The larvae of several moths and butterflies are collectively referred to as tent caterpillars. The name is applied especially to Malacosoma Americana, known as the eastern tent caterpillar and sometimes as the apple tent caterpillar. Tent caterpillars multiply rapidly and can defoliate many deciduous trees and shrubs over a wide area in a short time. Read the rest of this entry »

Thrips are small, slender insects with feathery wings. They damage plants by sucking their juices, stinging them, and rasping at fruit and leaves to cause scars. Leaves may turn pale and silvery, and then die. The pests are attracted especially to white blossoms. Damaged rosebuds turn brown and may open to show distorted petals. Thrips may transmit the virus that causes spotted wilt on tomato. Read the rest of this entry »

Also known as the garden symphilid, the many-legged symphylan [color] is often confused by gardeners with the centipede and millipede. Each is in a different class and has distinguishing habits. The centipede is a beneficial predator, feeding nocturnally on soil insects and millipedes.

Symphylans have bodies broken up into 14 segments, and move about on 12 pairs of legs. Because of their superficial resemblance to centipedes, they are sometimes called garden centipedes. They feed on young plant roots and are capable of downing their own weight’s worth in a day. Affected plants tend to wilt in strong sunlight and are prone to fungal and bacterial root rots. Lettuce leaves may be eaten full of holes if they rest on infested ground. On tomatoes, stunted plants show bluish stems, yellowed lower foliage, and dark green upper foliage. Read the rest of this entry »

The sweet potato weevil is about 1/4 inch long and resembles a large ant. The head, snout, and wing covers are dark blue, and the prothorax and legs are reddish orange. It has well-developed wings and is capable of limited flight. The eggs are yellowish white while the larvae are white, legless, and about 3/8 inch long. The pupae are white and somewhat shorter. Read the rest of this entry »

Root-knot nematodes are small soil pests that attack the roots of many plants, including sweet potatoes. These nematodes produce small galls or swellings on the fine feeder roots, but they can also enter the storage roots and feed in the tissues beneath the skin without causing the common galls found on root crops. Symptoms include decayed areas under the skin. surface blemishes and pitting, deformed roots, poor color, and sometimes severe surface cracking. The vines of infested plants are usually stunted and yellowish, the leaves may show brown dead spots, and the plants may be killed in severe cases. Read the rest of this entry »