IMPORTED CABBAGEWORMS are pri marily pests of cabbage
fa m i ly plants but may a t times feed on other garden vegeta
bles, chewi ng holes in leaves.
They h i bernate as pupae and em erge as the fa m il i a r White C a b b a g e B u t t e r fl i e s . S e v e r a l broads a year i n warm c l i m ates.
CABBAGE LOOPERS, com m on throughout the U.S., feed on the u n d erside of the l eaves of cabbage and related pla nts.
They crawl with a d isti nctive l oo p i n g , o r m e a s u r i n g - wo r m , m o v e m e n t . C a b b a g e Loo p e r s wi nter as pupae attached t o the u n derside of a leaf a n d e m erge i n spring as brown moths. Usually there are two or more genera
tions a year.
D I AMONDBACK MOTH cater
pil lars eat s m a l l holes i n the leaves of cabbage and related pla nts. Though seldom a b u nda nt, there m ay be local outbreaks.
When d i sturbed, the worms wrig
g l e rapidly a n d d rop from the plant, h a n g i n g by a s i l ken thread. Adult moths w inter on the leaves of p l a n ts or i n debris.
SQUASH V I N E BORERS eat out the center of the ste m s of squash vines, cau s i n g them to wilt.
They also attock p u m p k i n s and, less com mon ly, cucum bers and musk melons. Squash Vine Bor
ers wi nter i n the soi l i n s i l k e n cocoons. The moths, active d u r ing the day, l o y their eggs a t the b o s e o f p lants, a n d the lar
vae burrow i nto the stems. Like other borers, these worms o re hard to control because they work inside stems. Presence con be detected by the excrement (fross) pushed from hole i n vine.
Wor m s should be cut out by a leng thwise slit. After crop har
vest, turn soil to expose the cocoons.
P I C K L E W O R M S b o r e i n t o squash, m u s k m e lons, and cu
cum bers, causing them to rot.
Full g rown after about two weeks of feed ing, the worm s rol l the edge of a leaf over them selves and s p i n a t h i n Ioyer of s i l k to form a p u pa. Some cocoons re
m a i n attached to the plant;
others drop to the g round.
Adults emerge i n about 10 days.
Pickleworm s reach a population peak late in the season ; there
fore, crops pla nted early ore dam aged least. Three or four generations ore prod uced in a season. The related Melonworm feeds mostly on fol iage. Both species ore abundant pests i n southern slates, a n d t h e Pickle
worm ranges as for north as Canada. To protect m e l o n s , squash o r e planted between t h e rows t o collect t h e worms, which prefer the squash to the melons.
pupa 1.0 in.
POTATO T U BERWORM BEET WEBWORM
WEBWORMS af several species are general feeders an garden
CELERY LEAF TIERS i n fest cel insecticides, which should not be u sed on edible ports of plants. either contact or stomach-poison insecticides. The caterpillars rol l into a b o l l w h e n distu rbed. I n
MAGGOTS ( l a rvae) of some fl ies bore into stem s o r roots . Oth ers, called leaf miners, feed on the tissues of leaves. The larvae pu pate i ',l. the soil, and the a d u lts lay their eggs on ste ms or leaves. Use contact i nsecti
cides to kill the a d ults, a n d stomach -poison i nsecticides for the mag gots. Do n ot apply poiso nous i nsecticides to pla nt parts that are to be eate n .
CABBAGE MAGGOTS ore pests in northern U.S., where they feed on the roots of ca bbage, turnips, radishes, broccoli, and s i m i l a r vegeta bles. I n fested plants w i l t and may d ie. Several gen era
tions ore produced in a year.
SPINACH LEAF MINERS i n fest beets, spinach, and other l eafy vegeta bles, causing yel lowish channels i n leaves.
CARROT RUST FLIES loy their eggs at the bose of p l a n ts, a n d the maggots work i nto the soil to feed on roots. Entire root sys
te m s of carrots, celery, pars n i ps, a n d related plants may be de
stroyed by these maggots.
ONION MAGGOTS, especially bod pests i n wet years, t u n n e l into onion b u l bs. T h e y are most abundant i n northern states.
MITES, more closely related to spiders a n d ticks than to i nsects, are major pests of plants a n d a lso of man ( p . 45) a n d his pets and domestic animals ( p p . 54-5 5) . Plant feed ers s u c k t h e s a p from leaves or te n d e r parts of stems, causing them to become d iscolore d . The i n j u ry wea kens a n d m ay kill youn g pla nts. Many s pecies s p i n , on the u n d ersurface o f leaves, a fi n e w e b conta i n i n g t h e i r e g g s a n d s h e d skins. Mites a r e m o s t d a m a g i n g i n h ot, d ry weather, w h e n a l ife cycle may be completed i n as short a time as one wee k . Mites can be reduced i n n u m bers by getting rid of weeds or other d e b ris in which they pass the winter a s adults or i n the egg sta g e . Infested plants can be sp rayed with a contact i nsecti
cide. Special miticides are a l so available. Consult a loca l ag ricultural a g e nt.
SLUGS A N D S N A I LS are mollusks that sometimes feed o n the foliage of vegeta bles. The d a m a g e m ay be m is
taken for the feeding of insect pests . Slugs lack shells.
Both slugs a n d snails leave a slimy trail. They usually feed at n i g h t a n d hide u n d e r debris d u ri n g the day.
Spread poison baits of calcium a rsenate or metaldehyde m i xed with b ran, molasses, a n d water.
BROWN GARDEN SNAIL SPOnED GARDEN SLUG
P S T O F F L O W E R S AN S H R U B S Some in sect pests of flowers a n d s h rubs feed o n a wide variety of pla nts, including vegeta ble a n d field crops.
Oth ers attac k only one kind of pla nt. A g reater ra nge of c h e m icals can be used to k i l l insect pests on flowers a n d s h ru bs t h a n can be risked on food pla nts, but fol low carefu lly the di rectio ns for a pplying insecticides.
Nearly all of these poisons a re d a n g e rous to people, pets, and dom estic a n i m a l s as we l l as to insects.
SCALES AND MEALYBUGS are among the most d a m a g i n g o f all insect pests o f flowers a n d s h r u b s . Males of both m ea lybugs and scales can fly; fe m a les a re win g
less. Female m ealybugs h ave legs a n d crawl slowly over ste m s a n d leaves as they feed . Soft scales, though leg
less, can move sluggishly but seldom do. Female armored scales, covered with a toug h scale of wax m ixed with shed s kins of the nym p h stages, fasten them selves perm a n e ntly to a plant. A mealyb u g ' s body is covered with a cotto ny m ass of wax that fo rms thread
l i k e extensions. Scales a n d mealybugs suck the sap from leaves or stems, sometimes causing plants to wilt.
If infestations g o unchecked, a plant m ay d i e . Both mealybugs a n d scales prod uce large a m o u nts of honey
d ew. The sweet excretion attracts a nts, a n d patches of sooty mold g row where the ho neydew d rops beneath the infested pla nts. Mealybugs and scales can be killed with th iocyanate or n icoti n e-su lfate sprays, usua lly applied in white-oil emulsion. Parathion and m a lathion are a lso excellent controls but m ust b e used with extraord inary caution. Rinse pla nts with a stron g spray of water a bout an hour after application to prevent d a m a g e to the plant by chemical