aphids

Very tiny, soft bodied, pear shaped, yellowish green or grayish black flies. When dead, they dry up and become grayish white. Aphids live in colonies. Found in large numbers on leafy vegetables and the stems of strawberries.

​thrips

Small insect with wings. Can appear as a black, yellow or white line. Found singly, usually in folds or crevices of vegetables including cabbage, cauliflower, corn and dill. Thrips are highly prevalent in the United States.

​leafminers

Small worms. Can be as small as .08 inch. These insects feed on the tissue between the upper and lower leaf surfaces. These insects may be the larval stages of flies, moths, sawflies or beetles. They tunnel into the flesh of the leaf and can appear as light brown lines. May be found in leafy vegetables such as spinach and beet greens.


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​cabbage  loopers / worms

Greenish- gray worms The looper has legs in the front and back and none in the middle, causing the body to arch in a looping motion as it moves. They bore into vegetables and can be seen as holes. Their droppings look like small, dark crumbs. Commonly found in cabbage, cauliflower, and peppers. In root vegetables such as beets and radishes, they are off-white. In carrots they can be orange. (It is not common to find worms in root vegetables in the United States.)

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spider mites

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​Although related to insects, mites aren’t insects but members of the arachnid class along with spiders and ticks. Spider mites are the most common mite pests and among the most ubiquitous of all pests in the garden and on the farm. Spider mites' puncture-and-suck mode of feeding produces yellow or white stippling and leads to reddish or pale discoloration of leaves. Plants lose vigor and become unthrifty. ​

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