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Common Insects in Perennial Plants

Careful site selection, soil preparation, adequate and proper irrigation and mulching are some ways to help plants resist pests.

Some insect examples are:

Aphids – many colors, pear shaped, winged, wingless. Leaves, stems and buds are distorted and sticky, also all females born pregnant.

Beetle, Asiatic – long, brown, velvety. Leaves have irregular holes in edges.

Beetle, Japanese – long metallic blue or green with coppery wing covers. Leaves and flowers have holes and may be skeletonized.

Borers – moths or beetles. Stems exude sawdust-like material and break, leaves wilt. Iris borers cause irregular tunnels in leaves as well as damaged or rotted rhizomes.

Tree Bug – usually shield-shaped, brown, black, green or brilliantly colored and patterned. Buds and leaves become deformed or dwarfed.

Cutworms – gray or brownish moths. Seedlings or young plants are cut off at soil level.

Leafminers – long, wasp-like with yellow-striped black bodies and clear wings. Leaves have tan or brown blotches or serpentine tunnels.

Scales – long, with grayish, brownish orange, reddish brown, or cottony white shells. Males have wings and females do not.

Slugs & Snails – long, gray, tan, green, black, yellow or spotted, eyes at the tips of small tentacles. Snails have a single spiral shell. Slugs are shell-less. Leaves – large, ragged holes. Product: Slug/Snail specific.

Spider Mites – long, reddish brown or pale spider-like mites with 8 legs, wingless. Leaves become stippled, reddish to yellow, and have fine webbing.

Thrips – long, with yellow, brown, or blackish bodies and 2 pairs of fringed wings. Flower buds die, petals become distorted and growth is stunted.

Whiteflies – long, white, moth-like insects. Leaves turn yellow, and plant is weakened.

To control most pests in the garden you can use: Eight, Nolo Bait, Spinosad, Diatomaceous Earth, Neem Oil.

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