Garden
Aphids
Look for live colonies on tender growth before treating curled leaves.
Acyrthosiphon pisumPhoto credit
A field guide collection
Plants, lawn & garden
Start with the host and the damage. Keep useful insects in the picture.
Garden
Beneficial Insects
Before removing an insect, check what it is eating and which life stage you are seeing.
Harmonia axyridisPhoto credit
Garden
Caterpillars
Find the larva, its waste and its feeding site before acting on holes.
Manduca sextaPhoto credit
Garden
Garden Beetles
Identify the beetle and its host before removing it.
Popillia japonicaPhoto credit
Garden
Pests inside fruit
The host, ripeness and pattern inside a cut fruit matter more than the word worm.
Cydia pomonellaPhoto credit
Garden
Leafminers
A pale trail or blotch between leaf surfaces suggests a miner, but old mines can be empty.
Liriomyza commelinaePhoto credit
Garden
Plant bugs & leafhoppers
Start with the host and the insect, not a pale spot or wilted leaf.
Lygus lineolarisPhoto credit
Garden
Plant disease & stress
Start with the plant, the pattern and its growing conditions.
Alternaria solani on Solanum lycopersicumPhoto credit
Garden
Nematodes
Stunted or wilting plants do not establish nematodes.
Meloidogyne incognita on Solanum lycopersicumPhoto credit
Garden
Scale & mealybugs
Separate armoured scale, soft scale and mealybugs before choosing an action.
Coccus hesperidumPhoto credit
Garden
Slugs & snails
Inspect after dark for the animal or fresh slime near chewed plants.
Arion vulgarisPhoto credit
Garden
Spider Mites
Use a lens to connect leaf stippling with live mites.
Tetranychus urticaePhoto credit
Garden
Suspected invasive pests
Photograph, record the location and pause movement of suspect plants, wood or equipment.
Lycorma delicatulaPhoto credit
Garden
Thrips
Confirm slender insects alongside fresh scarring before treating.
Frankliniella occidentalisPhoto credit
Garden
Tree Borers
Identify the tree and document fresh boring evidence.
Agrilus planipennis, source attributionPhoto credit
Garden
Weeds
Identify the plant and whether it returns from seed, roots or tubers.
Taraxacum officinalePhoto credit
Garden
Whiteflies
A cloud of tiny white adults is a clue; inspect leaf undersides for their immature stages.
Bemisia tabaciPhoto credit