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Tips Pest: Rose Chafer These beetle-like bugs are very common. Unfortunately they are not friends. They can skeletonize the leaves of your plants quickly and thoroughly. Description: Adults are reddish brown, 1/3” long with black undersides and wing covers cloaked in thick, yellowish hairs. The larvae are small white grubs. Life Cycle: Larvae overwinter…
Tips Pest: Root Maggot Root maggots particularly plague Brassica crops, able to detect easily your newly planted and delicate seedlings. Stop them before they become established! Description: Adults (1/5 inch long) are dark gray flies that look like the common housefly, only smaller. They lay their eggs in the soil at the base of…
Tips Beneficial Insect: Pirate Bug Ah-hoy! Appropriately named, these bugs are villains toward other pests in your garden. Description: Pirate Bugs are general-purpose feeders about 1/20” long, and both nymphs and adults possess a “piercing-sucking beak” which they use to pierce a hole and suck their victims dry. In the young stage Pirate Bugs are…
Tips Beneficial Insect: Ladybug Welcome ladybugs into your garden not only for their cute color, shape and pattern, but for their pest-eating capabilities. Description: Ladybugs are 1/4” long with rounded bodies and black spots. The wing covers are bright orange to red and there are white markings on the thorax. There are over 450…
Tips Beneficial Insect: Lacewing These beautiful, slender insects are attracted to lights and are commonly found clinging to window screens at night. But don’t swat them… they’re a big help in the garden. Description: The adults are light green with huge, transparent wings, threadlike antennae and golden eyes. They measure up to an inch…
In the News A Good Year in the Garden A_Good_Year_in_the_Gardens_Valley_News_July24_2013.pdf
Tips Pest: Hornworm Caterpillar Hornworm caterpillars are a pest. They can get huge while munching on your tomato plants. The best method for control in the home garden is hand picking. Understanding their lifecycle is a good place to start. Description: Hornworms can grow up to 6” long and as thick as your thumb,…
Tips Beneficial Insect: Syrphid Fly or Hover Fly These guys are your friends! Adult hover flies resemble small wasps, with a black and yellow or white striped abdomen. They will hover like a hummingbird as they drink nectar from flowers. Hover flies do not sting. They range in size from 1/4” to 1/2” depending on the species. The…
Tips Pest: Cabbage Worm Cabbage worms are very common on cabbage plants and their relatives. Often times you spot their damage before their camouflaged bodies. Cabbage worms are light green with a faint yellow stripe down their side. They blend in very well. They measure about 1” long and have fine velvety hairs on…
Tips Pest: Aphid Aphids are a common tiny pear-shaped, soft-bodied insect up to 1/8” long. Aphids may be green, yellow, brown, red, gray or black. Some species have winged forms. Aphids have piercing, sucking mouth parts that penetrate plant tissue and remove sap. They are usually found in masses feeding on flowers and…