21
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Is this caterpillar-like insect a good guy or a bad guy?
It seems to be a garden centipede - they don't damage plants, they predate other creatures rather than plants. They like to hide in damp places during the day, they need moisture to survive, so ...
- 131k
15
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Are these bright orange bugs with beady black eyes ladybugs?
Looks like a red pumpkin beetle Aulacophora foveicollis
- 23k
13
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Why are my tomatoes cracking and what can I do?
Cracking tomatoes happens when the (almost) ripe fruit expands and the skin can't hold up any more. (A bit like stretch marks...)
There are a few causes that typically lead to different crack ...
- 16k
12
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How do I identify and control spider mites
How to check for spider mites.
Spider mites live on the underside of leaves, and are reddish brown or pale in color, oval-shaped, and very small.
Obvious signs of infection are white webbing, yellow ...
- 605
12
votes
Keeping rats from eating my plants
I'd be very surprised if its actually rats eating your plants - rats will eat almost anything, but plants would be the last thing on the list, unless its a fruiting vegetable plant such as corn. You ...
- 131k
11
votes
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Will growing Garlic in a garden keep insects away?
As far as I can tell, there is very little empirical data on garlic and mosquitoes. And all of the studies I have seen show mixed results for ingesting garlic or using garlic as a mosquito repellent. ...
- 9,444
10
votes
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Which spiders should I allow in my garden?
Most spiders are friends to your garden, they eat insects, likely including pests you want gone. I can think of one true spider that you might not want getting cozy in your garden. Meet the Brown ...
- 5,839
10
votes
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Caterpillars don't lay eggs so how is this happening?
A photo would be great, but maybe some of the caterpillars have fallen prey to a parasitic wasp and what you're seeing are the wasp larvae, see image below
https://www.wired.com/2014/10/absurd-...
- 131k
9
votes
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Foamy liquid on plant's stems with green larvae or bug inside - pest or no problem
These are Froghopper larvaes. Also, known as Splittlebugs.
Wikipedia also shows the adult which I, of course, have seen in my garden.
Best thing about it: They are harmless in small quantities. No ...
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9
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Which spiders should I allow in my garden?
Spiders in the garden are total GOOD GUYS. The amount of insects they control is wonderful!! They will not bother you! Now Tagenaria aggrestice or the Hobo Spider, Aggressive House Spider, Wolf ...
- 40k
9
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What is this bug on my adenium plant and what should I do?
Agreed, its an aphid infestation, specifically what's known as Oleander Aphid, which affects plants in the Apocynaceae family (which Adenium belongs to) as well as Asclepiadaceae - more info in the ...
- 131k
9
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Should I remove the tiny, cute, white and red bugs from my Umbrella plant (Variegated Schefflera)?
Your Pokemons are waxy scale, or coccidae. Your description in the comments above is spot on: another name is "tortoise scale".
The Florida wax scale (Ceroplastes floridensis) looks quite similar, ...
- 16k
8
votes
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How to 'clean' topsoil of weeds & pests before giving it to a friend
I would recommend just warning them and not treating the soil at all, unless they request a specific treatment when you ask, or unless they're in another state or you know your soil has particularly ...
- 17.7k
8
votes
Why are my tomatoes cracking and what can I do?
The cracks are a physical injury caused by the tomato plant going from too dry to wet too fast. When the plant goes through a sudden change like that the fruit goes from being short on water to ...
- 5,839
8
votes
How do I identify and control spider mites
There are so many species (and genera for that matter) of spider mites that one set of guidelines is likely not going to fit all of them. If you ask about a specific kind of spider mite, you might get ...
- 17.7k
8
votes
How can I get rid of fungus on my pepper plants?
There appears to be a long standing insect infestation, possiby whitefly (does anything rise up and fly about when you go near or disturb the plant?) or scale infestation of some sort. The leaves ...
- 131k
8
votes
Basil: Are these aphids, whiteflies or something else?
It's nice to see a post about potential infestation and being able to calm the poster:
These are adventitious root stubs, or in other words, tiny roots starting to form. There are a number of reasons ...
- 16k
8
votes
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Request for identification of insects on Brussels sprouts
Those „eggs” are not eggs, but cabbage aphids at different stages of maturity. They feed exclusively on brassicaceae, so other non-brassica plants nearby remain safe.
In dry summers they can cause ...
- 16k
7
votes
Why are my tomatoes cracking and what can I do?
Cracking in tomatoes is almost always caused by uneven watering. My guess is that the soil in the shady spot of your garden is able to retain water better, so the plants in the shade have more ...
- 9,444
7
votes
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What is this pest attacking a fig tree?
The brown dots are an advanced infestation of scale. This is not the fig scale which looks pinkish and has an unusual shape but a more common variety. This is a common pest and regardless of the ...
- 57.6k
7
votes
Mice eating sown grass seed
That is not so small an area. Four square meters ~= 43 Square feet
I would just sod this and have the job finished in a few hours. A typical sod roll measures 24" x 81" or 2 ft x 6.75 ft. Each roll ...
- 57.6k
7
votes
Treating Azaleas without harming Bees
Well, I wouldn't be using any of those, particularly not imidaproclid, and I don't keep bees - that substance has been or is about to be withdrawn in the EU for two to five years to see if it impacts ...
- 131k
7
votes
Could a wasp be hurting my apple tree?
Disclaimer: we haven't identified the wasps in question
Wasps are insectivores. If they are flyng back and forth between or around plants, they are on the hunt or scouting for food.
The wasps' ...
- 16k
7
votes
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How can I get rid of fungus on my pepper plants?
Your close up leaf images show an aphid infestation. In my experience, this is a highly persistent insect that infests chili plants amongst others with over 500 different types of Aphids specific to ...
- 23k
7
votes
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What pest is this and how do I treat it?
This is another case of "dog vomit slime mold", or Fuligo septica.
It pops up unannounced, often on wood chips (which I see isn't your case here), and spreads a little bit, but in sort of a limited ...
- 3,639
7
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What is afflicting this sick Bay Laurel (Laurus Nobilis) -- and how do I fix it?
You have a scale infestation.
I know I’ll get responses to this blog, that sympathetic gardeners will be recommending me a wide range of products and treatments to control scale insects: rubbing ...
- 23k
7
votes
How to get rid of worms in containers?
If the plants are outdoors some of the year or all of the year, then earthworms are inevitable, and are not undesirable. If these are plants he wants to keep indoors, then I suggest he decants them, ...
- 131k
7
votes
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What is this insect with a funny color pattern?
This is a stink bug, possibly Southern Green Stink Bug (Nezara viridula); for reference see Field Guide to Stink Bugs thumbnail Sec1:2 for photo close to this one. Since it is listed in this guide it ...
- 19.5k
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