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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Are cockroaches pests in the compost heap?

I dug up my compost pile last weekend. it is made of aerated concrete blocks, just layed in a square, no cement. located on the rooftop of our 4 stories building, located in Hong Kong. Beside the worms, BSF larvae, flies and other insects, I saw a…
Memes
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What birdseed can I use to attract native birds in Houston, TX, that won't attract squirrels?

I'd like to know what kind of bird seed would be good for the birds in the Houston area without attracting pests or creating a harmful environment for my garden. I've tried going to the local pet store, but they usually have very specialized bird…
ton.yeung
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What are these lines on tomato leaves?

I have planted some tomatoes in my garden. The plants have started showing white lines as shown in the picture. Is this some disease? If yes, What kind of disease is this? Is it safe to eat tomatoes from this plant?
Gardener
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What insects killed this red cabbage?

Watering the lettuces, I spotted a Red Cabbage head leaning sideways on the ground. On close inspection, here's what I saw: Three little worm-like bugs having a feast of the bottom of the stalk of this head of red cabbage. Their posse was crushed…
Charney Kaye
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What are these pests on my Cussonia Bonsai?

My Cussonia bonsai suffers from these pests which I cannot recognize. I cleaned the leaves with a 90% alcohol solution, but they keep coming back, although I don't know if those are new pests or just eggs that are hatching. Could you please help me…
user1895
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What should I do about squiggly white lines on my artichoke leaves?

I have an artichoke planted in a raised bed in southern California, USA. The new leaves at the core look healthy and happy, but the biggest, oldest, outermost leaves develop white squiggly lines. At first it's just a few, but eventually the leaf…
Robert
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Dealing with mealy bug infestation on jades

I have a couple of jade and dwarf jades on my windowsill, and I think they've been infested with mealy bugs - I had an infestation about a year ago, on a different plant, and I think it spread to the jades. The mealy bugs have spread to a couple of…
Eyal
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What kind of spider is covering my olive trees in these Halloween style webs?

These extreme webs have appeared over many of my young olive trees. They are pretty all engulfing and I can’t see any spiders. Last spring I saw a bush that had some kind of moth caterpillar population living in it and they’d created the most…
Nicola
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Is this a pest? How can I get rid of it?

I found these bugs on my Kalanchoe plant this morning. I might have overwatered it for a while so that may be the reason why they appeared. They're tiny and green in colour, though there are some that look like little fruit flies. I'm not exactly…
user33807
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Monstera Thai - Is it rust fungus? Thrips? Me being a hypochondriac?

I got this beauty about 2 weeks ago and ever since she came home she has had those bumps under 3 of her leaves. This is the leaf that is the most affected. I have been googling day in and night and I cant figure out if its rust fungus, thrips or…
user624631
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Aphids on my houseplants

I think I have black bugs on my plant since last year and I worked on it for months and then I thought I killed it. I used soapy water and when it did not work I used pesticide. It almost killed my plant but somehow I recovered it. This year, they…
Eva
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Hive of bees / wasps nesting inside pine tree

I have a pine tree growing next to the main door of my house. There is a hive of stinging insects (bees / wasps) nesting inside the pine needles, I am considering whether to leave them alone or to get rid of them using a wasp spray. A family member…
Jason
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How to make a fake scare owl, and do different animals respond to different abstractions?

I would like to keep squirrels off of my peach tree. They have gotten over half of the peaches already. Is there a way to make a home-made scare owl? I have found a few resources on-line, but they vary in complexity, from simply hanging old cd's to…
David LeBauer
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Dead flies around my Sansevieria

I have what I think is a Sansevieria trifasciata for about 3 months. It has been always in my room and this week I moved to a different apartment. Since I moved in to this new room, I've been finding every day some dozens of dead small flies on the…
pn_
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Rats! There are rats destroying my pumpkins!

I have a plot in a community garden, and this past summer I planted New England pie pumpkins. They did VERY well (I had close to 20 fruits on 4 vines), but just before I harvested them some rats moved into the garden and destroyed them. The method…
KMerkens
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