Utah Plant Pest Diagnostic Lab
Starting January 5 until further notice (due to work shortage), we can only accept plant- and food-related pest samples. We cannot accept spiders, nuisance/indoor pests, biting pests, or premium turf samples. We apologize for this inconvenience.
Services that we provide:
The Utah Plant Pest Diagnostic Lab (UPPDL) is a service of Utah State University Cooperative Extension and the Department of Biology at Utah State University. The UPPDL has entomology and plant pathology specialists and diagnosticians available to diagnose plant pest problems of arthropod (insect, spider, mite, etc.) or disease origin. In addition, we offer general insect and arthropod identification, plant root identification, insect trap processing, and soil arthropod extraction services. Individual services and prices are listed below. Click the icons above to learn how to submit a sample, pay for a service, or view our Utah Pests Fact Sheets.
Service fees only apply to physical samples submitted to the diagnostic lab. For photo diagnostics or general inquiries (FREE), please follow the link above. We will let you know if a physical sample is needed in the lab for proper identification/diagnosis.
List of Services and Fees
Prices are per sample.
Ornamental Plant, Fruit, Vegetable, and Shrub Samples
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| Basic service | Visual/microscope inspection for plant diseases and insects. | $10.00 |
| Pathogen culturing | Includes a visual inspection. | $15.00 |
| DNA/virus testing | Includes pathogen culturing and visual inspection as needed. | $30.00 |
Turfgrass Samples |
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| Basic service | Visual/microscope inspection for diseases and arthropods. | $10.00 |
| Premium service | Visual/microscope inspection PLUS Berlese funnel soil arthropod extraction. | $15.00 |
Insect/Arthropod Samples |
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| Basic service | Visual/microscope inspection and identification. | $10.00 |
| DNA identification | Molecular identification to the highest classification possible (usually species level). | $30.00 |
Other Services |
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| DNA plant identification | Requires roots or leaves. Identifies a plant using molecular analysis (usually species level). | $30.00 |
| Soil insect extraction | Extracts soil dwelling arthropods from a soil sample. Price is per gallon zip bag. | $10.00 |
| Insect trap processing | Search for a target pest or identify/count a large number of insects.
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Basic: $10.00 per trap Premium: see left |
Products |
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| Pre-paid vouchers | (Vouchers are no longer available, individuals with unused current vouchers must use by Dec 2024) | |
What We Do Not Test For:
Human pathogens or parasites
We do not test for human pathogens or parasites. We do accept samples of ticks, bed bugs, fleas, bird mites, etc. collected from the home or structure that have not come in contact with blood, human secretions, hair, or skin. For these types of diagnostics, please see your medical care provider. Samples including the aforementioned arthropods must be submitted in a vial of rubbing alcohol or ethanol. We reserve the right to not handle and identify arthropods in any sample that we believe violates these submission protocols.
Pesticides or Herbicides
For pesticide or herbicide testing you can contact South Dakota Agricultural Labs.
Plant or Soil Nutrients
For plant or soil nutrient testing, contact the USU Analytical Lab.
Other
- Fungus or pathogens in soil
- Food pathogens
- Verticillium for alfalfa export certification
- Dutch elm disease
- Bacterial leaf scorch
- Phythophthora
- Soil dwelling nematodes
Overview of the Utah Plant Pest Diagnostic Lab