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Pest Detectives: Identifying and Dealing With Problem Insects Clues to help you track down the elusive aphid or sinister slug. From "Dirt On Gardening" episode DDOG-107

So what's eating your plants? If you're like most gardeners, you spend a fair amount of time each spring playing detective--trying to figure out what's chewing holes or causing yellow or brown spots on your favorite plants. Here are some clues you can use to help solve your garden mystery and tips for dealing with pest problems.

Exhibit A: The suspect in this crime is an earwig with a taste for rose bushes.

Exhibit B: Close examination of the leaves provides evidence of hungry snails.

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	Kristine Hanson investigates damage to plant leaves, stems and fruit to determine what pests may be present.
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Step 1: Locate the Suspect

Start by inspecting your plants closely. Look for the culprits under leaves and between plant stalks. Many pests stay on the plant at all times, and a close and thorough look will reveal the source of the problem. Other pests run or fly when disturbed, so you may need to "sneak up" on them. For instance, if you see a cloud of tiny, pale moth-like bodies fluttering above your plant, you may have a whitefly infestation. Some pests come out at night to feed, so you may need to check after dark using a flashlight. Snails and slugs, for example, tend to do much of their foraging in the cool and damp of of the evening.

Step 2: Identify the Suspect

Once you've found the pests, then next step is do identify whether you have the "chewing" or "sucking" variety. This is critical since the specific steps you take in controlling and treating for insect pests are determined by the particular types that are attacking your plants.

Slugs and snails are among the most common garden pests.

Varieties of Pest: Chewing Types

You likely have this type if your plants have leaves that are half-eaten--perhaps with foliage that looks like a "leaf skeleton." Chewing insects tend to eat on the leaf material between the veins. Distinct holes in the leaves also indicate the presence of chewing pests. Common chewing pests include:

• Snails and slugs are one of the most common garden pests. They typically start eating from the outer edge of leaf. They prefer to stay where it's dark and cool, so inspect the underside of leaves for snails, slugs or the tell-tale silvery trail of "slime" they leave behind.

• Earwigs, in their adult form, are the familiar "pinching" beetle. They eat both plant and animal matter and, in particular, are known to target Dahlias, Zinnias, marigolds, roses, lettuce and strawberries.

• Caterpillars, cutworms and hornworms are among the most damaging of the chewing pest variety. They may chew into the plant's stem at ground level. One indicator that you have caterpillars or cutworms is the waste they leave behind in the form of black or green pellets.

Inspect both sides of the leaves for pests making a home in your garden.

Varieties of Pest: Sucking Types

These types pierce the surface of the leaf or stem and suck nutrients out of the plant. Indicators of the sucking variety of pests include discolored, mottled, twisted or curled foliage. Common sucking pests include:

Whiteflies are a small white insect--not a true fly, but actually a relative of the aphid. They're frequently found on the undersides of leaves.

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RELATED PROJECTS: Giving Pests the Boot Fighting Diseases and Pests Pruning, Pests and Harvesting Diseases and Pests Diseases and Pests Controlling Weeds and Pests

ALSO IN THIS EPISODE:
	Pest Detectives: Identifying and Dealing With Problem Insects
	Tony Lord: The Avant Gardener
	Gardening Basics: Growing Fruit Trees