diagram-photo D.E. Short (right)

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Lawn Moths

Lawn moths are small pale coloured moths that fly up from grass when disturbed. They will land very quickly, fold up their wings and crawl into the grass. 

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Lawn Moth (left)-Drgreen.com, Size of lawn moth (right)-Utah State University

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Vine Weevils

Vine weevils are members of the beetle family. There are many species of vine weevils but all are tiny (1-1.5cm) and are hard shelled. They range in colour from brown, gray and black. 

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Adult vine weevil (left), Black vine weevil-S. Fitzpatrick (R)

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Mole Crickets

There are many different species of mole crickets in the US. The two worst species are the tawny mole cricket and the southern mole cricket. 

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the southern mole cricket, the tawny mole cricket, the short-winged mole cricket, and the northern mole cricket (left to right in photo) -University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, MCRICKET KNOWLEDGEBASE

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Gypsy Moth

The gypsy moth female is white, males are grey to light brown. Their wingspan is about 5cm. They are a nocturnal pest. 

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Adult females (left)-Virginia Tech, Adult (right)-The Insect Company

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