Insect Damage & Control

Aphids those commonly found insects in your garden are easily controlled with simple techniques.

Notice holes in your leaves? Your plants may be under attack by caterpillars. Learn more about these leaf munchers, as well as how to control them.

Learn how to identify what fungus gnats are, the damage they cause and how to control these pests that invade your houseplants.

Learn how to identify what mealybugs are by understanding their life cycle and the damage they cause, as well as learn how to control these plant pests.

Learn how to identify what scales are, the damage they cause and how to control these garden pests.

Learn how to identify the two-spotted spider mite and manage this common houseplant and garden pest.

Learn how to identify if whiteflies are damaging your plants and how to control these garden pests.

Are your flowers under attack? Not sure what’s munching on your annuals? Use this guide to help identify annual plant pests in the garden based on plant symptoms, and discover some possible remedies for removing common insect pests from your garden.

The safest, most environmentally-friendly way to garden is without chemicals. But sometimes a pest infestation becomes too great and leaves a gardener no other option. If you’ve hit that last resort and must use pesticides, learn how to properly handle them to keep your family – and garden – safe.

Eastern tent caterpillars are seemingly everywhere in spring. The larvae live communally in tents constructed in the crotches of many tree species – especially flowering fruit trees. Left untreated, these caterpillars can eat a lot of leaves! Learn how to control them to protect your plants.

Although many bulbs are resistant to pests and diseases, infestations still occur. Before treating any plant problem, take the time to properly assess the situation and positively identify garden pest problems and cures. Here’s a quick reference for bulb pest and disease control, including symptoms, causes and possible remedies.

Grubs are one of the most common turf problems out there, and if you believe spring is the best time to get at them – think again. Remember, late summer and early fall are when the pests are small – and the easiest to get rid of!

The best way to keep a healthy flower garden is to start with healthy annuals. But even with our best gardening intentions, problem still arise. Learn some simple ways to control pests and diseases in the annual garden, and keep your garden plants healthy.

One of the more wasteful pests in the insect world, cutworm larvae emerge from the ground at night and chew off the base of plants, resulting in entire plant loss. Learn more about this pest – and how to cut down its damage.

Anyone who likes to spend time outdoors should be aware of the dangers of ticks, as well as what to do if contact with these outdoor pests is made.

It’s large. It’s noisy. It’s the cicada. And for parts of the US, it’s an insect that may only come out to visit every 13 or 17 years. Learn more about this fascinating and harmless visitor before the next decade-plus goes by.

There’s nothing like enjoying a warm evening outside and then getting hit in the head with a Junebug. While such an encounter may freak you out, the real horror behind these harmless beetles occurs when they first emerge – as white grubs feeding on your lawn.

Insects can bug you in the garden, but don’t reach for the chemicals yet. Remember, some creatures actually help you out! Help keep beneficial insects in your garden – and reduce populations of the pesky ones – by learning and practicing the seven steps of integrated pest management (IPM).

When you’ve got a natural garden, it just makes sense to garden naturally. So put aside those synthetic controls. Good gardening practices, coupled with keen scouting and organic pest and disease control, should be enough when fighting garden pests – and can keep your landscape lush and lovely.

Let’s take a look at several effective – and ineffective – methods to treating those pesky, pain-inducing fire ants.

Interested in controlling your pests organically? This primer can get you started on the path to a healthy garden.

Grubs in your lawn can be a serious problem. Learn how to prevent them, as well as when you need to treat.

Concerned about termites? Don’t jump to conclusions. Get the lil’ buggers properly identified first to learn if you even need to do anything to protect your home or yard from these wood-loving insects.

Herbs don’t just enhance the taste of food, they can improve the look and health of your entire garden! Learn which plants can help keep certain pests from invading – and protect your favorite flowers and vegetables with the power of herbal goodness!

When the herbs are away, some pests will play. But certain herbs have the power to repel flies, moths, mosquitoes and other pests. Even better, they’re safe repellents for your family, as well the environment! Learn which handy plants can help and how to use them.

Chemically bombing pests away doesn’t cut it in today’s world, as it only endangers our health and environment. If you’ve got a pest problem that’s grown out of control, find an environmentally-friendly control company – and know what to ask to confirm it lives up to its “green” claims.

Bagworms are essentially caterpillars that live within cases they construct from their own silk and bits of plant material. These pests feed on the foliage of many tree species and can cause lots of damage, but they're easily controlled if you identify them early and follow a few steps.

Have a pest problem? Need to know how to pick a pesticide to control it? This article will help you choose.

Insecticidal soap is a great tool for any gardener’s plant management program. Knowing how to use this product – and understanding its limitations – is key to successful pest control.

Sticky cards help trap insects for identification or to trap out some of the adult population infesting your plants. Here’s how to use this valuable tool.

It may be fall, but chances are your garden is still setting out a banquet for hungry pests. Protect your autumn veggies from ravenous insects with some easy organic controls, so you can enjoy your harvest for as long as your garden keeps giving.

Want to keep the pests away without using chemicals? Practice integrated pest management! Learn the basics of this important method – from what IPM is to how it helps prevent pest problems.

Part of practicing good integrated pest management is knowing how do properly deal with a particular pest problem. Use the following options as a guide in ridding your garden of insect pests.

Japanese beetles are chewing pests that make a feast out of foliage. There’s a lot of talk about the different methods used to control these unwanted garden visitors. Here are a few techniques that might work for your infestation problem.

It’s hard to enjoy outdoor living when those pesky mosquitoes buzz and bite! Keep them at bay by understanding what attracts them – as well as what keeps them away.

Learn where fire ants came from, where they’re going and how to identify them..

Mosquitoes bite! They turn our arms and legs into their own personal banquet tables and can breed in the shallowest of water – from fish ponds to rainwater in a child’s toy. Here’s how to keep mosquito populations down in your own back yard.

States have various regulations to prevent the accidental introduction of plant pests from other states. If an interstate move is in your future, read on. This article provides the steps to ensure your plants can move with you.

Picking the right plants for your container garden and maintaining them well helps keep problems at bay. But if the pests do come (and they likely will eventually), learn how to do battle with the least toxic methods possible – the ones best for your plants, environment and family.

Don’t let a pest infestation turn your growing-veggies dream into a nightmare. Help keep your vegetable garden – and other plantings – healthy and free from serious pest attack. Here’s a quick look at some common symptoms you may notice on your plants, as well as possible causes and remedies.

Using pesticide properly isn’t terribly hard. There is one all-important place to start: the label. Learn what to look for on the label, and find some tips to get you started with pesticides the right way.

Slugs and snails eating up your garden? Get back at ’em with a combination punch of cultural, physical and chemical controls – and, of course, a good ol’ can of beer.

Southern chinch bugs are one of the most serious pests of St. Augustine grass in the US. Learn how to spot – and stop – these pests before they wreak havoc with your lawn.

Protect your stone fruit trees from spider mite attack with the proper identification and management practices of this annoying pest.

There’s just one pest that brings down the mighty agave, and it’s preserved in bottles of Mexican tequila. Learn how the snout nose weevil attacks these beautiful succulents, as well as ways to cope with the devastation.

Caterpillars that eat grass? Yes – a whole army of them! If your Southern lawn is suffering from brown patches in autumn, it may be under attack by fall armyworms. Learn how to identify whether this pest has invaded your turf, and if so, what to do about it.

Something turning your hollyhock foliage into Swiss cheese? Chances are you’ve got a case of the hollyhock sawfly. Learn more about this little leaf-munching holey terror.

You see these little lady bugs everywhere, and for many people, the multicolored Asian lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis, has become a nuisance indoors. Nevertheless, they do a great job of helping reduce many pests in the garden.

Chilli thrips are a new pest in the continental US and are already causing big damage, starting in Florida and Texas. But these states aren’t the only ones at risk. Learn the latest on these tiny invaders and how to help stop them – no matter where you live.

While most ticks aren’t infected with diseases they can vector to humans, some are definite health risks, making it important to get any tick off of you – and off of you properly. Here’s how, as well as what to do with the tick afterward.

Japanese beetle bags dot the lawns of many Americans. But are they actually helping to fight the battle against this pest? Find out from our own insect expert – the Buglady!

Garden pests got you down? Try inviting toads to your yard. These hungry amphibians can eat 100 bugs per night! So invite these ugly-but-saintly creatures to your yard by following a few simple, toad-friendly tips.

Tree cattle, a.k.a. bark lice or psocids, are harmless insects responsible for amazing shrub and tree webbing. Found in herds, there are many insect species in this group. If you’ve found strange webs on tree limbs and trunks, don’t panic. If they’re tree cattle, they’re harmless to your plants.

The palmetto weevil is a large pest that can cause large damage to palm trees. Learn more about this insect, as well as how to control it.

Contrary to what you may have heard, kitchen soap is not an effective form of pest control – but insecticidal soap is. Understanding the difference between household soap and this helpful landscape product can really help you clean up the garden of unwanted pests.