Symptoms: Caterpillars feed on foliage and fruit. Leave eaten spots on fruits. Defoliation. Crops: Tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants and peppers.
Control: Hand pick and drop in soapy water. Applying Bacilus thuringensis on plants. Attract beneficial insects to garden.
Aphids
Symptoms: Curled and yellow leaves. Stunted growth. Blackening on foliage.
Crops: All garden crops but mainly beans, peas, melons, cucumbers, squash and tomatoes.
Control: Spaying with water to knock off plant. Prune heavily infested foliage. Apply neem oil or horticultural soap.
Cutworm
Symptoms: Severed plants at soil line. Usually young plants in spring.
Crops: Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, potatoes, corn, peas, beans, carrots, lettuce and more.
Control: Tilling soil to disturb overwintering. Collect and destroy if possible. Collars around stems at soil line help.
Potato Beetle
Symptoms: Defoliates potatoes and other host. Crops: Potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and eggplants.
Control: Remove any eggs by hand. Pick bugs and drop and soapy water. Attract beneficial insects. Apply Bacillus thuringiensis.
Squash Bugs
Symptoms: Yellow spots on foliage. Wilting and withering vines. Black spots. Crops: Squash and pumpkins.
Control: Hand pick adults and eggs. Use trap boards in field, check under boards in morning and kill bugs. Remove squash plant once fruits are harvested.
Cabbage Looper
Symptoms: Holes in leaves mainly between the veins. Stunted plants.
Crops: Mostly brassicas: cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, kale and mustards.
Control: Remove and discard. Use floating row covers. Apply Bacillus thuringensis.
Cucumber Beetle
Symptoms: Scaring on fruits. Damage to leaves and flowers. Vine wilt and bacterial wilt disease. Crops: Cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, cantaloupe, gourds and melons.
Control: Fertilize plants in spring to increase good growth. Use cloth barriers to protect from infestation. Plant later in the season. Remove and destroy.
Squash Vine Borer
Symptoms: Fast wilting. Disrupts water and kills plant quickly. Damage to stem just above soil line.
Crops: Squash, zucchini, and pumpkins.
Control: Use row covers if possible. Wrap lower plant stems with foil to prevent damage. Remove and destroy. Turn soil a few times before next planting.
Corn Borer
Symptoms: Damage to inside corn primarily. Other plants damage is to the fruit. Crops: Corn, beans, pepper and potatoes.
Control: Destroy all corn stalks after harvest. Attract beneficial insects to area. Plant corn later in season helps.
