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Common Pests on Trees, Ornamentals and Flowers

Pest	Symptoms/Detection	Diagnosis/Control

Ant	Appearance of mounds in warm and sunny locations, especially on sandy soils.	Apply Sevin® brand carbaryl insecticide at the rate indicated on the product label.
Aphid	Aphids may be green, yellow, black or red in color depending on the species. They are small, soft bodied insects with long slender mouth parts. Pests cause yellowing and curling of vegetable leaves and stunt the plants growth. Presence of aphids may be noticed by sticky exudate commonly know as honey dew which usually turns a blackish color with the growth as a sooty mold fungus forms.	Check vegetable plant leaves, including the under sides, regularly for aphids when plants are growing rapidly. Symptoms of the honeydew or black sticky goo spots are the most common sign. Management of ants is also a key component of aphid control.Apply Sevin® brand carbaryl insecticide at the rate indicated on the product label.
Bagworm	Foliage looks stripped and ragged. Appearance of spindle-shaped bags hanging downward from leaves and branches.	Physically remove bags from trees during the winter. Be sure to completely destroy worms inside the bags. Apply Sevin® brand carbaryl insecticide at the rate indicated on the product label.
Chigger	Pests are mostly encountered in areas that are heavily wooded, or which have large amounts of shrubs, or on lawns close to wooded areas or shrubs.	Check for chiggers using a small, dark piece of cardboard. Place the cardboard on the ground, standing upright on its edge, and check for very tiny, oval, yellowish or bright orange mites that rapidly crawl from the bottom of the cardboard to the top. Mow areas that have tall grasses or weeds. Apply insect repellents to your clothes and body. Apply Sevin® brand carbaryl insecticide at the rate indicated on the product label.
Cicada	The presence of large numbers of pupae sacks hanging down from tree branches. Large, dark insects in trees emitting a loud buzzing or clacking sound. Under close scrutiny, some very small twigs are noticeably split or splintered where eggs have been laid.	Band trees with a sticky substance called “tanglefoot” to trap larvae as they crawl up the tree trunk to pupae. Apply Sevin® brand carbaryl insecticide at the rate indicated on the product label.
Elm bark beetle	Very small, round holes in the bark. Galleries formed in the inner bark and outer sapwood. Each “gallery” contains a small, central “parent” gallery. Initial symptoms of Dutch elm disease include wilting and yellowing of foliage followed by heavy defoliation. Very severe cases can result in tree death in as little as one year.	Maintain tree health by providing adequate moisture and nutrients. Elm bark beetles prefer to attack weakened, less vigorous trees. Remove dead or decayed parts of elm trees, since these are the most vulnerable to insect attacks. Apply Sevin® brand carbaryl insecticide at the rate indicated on the product label.
Elm leaf beetle	Holes chewed in the underside of leaves by larvae that are green to yellow, with two black stripes along the back of their body. Leaves die and drop prematurely. Small holes chewed entirely through leaves by adult beetles. These pests, which especially like to feed on new growth, are olive green with a black stripe along the margin of each wing cover.	Remove wood piles and other debris on the ground to minimize the beetle’s overwintering habitat. Apply Sevin® brand carbaryl insecticide at the rate indicated on the product label.
Flea beetle	Very tiny, black or greenish-black jumping beetles found on leaves. Small holes chewed through plant leaves by adult beetles, resulting in a “shot-hole” appearance.	Clean out bushy, overgrown areas, especially those which have tall grass or weeds. Remove as much leaf litter, plant remnants and weeds from seed beds as possible. Apply Sevin® brand carbaryl insecticide at the rate indicated on the product label.
Grasshopper	The appearance of insects with enlarged rear legs that allow them to jump very powerfully. During the day these insects can be found feeding in sunny locations. Egg pods in the soil surrounded by gummy material that hardens to form a protective covering.	Till soil in vegetable garden during fall or spring so that eggs can either be pushed far down into the ground, or brought up to the surface where they are dried out with exposure to sunlight. Note: This technique will destroy only a percentage of eggs, and should not be used as the only means of control in areas of large grasshopper populations. Apply Sevin® brand carbaryl insecticide at the rate indicated on the product label.
Gypsy moth	Defoliation resulting in loss of vigor and slowed growth. Small holes chewed in leaves by young larvae. Older larvae skeletonize leaves. Tree may be entirely defoliated.	Destroy accessible egg masses before they hatch. Larvae crawling down trees at night will seek shelter beneath bands of burlap wrapped around the base of the tree. Examine the burlap each morning and destroy any larvae found there. Apply Sevin® brand carbaryl insecticide at the rate indicated on the product label.
Japanese beetle	Leaves are skeletonized by shiny green-metallic beetles with tiny tufts of white hair along each side of abdomen. Leaves may turn brown and die.	Vigorously shake small trees and shrubs early in the morning when beetles are sluggish. Place a plastic sheet on the ground so that fallen beetles can be captured and destroyed. Apply Sevin® brand carbaryl insecticide at the rate indicated on the product label.
Lacebug	Appearance of grayish adult bugs with broad, flat, transparent, lace-like wing covers. Found on the undersides of leaves, these adults leave behind specks of sticky, dark brown excrement called honeydew. Appearance of tiny, very dark nymphs that are covered with spines. These are found on the undersides of leaves. Affected leaves have tiny chlorotic (lightened, gray) spots on the upper surfaces and may fall from the trees.	Apply Sevin® brand carbaryl insecticide at the rate indicated on the product label.
Leafhopper	Tiny, wedge-shaped bugs which can be found feeding on the underside of leaves. These pests jump or fly when disturbed, and at times can be observed running sideways. Affected leaves wilt and have mottled, whitish, reddish or yellow appearance as a result of sap loss from insects feeding. Stems may also be affected.	Apply Sevin® brand carbaryl insecticide at the rate indicated on the product label.
Mealy bug	Mealybugs are sucking insects, weakening plants by sucking juices. Leaves appear discolored, wilted, spotted or yellowed. Like aphids (above), mealybugs secrete a honeydew that usually turns a blackish color as mold fungus forms. This sugary substance attracts ants.	Check vegetable plant leaves, including the under sides, regularly for Mealybugs when plants are growing rapidly. Symptoms of the honeydew or black sticky goo spots are the most common sign. Management of ants is also a key component of Mealybug control. Apply Sevin® brand carbaryl insecticide at the rate indicated on the product label.
Pine bark beetle	Pine needles color gradually change from green to deep reddish-brown, with the needles eventually falling off. Presence of pitch tubes, which are composed of pine resins that ooze out of the pests’ entry holes in the tree trunks. Boring dust (frass) in bark crevices and on the ground at the base of the tree. A few weeks after infestation, fungi carried by the beetles will often stain the wood beneath the bark a blue color.	Maintain healthy trees by ensuring that they have sufficient amounts of water and nutrients. Prune away injured or dead branches. Apply Sevin® brand carbaryl insecticide at the rate indicated on the product label. Application should be made to tree trunks from ground level upward until trunk diameter is less than 5 inches. Use 1 gallon of spray mixture per 50 square feet of bark.
Scale	The presence of circular or semi-circular pests on the undersides of leaves. Black or sooty material can be found on foliage, possibly with ants feeding on this material. These are piercing/sucking pests producing similar destruction to aphids (see above), but do not discharge honeydew.	Apply Sevin® brand carbaryl insecticide at the rate indicated on the product label.
Spittle bug	Insects are detected by a foamy, frothy substance that looks like spit or spittle oozing over leaves and in the crotches of stems. This spittle substance protects the immature nymphs. Mature spittlebugs are very active hopping and flying insects ranging in color from gray to brownish gray. Strawberrys, herbs, and pecans are especially attractive to spittlebugs.	Spittlebugs generally do minor damage to most plants, except in large numbers. Blasting the foamy spittle off plants with narrow spray from a nozzled water hose is an excellent non-evasive control of spittlebugs. If control problems persist apply Sevin® brand carbaryl insecticide at the rate indicated on the product label.
Spruce budworm	Branch tips have been stripped of needles. Severed needles — which turn brownish-red — are attached to branch tips by silken threads. When viewed from a distance, affected trees look as though they were scorched by fire. The tops of trees are generally affected first.	Apply Sevin® brand carbaryl insecticide at the rate indicated on the product label.
Tent caterpillar	The presence of large, silky white webs built in the crotches of tree branches during early spring. Branches may be stripped of leaves within several feet of webs. Dark, hairy caterpillars, each with a light colored, spotted stripe along its body. Small, shiny black egg masses encircling twigs during winter.	Chemically treat or remove webs on cool or rainy days, when caterpillars are most likely to be within. Effective insecticides such as Sevin® brand carbaryl may be applied either to web or foliage. Apply Sevin® brand carbaryl insecticide at the rate indicated on the product label.
Thrip	Tiny, brown, yellow, or black colored with bodies shaped like a grain of wheat or rice. Presence of tearing of leaf tissue. Damaged leaves look silvery or bronzy. Leaves may be spotted, speckled, or leaf growth may be stunted. Thrips usually hide on the underside of leaves or within flowers. Presence of small black spots of their excrement may be seen on leaves.	Infestation usually is at its peak during hot and dry periods. Apply Sevin® brand carbaryl insecticide at the rate indicated on the product label.
Tick	Ticks are most often found in tall grasses, weeds and other overgrown, wooded or bushy areas. To check for ticks: slowly drag a one-square-yard piece of white cloth across area. Drag cloth for 15 to 30 seconds then stop to examine for ticks.	Wear protective clothing such as long pants and socks. Apply insect repellents to shoes and socks. Apply Sevin® brand carbaryl insecticide at the rate indicated on the product label.
Whitefly	The presence of holes chewed into leaves. Excrement can usually be found in and around these holes.	Plow during the fall or spring to destroy overwintering pupae and thereby reduce the population emerging the following spring. Apply Sevin® brand carbaryl insecticide at the rate indicated on the product label.