Questions tagged [pests]

For questions about garden pests such as insects, birds and mammals.

In horticulture, the word "pests" is usually used for macroscopic animals, although smaller organisms (e.g. bacteria, fungi, viruses, nematodes) could be considered pests, as well as invasive plants (e.g. vines and parasitic plants).

Macroscopic animal pests are dominated by insects and mammals, although other arthropods, reptiles, and birds could all be pests.

All of these groups primarily contain beneficial or neutral organisms, so generally control methods should be limited and in the form of deterrents rather than chemical poisons.

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Height of deer fencing

I live on the Washington coast in an area with a large population of quite tame deer. There is a 6 foot wooden fence along once side of my back yard. The deer have never jumped over this fence, but they can easily go around. Along this fence I…
Anne
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What are these brown ladybug-like bugs with yellow and white spots on the back side?

They are about half the size of a ladybug, I found them on my runner beans. Location: London, England, UK
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Ants visiting Opuntia

My (elderly) Opuntia gets regular visits from a few ants, which apparently like to draw liquid where its cactus spines emerge. For this relationship between species, do we know whether it is a parasitic or perhaps a symbiotic one?
Drux
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What animal is digging at my pepper plants and what can I do to prevent it?

Some animal has been digging at the ground around my pepper plants. The rest of my garden is fine, including my tomatoes. This is a regularly occurring problem, every two days or so. What animal could be responsible for this? I've seen a skunk,…
Brad Koch
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Pest identification: white worm/larva?

I’m at my wit’s end. I have a cyclamen that I’ve had about two years now. I keep it next to a spider plant and some succulents—all containered, all indoors. About six months ago I discovered these incredibly tiny white worms/larvae on the stems of…
Portia
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Small white egg-like sacs with orchid

I’ve just noticed small white egg-like sacs on the bark of the branch that I use to grow my tongue orchid Dockrillia linguiformis. In fact the sacs are not solid white but appear to be translucent. The timber substrate I use is Australian swamp…
andrewbuilder
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What is this growing on my plants and how do I treat it?

What is growing on my plants and how do I treat it? See details on this photo:
Mel Baker
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What are the little bugs at my foundation?

The north side of my house is in the shade of some big spruces, and we're in a valley, so the area that they come from is quite shaded. They are little red ant-like insects that I never see until they swarm. A couple times a year they come above…
J. Musser
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Nursing my green buttonwood back to health

What is eating my green buttonwood? I have included pictures below to show what I mean. I have seen what appears to be tiny black dots on the tree, but I haven't been able to get a great photo of them. What can I do to get my tree back to good…
Ryan Gates
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How to get rid of worms in containers?

A friend of mine is growing several plants in containers. A couple of months ago he noticed some worms in some of his containers. He can't recall any obvious reason why that happened. But he really dislikes the worms. He says the worst situation is…
VividD
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Help identify an insect on a cactus

I found this insect on my Echinopsis sp. It sort of looks like a tick, but what would a tick be doing on a cactus? What is it, and is it harmful?
Armen Tsirunyan
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What is afflicting this sick Bay Laurel (Laurus Nobilis) -- and how do I fix it?

I brought in my bay laurel (aka sweet bay, laurus nobilis) to clean it, and noticed an infestation of tiny "bug sacks" underneath the leaves, along the veins. What are they? I don't see any actual insects crawling around, (with my bare eyes). I can…
init_js
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Are these mealybugs and how do I treat them?

My basil is infested with pests, and from this earlier question I think they might be mealybugs. How should I treat it? I have previously sprayed it with Natrasoap (Potassium salts of fatty acids), but it didn't seem to have any much effect. Just…
curiousdannii
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Small parasite wasps around the soil

Recently i detect many small black parasite wasps (not talking about Fungus Gnats) They are flying smoothly and searching the surface of the soil (around the indoor pots). I don't know if they are helpful or harmful ? Also I want to know name of…
payam_sbr
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What is this small white pest on the leaves of my office plant called?

I'm an office worker in IT and have just enough knowledge of flora to know that these office plants are probably not healthy, but I have no clue what this is or what should be done with it. I would appreciate any pointers, and I assume both plants…
zovits
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