Community Wide Grasshopper Control

Sap beetles are typically considered a secondary pest of corn and overripe fruits and vegetables. Sap beetles are broadly identified by their small and ovular bodies and club-shaped antennae. Adult beetles feed on corn silk, pollen, and tassels. Larvae fe

n Utah high tunnel production, there are a variety of caterpillar pests (larvae of moth and butterfly species) that cause economic damage to crops. Common caterpillar pest species found in Utah include hornworms, tomato fruit worms, imported cabbage worms

Thrips are a common pest that can be found on many high tunnel crops, plus hundreds of weed species. Two species commonly found in Utah include Western flower thrips and Onion thrips. Bean thrips may also occur in the state.

In Utah, there are three main caterpillar pests of cabbage and mustard family plants: imported cabbageworm, cabbage looper, and diamondback moth. The injury they cause is similar.

A short summary of the main insect and disease pests of cole crops and how they are managed by the backyard gardeners.

Corn earworm (CEW) is the most destructive insect pest of sweet corn in Utah. CEW will also attack field corn, and pepper, and tomato fruits. The adult is a tan-brown moth that is most active at dusk; moths can be carried on wind currents and may travel u

Western corn rootworm is one of the most devastating corn insect pests in the United States. In some years, corn rootworms can cause up to $1 billion in yield loss and control costs.

Banks grass mites (BGM) and two-spotted spider mites (TSSM) are important agricultural pests of corn and a wide variety of other crops, garden, and landscape plants.

Banks grass mites (BGM) and two-spotted spider mites (TSSM) are important agricultural pests of corn and a wide variety of other crops, garden, and landscape plants.

Cucumber beetles are pests of cucurbits throughout the U.S. Western species of cucumber beetles will also feed on leaves of other vegetables.

The European earwig is an omnivore; it feeds on detritus, fungi, plants, and insects. Earwigs can injure the buds, leaves, flowers, and fruits of a broad range of plants, including fruits, vegetables, and ornamentals; they can be a nuisance pest by enteri

Pest managers cannot afford to take a pest management action without knowing if it is economically sound. Treating a pest needlessly is not conducive to making a profit. Other values such as aesthetics of the management situation (pertinent to landscapes

Flea beetles are common and problematic in Utah. They are present in late spring and early summer on many vegetable crops and ornamental plants. Adult flea beetles are small, shiny insects that have enlarged hind legs, allowing them to jump great distance

Grasshoppers are among the most conspicuous insects in Utah and are viewed by many as also among the most injurious to our crops and rangelands. We must also understand that because outbreaks can occur simultaneously across the landscape, suppression prog

“Leafminer” commonly describes the larval stage of various insects, but those that feed on vegetable crops are most commonly small yellow-and-black flies in the order Diptera. Vegetable host plants include leafy greens, beet, pea, tomato, onion, squash, a

A short summary of the main insect and disease pests of leafy greens and how they are managed by the backyard gardeners.

Onion thrips are the most injurious insect pest to onions in Utah. Immature and adult thrips prefer to feed on young leaves in the inner neck of plants. Moderate to severe thrips feeding causes reduced bulb size.

Western flower thrips are native to western North America and are widespread throughout this region. This species feeds on hundreds of different weed and crop hosts.

Slugs and snails are rated by many gardeners as the worst garden pests. Considering their competition, this is a dubious honor. These pests are not insects but are mollusks that are more closely related to shellfish, such as mussels and clams.

Mites are small arthropods that are more closely related to spiders and ticks than to insects. Mites in this group are web spinners, hence the name “spider” mites. They are an important and destructive group of pests to agricultural crops worldwide.

Entire plants may wilt when squash bug-feeding severs xylem vessels in vines. Injection of a toxin during feeding has been proposed as a cause for rapid plant wilt, but no salivary toxins have been confirmed in squash bugs.

A short summary of the main insect and disease pests of tomatoes and how they are managed by the backyard gardeners.

Aphids are a diverse family of insects with many species that inflict similar plant damage and can be managed using similar tactics. This fact sheet will focus on four of the most common aphids that are pests of vegetable crops in Utah.

In Utah, three-lined potato beetles are pests to various crops and weeds within the nightshade family, most notably tomatillos (Physalis spp.).

Wireworms are the immature form (larvae) of click beetles. Severe damage from wireworms in Utah is rare. Wireworms live in the soil and feed on seeds, roots, crowns, and stalks of various plants.