Recognize and determine common plant pests

They leave grazing marks, droppings, saliva, eggs, nests and, at worst, a sight of devastation in pots or beds. By then, however, it is usually much too late. Being able to recognize an infestation with plant pests in good time and to identify them is anything but useless knowledge. Especially if you hate taking chemical mace against the pests. Who is eating there? From snails to aphids, each pest leaves its own traces.

An overview of the most common plant pests, their appearance, their habits and their traces help to initiate the right prevention and control strategies. Already the classification of the corresponding class and order in the animal or Insect world can give valuable hints for the resistance. Certain plants are susceptible to certain pests. There are plant pests that can hardly be seen with the naked eye. Then there is the vole, for example, which is relatively large and also extremely active, but hidden. A snail rarely gets to the palm tree and spider mites are up to mischief on spider plants and ficus far from the rough nature.

The main suspects by size:

• voles
• snails
• beetles/ larvae
• Fly
• lice
• mites

voles

The damage caused by voles can be significant. Some hobby gardeners only discover the damage when the plants die or the turf is completely destroyed. There are often doubts, was it moles or voles? It is important to make a distinction because while vole control is permitted, the mole is a protected species. Molehills may disturb the look of some people, while the mounds of voles are rather small and inconspicuous. However, the damage caused by the latter is far greater.

Look

Voles, also known as water voles, are somewhat similar to beavers. They have a rounded snout and, depending on the species, can grow up to 24 cm. Their fur is light brown to dark brown. But what's the use of the whole description, they do it in secret and you rarely see them. It is more important to identify them in good time based on their tracks and damage.

damage

Voles feed on succulent tubers, bulbs, rhizomes, and underground roots. The damage to the plants can only be clearly determined at a later stage. Identification signs of the vole are:

• The raised mounds of earth point in one direction (as opposed to a molehill). Often the burrows can be seen on the surface. Just dig up a pile to be sure. If the hole goes laterally along the surface, it is a vole.
• The damage caused by feeding on the plants themselves can only be seen later. They can easily be pulled out of the ground or simply die.

snails

A tiresome subject for every gardener, especially in rainy summers. The greatest damage is likely to be caused by the Spanish slugs, which attack young leaves in the garden in droves.

Look

The most common type of slug is the Spanish slug (Arion lusitanicus). It is so dangerous because we have plenty of food and hardly any natural enemies. The coloring of this snail of different lengths ranges from dark brown to light orange.

damage

This snail preys on almost anything fresh, young, and green. You can see the massive feeding damage immediately. In addition, they are usually caught red-handed.

Beetle

Most of the time it is the voracious larvae of the beetles that attack the plants. But some beetles are also after the fresh green. In addition to potato beetles and click beetles, it is mainly species from the weevil family that can cause considerable damage in the garden.

Vine weevil (Otiorhynchus)

The weevil is one of the weevils. Species of this beetle genus grow to around ten millimeters in size and are mostly black to brown in color with lighter spots on a rippled surface. They are nocturnal and cannot fly. They tamper with leaves, buds and young shoots with their jaws. Their distinguishing features are:

• U-shaped damage (buckle damage) on the leaf edges or needles
• Sudden wilting of parts or the whole plant

The larvae damage the roots of the plants with their food. It is therefore important to identify damage caused by the vine weevil early enough so that action can be taken to counteract it in the larval stage. The finished beetles hatch in May and June. Fighting the larvae in March or April is therefore most effective.

lice

Among the lice, the aphids (Aphidoidea) are among the most widespread plant pests.

aphids

Aphids are a nuisance to both indoor and outdoor plants. In the garden, with proper plant care, they often come across their natural enemies, such as ladybugs. But even with houseplants, if you examine them regularly, you can quickly identify and combat them by the following characteristics and damage:

• They are 1 to 5 millimeters in size
• Green, black or grey
• Sit tightly packed at the tips of the shoots and on the undersides of the leaves
• Sticky plant parts
• Rolled and curled leaves
• Black coating on the leaves

mites

Mites belong to the arachnid class. The smallest of them are just 0.5 millimeters in size. The red spider (Panonychus ulmi) is widespread and causes great damage to plants.

Spider Mites (Red Spider)

It is equally troublesome for indoor and outdoor plants. Especially when the plants grow under unfavorable conditions (over-fertilization, drought).
The spider mites are half a millimeter in size. Mostly reddish or brown-yellow. They tend to stick to the underside of leaves. The damage picture:

• Leaves yellow and wither
• Leaves with light speckles
• White threads on the leaves

white bow tie

The whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum) is mainly found in rooms and greenhouses. It belongs to the whitefly family (Aleyrodidae) and is therefore not a fly. This quickly becomes clear when you take a closer look at the tiny flying insects:

• they are approx. 1.5 millimeters in size
• Wings lie roof-like over the small yellowish body
• Wings are white with a span of 5 millimeters
• Hind legs strongly developed

The white fly sucks on the leaves. If you go near the infested plant, you will fly or jump up in all directions. An infestation of the plant can be recognized by:

• Yellowed, withered leaves
• Sticky plant parts
• Black mushroom topping

thrips

Thrips are also airborne and common crop pests. Thrips belong to the flying insects, to the order of thrips (Thysanoptera). In heated rooms, they enjoy sucking on the leaves of indoor plants and multiply rapidly. The thrips can be recognized by:

• elongated body up to 3 millimeters long
• sometimes with two pairs of wings (not very active in flight)
• black and white horizontal stripes on the wings
• Saw-like drill on the head

Due to their rapidly increasing population, they can be quite dangerous to indoor plants. To make matters worse, they are difficult to spot because they are usually well camouflaged in the recesses of the leaf structures. They suck the sap from the underside of the leaves. The damage picture:

• Leaves appear silvery due to many small white dots
• Black droppings on the undersides of the leaves
• Leaves dry up

Conclusion

The plant pests described here are so annoying and common mainly because they have not specialized in specific plants. Most like crisp roots or fresh greens, almost any plant. If you know what the most common pests look like and recognize their damage early on, you can usually ward off even greater damage to your plants. It is often worth taking a look at the order, class or family of the respective pests then, with this knowledge, disturb them sensitively in their reproduction and living habits can.

Learn more about plant pests