Garden Pest and Plant Disease Listing - WH

WHITEFLY: These tiny, white, moth-like insects infest many plants, congregating on the undersides of the leaves to suck out the juices and excrete sticky honeydew, which sooty mold and ants flourish on. These pests are especially prevalent in warm weather and in greenhouses. They will cause the plants to weaken and leaves to turn yellow. Whiteflies may be controlled with beneficial insects, such as the Encarsia Wasps (Encarsia formosa). This wasp kills the young nymphs, which blacken when they die. Other means of control include insecticidal soaps, horticultural oils, yellow sticky traps, row covers, botanical sprays, and traditional insecticides.

WHITE GRUBS: These C-shaped beetle larvae, which are mainly a problem in the eastern United States, damage roots. Avoid planting on beds recently made from lawn; sod can harbor grubs. Beneficial nematodes or bacteria that cause milky-spore disease can be effective in reducing grub populations, as is cover cropping with deep-rooted legumes, such as clover.

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