Pest Guide

Garden pest identification & organic control

Photo-based pest ID for common vegetable garden problems, with natural remedies and buyable treatments for each one.

Photograph of aphid — garden pest identification

Aphid

Aphidoidea spp.

Aphids are soft-bodied, pear-shaped insects (green, black, gray, or pink) that cluster on new growth and leaf undersides. They pierce plant tissue and suck sap, then excrete sticky 'honeydew' that grows sooty mold and draws ants.

Photograph of tomato hornworm — garden pest identification

Tomato hornworm

Manduca quinquemaculata

The tomato hornworm is a 3-4 inch bright-green caterpillar with white V-shaped stripes and a soft, curved 'horn' on the rear. Camouflaged perfectly against tomato foliage, one worm can strip a plant overnight.

Photograph of imported cabbage worm — garden pest identification

Imported cabbage worm

Pieris rapae

The velvety-green caterpillar of the small white butterfly you see fluttering over the garden. Blends with kale and cabbage leaves so well you often only see the damage.

Photograph of squash bug — garden pest identification

Squash bug

Anasa tristis

Flat-backed, gray-brown 5/8-inch bugs that congregate on squash and pumpkin. Nymphs are tiny and gray with black legs; egg clusters are bronze and laid in tidy rows on leaf undersides.

Photograph of squash vine borer — garden pest identification

Squash vine borer

Melittia cucurbitae

The adult is a stunning orange-and-black day-flying moth that looks like a wasp. Its larva tunnels inside squash stems — you rarely see the borer, only the sudden wilt of a healthy plant in mid-summer.

Photograph of cucumber beetle — garden pest identification

Cucumber beetle

Acalymma vittatum / Diabrotica undecimpunctata

A quarter-inch yellow beetle with black stripes (striped) or black spots (spotted) that swarms cucurbits. Worse than its feeding is the bacterial wilt it carries — a single infected beetle can doom a plant.

Photograph of colorado potato beetle — garden pest identification

Colorado potato beetle

Leptinotarsa decemlineata

A round, hard-shelled 3/8-inch beetle with 10 black stripes on yellow wing covers. Larvae are humpbacked, red-orange, and softly grotesque — and even more voracious than the adults.

Photograph of japanese beetle — garden pest identification

Japanese beetle

Popillia japonica

A metallic-green half-inch beetle with copper wing covers and small white tufts along the sides. Feeds in loud groups — hundreds can appear on a single plant on a hot summer morning.

Photograph of flea beetle — garden pest identification

Flea beetle

Chrysomelidae (Alticini)

Tiny (1/16 inch) shiny black or bronze beetles that jump like fleas when disturbed. Individually harmless-looking, but they arrive in swarms and can shred a seedling in days.

Photograph of slugs & snails — garden pest identification

Slugs & snails

Gastropoda spp.

Soft-bodied mollusks that feed at night in moist conditions. Slime trails on soil or leaves in the morning are the smoking gun. Prefer tender greens, seedlings, and fruit lying on the soil.

Photograph of spider mite — garden pest identification

Spider mite

Tetranychus urticae

Nearly invisible arachnids (not insects) that live on leaf undersides and spin fine webbing between stems. Thrive in hot, dry, dusty conditions and reproduce explosively in a week.

Photograph of whitefly — garden pest identification

Whitefly

Bemisia tabaci / Trialeurodes vaporariorum

Tiny (1/16 inch) triangular white moths that flutter up in clouds when you brush the plant. Both adults and nymphs feed on the underside of leaves and coat them in sticky honeydew.

Photograph of white-tailed deer — garden pest identification

White-tailed deer

Odocoileus virginianus

A 100-250 lb browser active dawn and dusk. A single doe can eat 5-7 lb of foliage a night and clip whole beds to stubs.

Photograph of cottontail rabbit — garden pest identification

Cottontail rabbit

Sylvilagus floridanus

A small, prolific grazer that clips seedlings and tender greens at ground level. A single doe raises 3-6 litters per year.

Photograph of groundhog (woodchuck) — garden pest identification

Groundhog (woodchuck)

Marmota monax

A 5-15 lb burrowing herbivore that can clear a full row of beans in a morning. Digs burrows with multiple entrances near garden edges and fence lines.

Photograph of squirrel — garden pest identification

Squirrel

Sciurus carolinensis / Sciurus niger

Agile climbers and diggers that steal fruit, bulbs, and tomatoes — often taking one bite before dropping the rest. Populations peak near mature trees.

Photograph of vole — garden pest identification

Vole

Microtus spp.

Small, mouse-sized rodents (not moles) that make 1-2 in surface runways through grass and mulch. They eat roots, tubers, and girdle young tree trunks under snow.

Photograph of raccoon — garden pest identification

Raccoon

Procyon lotor

Highly intelligent, dexterous nocturnal omnivore. Notorious for pulling down sweet corn the night before you plan to pick.

Photograph of chipmunk — garden pest identification

Chipmunk

Tamias striatus

Small striped ground squirrel that raids seedbeds for fresh-planted seed and steals ripe berries. Digs 1-inch entrance holes hidden under rocks and edging.

Photograph of pocket gopher — garden pest identification

Pocket gopher

Geomyidae (Thomomys spp.)

Subterranean rodent found across the western and central US. Pulls whole plants underground from below — a healthy plant vanishes stem-and-all in seconds.

Photograph of mole — garden pest identification

Mole

Scalopus aquaticus / Talpidae

Insectivorous burrower — not a true garden pest. Eats grubs and earthworms, does not eat plant roots. Damage is cosmetic (raised tunnels + volcano mounds) and incidental root disturbance.

Photograph of crow & other birds — garden pest identification

Crow & other birds

Corvus brachyrhynchos (crow), Turdus migratorius (robin), Sturnus vulgaris (starling)

Birds pull sprouting seedlings for the seed (corn especially), strip berries, and peck holes in tomatoes for moisture. Crows and starlings are the smartest and hardest to deter.