Insects, Diseases & Pests of Annuals/Perennials Aphids - Order Homoptera; Family Aphidae, Piercing sucking mouth-parts and cornicles Winged/Non-winged, 30 day life span, birth to adult – 1 wk, 300 offspring, summer & winter lifecycles. Problems caused: honeydew, caste skins, yellowing, distortion, and virus transmission. Control: weed management, preventative chemicals of highly susceptible crops. Pesticides: Acephate, Pymetrozine & Imidacloprid. Aphid Biology -Soft bodied, Phloem feeders, Cornicles – tailpipes, Adults - winged or wingless, High reproduction potential

Beetles -Order Coleoptera, Complete Metamorphosis (Egg-Larva-Pupa-Adult), Feed on Foliage and Roots. Best Management is early applications of pesticides.

Flea Beetle - General: Chews holes in leaf of many vegetable crops and a few herbaceous ornamentals Preferred host plants: Alyssum, Cleome, Oenothera, Flw Kale/Cabbage. Early Application of pesticides in April thru mid June. Life history: Overwinter as adults in protected areas, adult stage is damaging stage. Control: Young tender plants are more susceptible. Best products include Carbaryl (Sevin), Conserve (Spinosad), Bifenthrin (Talstar), Acephate, Bifenthrin, Lambda-Cyhalothrin, and Imidacloprid.

Japanese Beetles- Very large host range; Aster, Cosmos, Canna, Dahlia, Digitalis, Echinacea, Hemerocallis, Heuchera, Hibiscus, Impatiens, and Zinnia. Also Ornamental Grass – overwinter and feed on roots. Biological control available-Milky spore fungus –larval control

Budworm, Tobacco- General info: The caterpillar causes the damage to flowering plants (Petunia, Nicotiana, and Geraniums). Burrowing into buds and damaging flowers before they emerge. Life history: The adult has a 1.5” wingspan (lt. brown to wide in color) lays eggs on flowers in the evening. Caterpillars feed on flower tissue, then pupate in soil. Typically, two generation a season, eggs laid normally mid-July and mid-August. Pupae maybe able to overwinter especially in protected areas. Control: Early detection is key, check for small holes in buds or flowers. Active feeding only occurs in the evenings, spray when holes aredetected or early July where past problems have occurred. Resistant to many pesticides- Best products include Bifenthrin (Talstar), Cyhalothrin (Scimitar) and Spinosad (Conserve) – these active ingredients are in many over-the-counter products.

Caterpillars -Order ; Complete Metamorphosis (Egg – larva 1st – 4th instars – pupa – adult) “Worms” – larval stage –nocturnal feeders. Feed on foliage, frass (fecal material). Parasitic wasps, pesticides targeted at early instars Tobacco Budworm- Two cycles a summer; Early July & Mid August. Preferred Host: Petunia, Geranium and Verbena. Persistent Pyrethroid needed:Cyhalothrin, Permethrin, Bifenthrin, & Spinosad. Other Common Caterpillars: Miller Moth, Army Cutworm & Sphinx Moth – Horn Worm.

Grasshoppers - Order Ornathoptera: Mowing and tilling open areas disrupts growth, Early pesticide applications are most effective, June: Carbaryl, Acephate, Diflubenzuron, Nolo Bait (Biological)

Spidermites - Class Arachnidae. General: Very large host range. Mites feed on surface of the leaf. Injury includes chlorotic spotting (flecking or stippling), discoloration and scorching, leading to leaf loss and general poor growth. Two-spotted spider mites cause the most common damage to flower, fruits and vegetables. Hot & Dry conditions are more preferable to mites. Mites use webbing to move around and help control the humidity. Life history: Egg to adults in a week! Females can lay 300 eggs in 2 weeks. Mites can overwinter as adults, typically change colors in colder weather a.k.a “Red Spiders”. Control: Water management is critical, drought stress makes problems worse. Occasional, squirting with high pressure water helps remove dust, dislodges mites, increase humidity and damages webbing. There are biological controls, predatory mites and other beetles can effective. Chemical controls often reduce natural enemies, mites are very quick to develop resistance. Best products include Abamectin (Avid), Hexythiazox (Hexygon),Tetrasan, Floramite, horticultural oils and insecticidal soaps.

Slugs and Snails - Phylum Mollusca; Class Gastropoda, General: Slugs feed on many herbaceous plants, damaging leaves and stems. They leave behind a slim mucus trail often not easy to find. Life histoy: Slugs are gastropods that feed at night and seek shelter in cracks. Typically, go through 2 generations a season. Egg masses year round. Control: Water management is the key, slugs need a lot of water and high humidity. Reduce humidity and/or moisture around crop. If overhead irrigation is used, water early to allow for dry foliage and soil in the evening. Slugs are attracted to fermenting materials which can be used as baits. Also, they avoid travelling over acid, metallic, alkali or abrasive materials- barriers of lime, copper, diatomaceous earth can be effective. Best products include Metaldehyde (Deadline) and Iron Phosphate (Sluggo) as well as ammonia spray directly to slug (evening sprays).

Rabbits & Deer – Problem reduction methods include; Barriers (fencing), & Repellants (Bobbex-R & Animal Stopers granules, Bloodmeal). Use plants that are less desirable- Annuals: Begonia, Dahlia, Dianthus, Diascia, California Poppies, Cleome, Dusty Miller, Geraniums, Impatiens, Marguerite Daisy, Nicotiana, Osteospermum, Rudbeckia, Salvia, Verbena, Statice, Zinnia, & Vinca. Perennials: Achillea, Ajuga, Anemone, Armeria, Artemisia, Athyrium, Aurinia, Cerastium, Chysanthemum, Clematis, Coreopsis, Delphinium, Dicentra, Digitalis, Dryoptera, Echinacea, Hedera, Hemerocallis, Hosta, Iris, Lavandula, Linum, Paeonia, Papaver, Penstemon, Phlox subulata, Polemonium, Ratibida, Rudbeckia, Salvia sp., Santolina, Saponaria, Sedum sp. Thymus sp. Vinca minor, & Zauchneria Fungi

Powdery Mildew - Lots of hosts, Spores are airborne. Symptoms include purpling of leaf, and white spores, patchy spots. Favored conditions - High Relative Humidity, NO water on leaf surface, Plant stress, extreme variation in Humidity, Dry Days & Cool Nights. Management -Lower the Relative Humidity with proper spacing, Avoid plant stress to include proper lighting & proper fertility. Fungicides- Prodiamine, Fenarimol, Azoxystrobin, & Coppers

Downy Mildew - Host specific, meaning Coleus get different fungi than Impatiens do not cross. The disease prefers high humidity and needs wet foliage through the night to sporulate temperatures from 59 to 73F are ideal. Avoid watering these areas late in the day. Spores move through the air and can overwinter in the ground, so planting that had problem last year need to be treated with fungicides or rotated into a different species. Environmental conditions are the largest factor in this disease. Systemic fungicide – Subdue Maxx, Heritage, Potassium phosphite

Botrytis - Diagnosis via presence of “signs”, Many hosts: 10 or 20 infections, Spores in air, likes to infect in wounds. Favored by High Relative Humidity, Temps < 60 F, Water on leaf surface for a minimum of 4 hours. Problem reduction methods; Increase air circulation, space plants farther apart, eliminate debris and standing water, avoid overhead watering, or water early in day. Fungicides: Chlorothalonil, Fenhexamid, Iprodione, Etridizole, Thiophanate-methyl

Pythium, Phytothora, Rhizoctonia, and Thieviopsis - Soil borne Pathogens (Water Molds-Fungi) Main causes are over watering & improper planting depth. Visual diagnostic; soft brown mushy roots, sloughing of root cortex, crown and lower stem rots. stem canker, vascular wilts. Management : Proper drainage and aeration of the soil, allow soil to dry between irrigations. Fungicides: Etridiazole, Metalaxyl, Thiadiazole

Bacterial

Leaf Spots, Vascular Wilts, Blights - Problem reduction; Remove symptomatic plants and debris (rogue), Improve air circulation/decrease relative humidity, Avoid overwatering and leaf wetness, remove or sterilize infected soils or plant non susceptible plants. Sprays of copper (often not effective-depending on disease)

Phytoplasma & Virus

Aster Yellows – phytoplasma like a bacteria and virus. Symptoms; bronzing foliage, distortion of new growth (including witches broom). Manage the - aster leafhopper. Pesticides: Carbaryl, Acephate, Bifenthrin, Lambda-Cyhalothrin, and Imidacloprid

Virus - Plants are mostly infected prior to planting. Obligate parasite, needs living tissue to survive. Rogue out infected plants. Manage the vectors. Pesticides for Vectors depends on vector- thrips, aphid, leafhopper, plantbugs.