Aphid – Aphids come in a variety of colors and are small, pear-shaped, and soft-bodied, these slow-moving sucking insects usually congregate in clusters. They’re sitting ducks for many natural enemies-but nonetheless, they prosper, thanks to their prolific reproduction. The many species come in a wide range of colors; usually wingless, they’re equipped with two tubes, called cornicles, at the posterior end.

Symptoms: Juices are sucked from tender growth, causing wilting or malformations. Honeydew—the undigested plant sap that aphids excrete—attracts ants and fosters sooty mold. Some aphids transmit viruses.

Control: Bonide® All Seasons Dormant Oil Spray, (N) Bonide® Citrus, Fruit & Nut Orchard Spray, Bonide® Fruit Tree Spray, (N) Bonide® Insecticidal Soap, Bonide® Neem Oil, GardenTech® Sevin Concentrate Bug Killer

Can Infest: Apple, Apricot, Blackberry, Blueberry, Cherry, Nectarine, Peach, Pear, Plum, Raspberry

Apple Maggot – Adults are similar in appearance to a housefly, but smaller. Larvae are yellowish-white grubs.

Symptoms: Small, pinpoint-sting marks on fruit surface. Eggs are laid under the fruit skin. Hatched larvae tunnel, making railroad-like mining patterns.

Control: (N) Bonide® Citrus, Fruit & Nut Orchard Spray, Bonide® Fruit Tree Spray, GardenTech® Sevin Concentrate Bug Killer

Can Infest: Apple

*Photo credit: University of Minnesota

Blueberry Maggot – Adults are similar to a Cherry Fruit Fly or Apple Maggot.

Symptoms: The larvae will tunnel and lay their eggs in the fruit, usually ripened fruit.

Control: Bayer Advanced™ Complete Insect Killer, (N) Bonide® Captain Jack’s™ Deadbug Brew, (N) Bonide® Citrus Fruit & Nut Orchard Spray, GardenTech® Sevin Concentrate Bug Killer

Can Infest: Blueberry

Photo credit: University of Wisconsin

Borer (Cherry Trees) – Adults are small brown beetles. Grubs have horseshoe-shaped heads and cream-colored bodies.

Symptoms: Sap leaking from round holes in the trunk or crotch of tree. Grubs tunnel through the trunks, eventually killing the tree. Larvae tunnel through the tree’s vascular tissue.

Control: Use a thin wire to penetrate the holes and kill the grubs. Smear Tanglefoot on logs to lure adults, remove and burn.  GardenTech® Sevin Concentrate Bug Killer

Can Infest: Cherry

Borer, Cane – Adult is long antennae beetle with a black head and yellowish orange body about ½” long. Larvae are grub-like and about ¾” long. Adult females lay eggs in the top 6” of raspberry canes.

Symptoms: Sawdust from larvae. Canes may bulge and die back when infested.

Control: Cut out infected cane until you find the larvae. (N) Bonide® Captain Jack’s™ Deadbug Brew, (N) Bonide® Citrus Fruit & Nut Orchard Spray, GardenTech® Sevin Concentrate Bug Killer

Can Infest: Raspberry

Photo credit: Bugwood

Borer, Stem – Worms with brown heads and cream-colored bodies.

Symptoms: Wilted tips on plants. Tips break easily and are hollow.

Control: Prune back branch until no longer hollow. BURN everything that is pruned.

Can Infest: Blueberry

Borer, Trunk – Worms with brown heads and cream-colored bodies.

Symptoms: A thick, gummy substance will appear leaking from round holes in the trunk area. Use a fine wire to mash or dig them out.

Control: Bayer Advanced™ Complete Insect Killer, (N) Bonide® Captain Jack’s™ Deadbug Brew, GardenTech® Sevin Concentrate Bug Killer

Borer, Branch/Twig – Adults are dark brown beetles with a cylindrical shape. Males have white bodies, C-shaped with a brown head. Larvae grubs are brown in color.

Symptoms: In spring, limb & shoot dieback. Later entering fruit in growing season. Males excavate tunnels where larvae spend up to 10 months. Adults burrow into canes through the base of the bud or into the crotch between the shoot and spur in grape vines.

Control: Bayer Advanced™ Complete Insect Killer, (N) Bonide® Captain Jack’s™ Deadbug Brew, GardenTech® Sevin Concentrate Bug Killer

Can Infest: Apricot, Grape Vines, Nectarine, Peach, Plum

Photo credit: University of California IPM

Bud Moth – Adult female moth is around 1/2” long, male is slightly smaller. Color is from mottled gray to brown. Full grown larvae are around ¾” long. Pupae are brown and are about 3/8” long.

Symptoms: Feeding occurs along the leaf midrib and fruit. Shelters are created by rolling leaves and tying leaves to other leaves or fruit. The damage looks like tiny holes, irregular scarring, and rot – found around the stem. Rot or corking occur after the larvae finish feeding and have pupated.

Control: (N) Bonide® All Seasons® Dormant Oil Spray, (N) Bonide® Captain Jack’s Deadbug Brew, Bonide® Fruit Tree Spray, (N) Bonide® Thuricide BT

Can Infest: Apple

Photo credit: Penn State Extension

Cherry Fruit Fly – Adults are similar to, but a little bit smaller than, a housefly. Larvae are yellowish-white grubs.

Symptoms: Small pinpoint sting marks on the fruit surface. Eggs are laid underneath the fruit skin and dig railroad like mining tunnels when hatched.

Control: (N) Bonide® Captain Jack’s™ Deadbug Brew, (N) Bonide® Citrus Fruit & Nut Orchard Spray, Bonide® Fruit Tree Spray

Can Infect: Cherry, Plum

Photo credit: Michigan State EDU

Codling Moth – Adult is gray with brown patches on the wings. Worms are about 1” long.

Symptoms: Fruits will have holes that run from the side to the core.

Control: Bayer Advanced™ Complete Insect Killer,

(N) Bonide® All Seasons® Dormant Oil Spray, (N) Bonide Bon-Neem, (N) Bonide® Captain Jack’s™ Deadbug Brew, Bonide® Eight®, Bonide® Fruit Tree Spray, (N) Bonide® Insecticidal Soap

Can Infect: Apple, Pear

Fall Webworm – About an inch long, this leaf-feeding pest is a long-haired, pale green or yellow caterpillar with a black stripe down its back. It feeds from inside the silken, web-like nests it builds at branch tips.

Symptoms: Leaves are chewed; individual branches and sometimes entire plants are defoliated. Plants are covered with dirty white webbing.

Control: Can remove webs with caterpillars manually with a rake and then burn, (N) Bonide® All Seasons® Dormant Oil Spray, (N) Bonide Bon-Neem, (N) Bonide Captain Jack’s™ Deadbug Brew, Bonide® Eight.

Can Infect: Peach

Flatheaded Apple Tree Borer – Adults are small brown beetles. Grubs have horseshoe-shaped heads with cream-colored bodies.

Symptoms: A thick sap leaking from round holes on the trunk or crotch of the tree. The eggs hatch into grubs and they tunnel through the tree’s vascular tissue, eventually killing the tree.

Control: You can use a fine wire to pierce or dig the grubs out, GardenTech® Sevin Concentrate Bug Killer

Can Infest: Apple

Photo credit: Nebraska Forest Service

Fruitworm (Raspberry Beetle) – Adult is a reddish-brown beetle, ¼” long, that overwinters in the soil and emerges in spring. Larvae are small creamy-white grubs with darker bands.

Symptoms: Adults make slits in the flower buds and larvae feed on the berries. Beetles feed on foliage and lay eggs in the flower buds/blossoms. Fruitworm larvae feed inside the fruit until it drops and then move into the soil.

Control: (N) Bonide® Captain Jack’s™ Deadbug Brew, (N) Bonide® Thuricide BT, GardenTech® Sevin Concentrate Bug Killer

Can Infest: Raspberry

Photo credit: Washington State University

Grape Berry Moth – Adult is small (about 6mm long) and brown in color. Eggs are laid single file on buds, stems and berries. Newly hatched larvae (grubs) are creamy white with a dark brown head that becomes greenish and then purple.

Symptoms: The larvae fees on stems, buds and berries and often inside protective webbings.

Control: Bayer Advanced™ Complete Insect Killer, (N) Bonide® Captain Jack’s™ Deadbug Brew, Bonide® Fruit Tree Spray, GardenTech® Sevin Concentrate Bug Killer

Can Infest: Grape Vines

Photo credit: Michigan State University

Grape Bud Beetle – Adults are about ¼” long and light gray. Larvae stay in the soil until adults emerge om mid-January to mid-March.

Symptoms: Adults feed on the opening buds by eating the centers out.

Control: Contact your County Extension Office

Can Infest: Grape Vines

Photo credit: University of California

Grape Cutworms – These caterpillars are dull-colored with random markings in various species. They can vary between ½” and 2” in length.

Symptoms: Feed on grapevines from bud swell until the shoots are several inches long. The injured buds may not develop vines or clusters. Generally, not a significant amount of damage.

Control: Bayer Advanced™ Complete Insect Killer, GardenTech® Sevin Concentrate Bug Killer

Can Infest: Grape Vines

Photo credit: Cornell University

Grape Flea Beetle – Flea beetles are only about 1/10” long with shiny blue purple to blue green coloring and large hind legs for jumping.

Symptoms: Adult beetles feed on primary buds. Larvae feed on leaves.

Control: Removing leaf debris around the grapevines will help eliminate overwintering pest sites, Bonide® Fruit Tree Spray

Can Infest: Grape Vines

Photo credit: University of Georgia

Grape Leadcable Borer – (NOT A COMMON PEST) Adult is cylindrical black beetle, ¼” long. Larvae are 1/3” long and cream colored with a dark head. The larvae are C-shaped and can usually be found in tunnels on the vine where they feed.

Symptoms: Larvae tunnel and feed on the vines.

Control: Prune all damaged and dead wood and remove.

Can Infest: Grape Vines

Photo credit: Britannica

Grape Leafhopper – Adult is pale yellow with dark brown and red markings. Usually found in the spring on vines and weeds. In April and May, it lays eggs in the tissue of leaves that look like bumps. When they emerge, they are almost transparent but later become white. Grape vines can tolerate high amounts of leafhoppers.

Symptoms: Pale white stippling on leaves. When pest population is high, there can be a loss of leaf efficiency and leaf drop.

Controls: Natural predators such as ladybugs and lacewings. Remove weeds in spring, Bayer Advanced™ Complete Insect Killer, (N) Bonide® Citrus Fruit & Nut Orchard Spray, Bonide® Fruit Tree Spray, (N) Bonide® Insecticidal Soap, GardenTech® Sevin Concentrate Bug Killer

Can Infest: Grape Vines

Photo credit: University of Georgia

Grape Leafroller – This leafroller overwinters as pupae until emerging in April as moths. They lay single eggs on the upper or lower leaf surfaces. Once they hatch, they will feed for about 2 weeks between two webbed leaves. Then each larva rolls a leaf edge and feeds from the inside on the leaf edge. Later, the mature larvae construct a separate leaf envelope where it will pupate.

Symptoms: Not much damage from early generations, but generations later in the summer can cause severe damage by complete defoliation to sunburned or soft fruit.

Controls: Bayer Advanced™ Complete Insect Killer, (N) Bonide® Captain Jack’s™ Deadbug Brew, (N) Bonide® Thuricide BT, GardenTech® Sevin Concentrate Bug Killer

Can Infest: Grape Vines

Grape Mealybugs – Adults are about ¼” long and flat with a waxy white coating. Yellowish orange eggs are laid within an egg sac. Crawlers are yellow to brown. It overwinters as an egg or young in a white egg sac under loose bark or in branch crotches, usually on the north side of the vine.

Symptoms: The bugs do not damage the vine, however, can be contaminated by fruit clusters and any stage of the pest’s life including leftover honeydew. These can promote black sooty mold.

Controls: Bayer Advanced™ Complete Insect Killer, (N) Bonide® All Seasons® Dormant Oil Spray, (N) Bonide® Citrus Fruit & Nut Orchard Spray, Bonide® Fruit Tree Spray, (N) Bonide® Insecticidal Soap

Can Infest: Grape Vines

Grape Phylloxera – Adults are wingless females, oval, less than ½” long and can range in color from yellow to brown to orange. Eggs are oval and yellow. The nymphs overwinter on the roots.

Symptoms: Damage starts on the roots, which will swell and turn yellowish. Dead spots start to develop at the feeding sites, where if there are a lot, will stunt the vine and cause a loss in production.

Control: Plant resistant rootstock. Consult with your County Extension Office

Can Infest: Grape Vines

Photo credit: University of Georgia

Grape Thrips – Small insects that are less than ½” long with feathery wings, yellowish brown in color.

Symptoms: Can cause scarring damage to the fruit if eggs are laid soon after bloom. In summer they feed on new vegetative growth and damage summer foliage. (NOT USUALLY A PROBLEM)

Controls: Avoid mowing cover crops infested with thrips before they bloom, or they may move and infest vines, (N) Bonide® Captain Jack’s™ Deadbug Brew, (N) Bonide® Citrus Fruit & Nut Orchard Spray, (N) Bonide® Insecticidal Soap

Can Infest: Grape Vines

Photo credit: University of Georgia

Grape Vinegar Fly – Adults are small, yellowish flies that are attracted to all kinds of fermenting fruit. Larvae is ¼” long maggot shaped and is found in damaged fruit. Eggs are laid in exposed fruit and emerging larvae feed on the fruit.

Symptoms: Sour rot organisms are carried from bunch to bunch.

Control: Consult your local County Extension Office

Can Infest: Grape Vines

Green Fruitworm – Larvae are about 1” long, usually green or brown with white spots and body stripes. Moth is blueish gray.

Symptoms: Feed on young leaves and fruit, disfiguring the fruit.

Control: Bayer Advanced™ Complete Insect Killer, Bonide® Annual Tree & Shrub, Bonide® Eight, Bonide® Systemic Insect Control, (N) Bonide® Captain Jack’s™ Deadbug Brew

Can Infest: Pear, Plum         

Gypsy Moth – 2 inches long caterpillars marked with rows of blue and red spots; tufts of fine hairs protrude from their sides.

Symptoms: The caterpillar stage feeds on fruit and trees, including leaves.

Control: (N) Bonide® Bon-Neem, (N) Bonide® Captain Jack’s™ Deadbug Brew, Bonide® Eight, Bonide® Fruit Tree Spray

Can Infest: Apple, Pear     

Photo credit: Bonide

Japanese Beetle – 1/2 inch long, metallic green beetles with coppery wings. Larvae are a C-shaped cream-colored grub.

Symptoms: Leaves are skeletonized, and flowers and fruit are eaten (adults); brown patches of lawn roll up like carpet (larvae).

Control: Traps, Bayer Advanced™ Complete Insect Killer, Bonide® Annual Tree & Shrub, Bonide® Annual Grub Beater, (N) Bonide® Bon-Neem, (N) Bonide® Captain Jack’s™ Deadbug Brew, Bonide® Eight, Bonide® Fruit Tree Spray, (N) Bonide® Neem Oil

Can Infest: Apple, Apricot, Blackberry, Blueberry, Cherry, Grape Vine, Nectarine, Pear, Plum, Raspberry

Leafhopper – Both adults and nymphs, which look like wingless or short-winged adults, suck sap from leaf undersides. Some species favor just one kind of plant, while others enjoy a wide variety. Leaf hoppers run sideways when disturbed and, as the name implies, can leap from plants; the adults also fly. Although populations can burgeon, leaf hoppers aren’t present in large enough numbers to cause great harm.

Symptoms: Leaves are whitened and mottled; the edges may turn brown and curl upward, a condition called hopper-burn. Severe infestations may cause stunting or leaf drop. Leaf hoppers excrete honeydew, which attracts ants and fosters sooty mold. The pests also spread diseases as they feed.

Control: Bayer Advanced™ Complete Insect Killer, (N) Bonide® All Seasons® Dormant Oil Spray, Bonide® Annual Tree & Shrub, (N) Bonide® Citrus Fruit & Nut Orchard Spray, Bonide® Eight, (N) Bonide® Insecticidal Soap

Can Infest: Apple, Cherry, Pear, Plum

Leafroller – The name “leaf-roller” applies to the many species of caterpillars that roll leaves around themselves as they feed, creating a protective tube. Color and size vary with the species. Some leafrollers attack only one type of plant, while others eat numerous kinds. When disturbed, leafrollers wriggle backward and drop from the plant on a silken strand.

Symptoms: Leaves are rolled and webbed together where the pest will feed, eventually becoming skeletonized (holey).

Control: Bayer Advanced™ Complete Insect Killer, (N) Bonide® All Seasons® Dormant Oil Spray, (N) Bonide® Bon-Neem, (N) Bonide® Captain Jack’s™ Deadbug Brew, Bonide® Eight®, (N) Bonide® Insecticidal Soap, GardenTech® Sevin Concentrate Bug Killer

Can Infest: Apple, Apricot, Blackberry, Blueberry, Nectarine, Peach, Pear, Plum, Raspberry

Photo credit: Bonide

Lygus Bug – Small oval pests ranging in color from pale green to reddish brown or black.

Symptoms: Discolored & deformed shoots and stems, curling of leaves and lesions.

Control: Bonide® Annual Tree & Shrub, Bonide® Eight®, Bonide® Systemic Insect Control, (N) Bonide® Captain Jack’s™ Deadbug Brew

Can Infest: Blueberry, Peach

Photo credit: Wikipedia

Nematodes (Root-knot, Ring, Lesion, Dagger) – Microscopic worms that live in the soil and in plant tissue.

Symptoms: Stunted tree growth, leaves may show signs of yellowing.

Control: You can plant nematode un-friendly plants such as Marigolds near fruit tree, (N) Bonide® Neem Oil

Can Infest: Peach

Mealy bug – The name “mealybug” refers to the female insects’ powdery wax coating- a shield that prevents insecticides from penetrating. Colonies are often dense enough to make a cottony mound on leaves or, more typically, on stems.

Symptoms: Leaves are distorted and yellowed; growth is stunted. Honeydew excreted by mealybugs attracts ants and promotes sooty mold.

Control: (N) Bonide® All Seasons® Dormant Oil Spray, Bonide® Annual Tree & Shrub, (N) Bonide® Citrus Fruit & Nut Orchard Spray, Bonide® Eight, Bonide® Fruit Tree Spray, (N) Bonide® Insecticidal Soap, (N) Bonide® Neem Oil

Can Infest: Persimmon

Photo credit: Bonide

Mites – Pinpoint in size and comes in many colors. Found on the undersides of leaves.

Symptoms: Sap feeding causes bronzing of leaves. Severe infestations have some silken webbing.

Control: Bayer Advanced™ Complete Insect Killer, (N) Bonide® Bon-Neem, (N) Bonide® Citrus Fruit & Nut Orchard Spray, Bonide® Eight, (N) Bonide® Insecticidal Soap, Bonide® Fruit Tree Spray, (N) Bonide® Neem-Oil, GardenTech® Sevin Concentrate Bug Killer

Can Infest: Apple, Apricot, Blackberry, Blueberry, Cherry, Nectarine, Pear, Persimmon, Plum, Raspberry

Omnivorous Grape Leafroller – Adult is bell-shaped with a blackish gray snout-like mouth and rusty brown forewings with tan tips. Moths emerge in spring and lay egg masses on leaves where they hatch within 5 days. The larvae tie two leaves together to form a nest where they feed. They do not actually roll the leaves. Later, nests can be found in flower clusters.

Symptoms: Larvae feed in enclosed leaves.

Controls: Keep weeds cleaned up nearby. Bayer Advanced™ Complete Insect Killer, (N) Bonide® Captain Jack’s™ Deadbug Brew, (N) Bonide® Thuricide BT, GardenTech® Sevin Concentrate Bug Killer

Can Infest: Grape Vines

Photo credit: University of California

Orange Tortrix – Adult is bell-shaped about ½” long, orange and has a dark V-shaped marking mid wing. Caterpillars are straw-colored with brown head and are very active. When the insect is disturbed it will wiggle sideways or backwards and either drop to the ground or hang by a thread.

Symptoms: Overwintering larvae feed on vines, weeds and grape mummies left on the vine. In spring, it feeds on buds, canes, and webbed leaves, then enter bunches and make a nest of webbing among the fruit.

Control: Clean up weeds and dried grape clusters in fall and harvest fruit as soon as possible. Bayer Advanced™ Complete Insect Killer

Can Infest: Grape Vines

Photo credit: Washington State University

Oriental Fruit Moth – Gray moth about ½” long. Larvae are white with a brown head, ½” long.

Symptoms: Larvae burrow into fruit and twigs.

Control: Bayer Advanced™ Complete Insect Killer

Can Infest: Apricot, Nectarine, Peach, Plum

Pear Psylla – Adult is a transparent, yellowish brown, 1/8” long jumping winged insect. Immatures have no wings.

Symptoms: Leaves turn yellow, curl up, and eventually die; fruit is scarred. Liquid honeydew excreted by pear and blue gum psyllids attracts ants and encourages sooty mold. Many types of psyllids transmit viruses.

Control: Bayer Advanced™ Complete Insect Killer, (N) Bonide® All Seasons® Dormant Oil Spray, Bonide® Annual Tree & Shrub, (N) Bonide® Citrus Fruit & Nut Orchard Spray, Bonide® Eight, (N) Bonide® Insecticidal Soap, (N) Bonide® Neem-Oil

Can Infest: Pear

Photo credit: Washington State University

Persimmon psyllid – Tiny, aphid-like pest that feeds on leaves.

Symptoms: Rolled and curled leaves, generally cosmetic and damage isn’t too severe, although new growth may be deformed and stunted.

Control: (N) Bonide® All Seasons® Dormant Oil Spray in late winter/early spring before new growth appears

Can Infest: Persimmon

Photo credit: North Carolina University

Persimmon Trunk Borer – Flat, metallic-colored beetles that lay their eggs in the cracks near wounds in the bark of injured trees, where the larvae hatch and begin boring.

Symptoms: Sawdust-like excrement that flatheaded borer larvae eject from their tunnels, which may leak sap onto the tree’s bark. Infested trees often have wilted foliage and branches may die, depending on the severity of the infestation.

Control: Use a thin wire to penetrate the holes and kill the larvae, Bonide® Annual Tree & Shrub, Bonide® Eight®, Bonide® Systemic Insect Control, (N) Bonide® Captain Jack’s™ Deadbug Brew

Can Infest: Persimmon

Photo credit: USDA Forest Service

Plum Curculio – Adult is a 1/5” long, brownish-gray hard-shelled beetle with a long snout and four humps on its back.

Symptoms: Premature dropping of fruit. Adults cut a crescent shaped hole under the fruit skin and lay eggs. The worms hatch and tunnel into the fruit.

Control: Clean up area after harvest, Bayer Advanced™ Complete Insect Killer, Bonide® Eight, Bonide® Fruit Tree Spray

Can Infest: Apple, Apricot, Nectarine, Peach, Pear, Plum

Photo credit: Bonide

Red Bug – Insects are small and red with a brownish mid-section and black legs.

Symptoms: Small holes in leaves and developing fruit.

Control: Bonide® Fruit Tree Spray (Timing is important – just after petal drop)

Can Infest: Apple

Photo credit: Michigan State University

Red Humped Caterpillar – Adults can be up to 1 ½” long and have a deep red hump on its back, red head and red stripes along the body. They form cocoons in the plant liter on the ground, where grayish-brown moths emerge. Eggs are laid on the underside of leaves.

Symptoms: Bite sized cutouts on leaves.

Control: (N) Bonide® Thuricide BT

Can Infest: Nectarine

Photo credit: University of California

Rose Chafer – Beetle with ½” long tan wings with reddish-brown edges and long, thin hairy legs.

Symptoms: Skeletonizes leaves and flowers.

Control: Bayer Advanced™ Complete Insect Killer, (N) Bonide® Bon-Neem, Bonide® Eight, Bonide® Fruit Tree Spray

Can Infest: Blackberry, Nectarine, Pear, Plum, Raspberry

Sawfly (Fruitworm) – Unlike their bee and wasp relatives, sawflies are plant eaters, named for the way females use their egg-laying organs to saw slits in plants. Adult sawflies look like wasps, but they don’t have a constricted waist, nor do they sting. They don’t feed on plants, it’s the larvae that do the damage. Larvae of the “slug” type do look like little slugs, complete with slime coating; other types resemble multi-legged caterpillars.

Symptoms: Larvae feed on leaves and spin cocoon when grown. Developing fruit is tunneled. Foliage is skeletonized—young leaves first, then older ones.

Control: (N) Bonide® All Seasons® Dormant Oil Spray for on eggs, Bonide® Annual Tree & Shrub, (N) Bonide® Bon-Neem, Bonide® Eight, (N) Bonide® Captain Jack’s™ Deadbug Brew

Can Infest: Blackberry, Blueberry, Raspberry

Photo credit: Bonide

Scale – Varying in size, shape, and color, the many species of these aphid cousins look like bumps on bark, leaves, and fruit. All are equipped with an insecticide-resistant coat, a leathery or waxy material in the case of soft scales, a sturdier covering for armored scales. Young scales (called crawlers) move around the plant, but they settle down and become immobile as they mature.

Symptoms: The plant looks unsightly: it loses vigor and wilts, or new growth is distorted. Branches and even whole plants may die. Honeydew excreted by soft scales attracts ants and fosters the growth of sooty mold.

Control: Scrub scales off with a plastic scouring pad. Pesticides are most effective on crawler stage. Control ants which protect scales from natural enemies. (N) Bonide® All Seasons® Dormant Oil Spray, (N) Bonide® Bon-Neem, (N) Bonide® Citrus Fruit & Nut Orchard Spray, Bonide® Fruit Tree Spray, Bonide® Eight

Can Infest: Apricot, Cherry, Nectarine, Peach, Pear, Persimmon, Plum

Photo credit: Bonide

Spittlebugs – Adults are small (1/4”) winged insects. Young are small, green, and soft-bodied.

Symptoms: Adults suck on the sap, weaking the plants. They will surround themselves with a white substance that resembles spit. Frothy bubbles are a protective coating produced by the nymphs; the adults do not produce bubbles.

Control: Usually no harm is done. If infestation is small, it can be hosed off, (N) Bonide® Citrus Fruit & Nut Orchard Spray

Can Infest: Blueberry

Photo credit: Bonide

Tarnished Plant Bug – Plant Bugs (Tarnished, Four Lined, Scentless…) are extremely agile insect owes its name to its mottled brown coloring. A true bug, it has a shield-shaped body with a triangular arrangement of white spots on the thorax. The long-legged, adults have a black-tipped yellow triangle at the end of each fore-wing; the nymphs are pale yellow.

Symptoms: Shoots are blackened; plant parts are deformed. Both adults and nymphs suck sap from buds, fruits, and stems.

Control: (N) Bonide® Citrus Fruit & Nut Orchard Spray, Bonide® Eight, (N) Bonide® Insecticidal Soap,

Can Infest: Apple, Cherry, Nectarine, Peach, Pear, Plum

Photo credit: Bonide

Tent Caterpillar – Hairy caterpillars

Symptoms: Large areas of webbing on leaves.

Control: Remove with a rake and burn. (Caterpillars are removed with the web.) (N) Bonide® Citrus Fruit & Nut Orchard Spray, (N) Bonide® Thuricide BT

Can Infest: Apple, Apricot, Cherry, Nectarine, Peach, Pear

Photo credit: University of Kentucky

Thrips – Tiny, thin, fringed insects about 1/25” – 1/8” long. Adults are black or yellow brown. Nymphs are pale green and very active.

Symptoms: Puncture wounds on the plants.

Control: Dry plants are more likely to be attacked, so water adequately. Thrips hiding in plant parts are safe from contact pesticides, so use systemics when practical. Bonide® Annual Tree & Shrub, (N) Bonide® Citrus Fruit & Nut Orchard Spray, (N) Bonide® Insecticidal Soap

Can Infest: Apple, Apricot, Blackberry, Blueberry, Cherry, Peach, Pear, Persimmon, Plum, Raspberry

Photo credit: Missouri Botanical

Webspinning Spider Mites – There are several species of these mites and can range in color from amber to green to red to yellow.

Symptoms: Dead spots on leaves, leaf burning can occur.

Control: (N) Bonide® Citrus Fruit & Nut Orchard Spray, (N) Bonide® Insecticidal Soap

Can Infest: Grape Vines

Western Grapeleaf Skeletonizer – Adult is a metallic blue or greenish-black moth in early spring to June. It lays capsule-shaped eggs in clusters on the underside of the leaf. The larvae will feed here. Various larvae stages can range in color from cream to brown to yellow with two purple and several black bands. Watch for the tufts of black on its spine, as it is poisonous and can cause skin welts/rash. At maturity, the larvae crawl under loose bark or in ground litter and spin a cocoon to pupate. Larvae feed on the leaf surface leaving only veins and upper cuticle.

Symptoms: Whitish paper like appearance on leaves, skeletonized leaves.

Control: Bayer Advanced™ Complete Insect Killer, Bonide® Fruit Tree Spray, GardenTech® Sevin Concentrate Bug Killer

Can Infest: Grape Vines

Photo credit: University of California

Weevils – Adults are dark, hard-bodied with long snouts and antennae. Larvae are white grubs that live inside the plant tissue or underground.

Symptoms: Leaf, flower, and root damage.

Control: Bonide® Annual Tree & Shrub, Bonide® Eight® Insect Control, Bonide® Systemic Insect Control

Can Infest: Blueberry

Photo credit: Bonide

Whiteflies – Adults are tiny, winged insects usually found in the underside of leaves. Nymphs are white, flat ovals and larvae are the size of a pinhead.

Symptoms: Heavily infested plants lose vigor and may turn yellow, but the biggest problem is usually honeydew, which attracts ants and fosters sooty mold. Some adult whiteflies transmit viruses.

Control: Absolute control isn’t needed since plants can withstand moderate infestations. Use nitrogen fertilizers sparingly—the insects reproduce faster under high-nitrogen conditions. Pick off heavily infested leaves and destroy them. Control ants to keep them from protecting white flies from natural enemies.

Can Infest: Persimmon and many other plants.

Photo credit: Bonide