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Pests

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Pests

Pests and Beneficial Organisms

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Pests and Beneficial Arthropods of All Kinds Observed in Our Trials

    The arthropod and disease pests found here should not necessarily be viewed as an indication that a crop is not manageable.  Many pests are controlled naturally by beneficial arthropods (insects, mites and other organisms) and beneficial diseases and nematodes that attack plant pests, all utilized by the professional or informed homeowner employing integrated pest management (IPM).  Many pests may be present during the lifetime of the crop, but may not render the crop unacceptable in appearance.  Refer to Articles, Papers & Reports for performance and to university recommendations found on this page and other web links, as well as your county extension service for control of these pests.

 For pictures and more information, click on:

Click on a subject below for some websites with sources of information on related topics, or scroll down the page for even more information.

Insects

Mites

Nematodes

Click on a link below:

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Click on: Links to Publications on Pests and Their Control for more information.

New Insect Order Found in Southern Africa

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Focus on: Arthropods

What's an arthropod?  Click on the gators: 

The Tree of Life Web Project

Insect information and classification:

Arthropods:

    "An online resource devoted to North American insects, spiders and their kin, offering identification, images, and information." (Troy Bartlett--BugGuide)

ROK

Information on insect orders and families: 

University of Florida Dept. of Entomology & Nematology.

Beneficial Arthropods

Click on: the beneficial or pest arthropod name found below to view pictures and access information links, or scroll down the page.

Aphid parasites.

Friend or foe?  A true bug on treasure flower and flowering tobacco.

Jumping Spider with pray.

Lady beetles.

Entomology and Nematology Department

Links to University of Florida publications with pictures of these animals by D.E. Short, F.A. Johnson and J.L. Castner: 

Arthropod Pests

Aphids

Armyworms

Budworms

Cabbage Webworm

Crane Fly

  What is it?  Looks are deceiving. This insect resembles a wasp, but it really is a moth; and though it is not a bedding plant pest, it is a pest on an ornamental plant.  Click on the gator to learn more: 

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Focus on: Other Animal Pests

Birds

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Focus on: Diseases

Disease Pests

Bacteria

Xanthomonas Leaf Spot

xxx

Fungi

Alternaria

Virus

On Sunflower

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Focus on: Arthropods

Beneficial Arthropods

Jumping Spiders - Class: Arachnida; Order: Araneae; Family: Salticidae

What is the world's largest spider?  Click on the spider above.

Spider Publications - Click on the "GatorWeb"

Common Florida spiders.

Poisonous spiders in Florida.

Scroll down to see more beneficial arthropods.                                                  Scroll down to see more beneficial arthropods.

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Beneficial Arthropods

Braconids - Order: Hymenoptera; Family: Braconidae

Parasite pupae on the surface of an Io Moth lava.

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Beneficial Arthropods

Assassin Bugs - Order: Hemiptera; Family: Reduviidae

A species of assassin bug (Zelus longipes) in the family Reduviidae [assassin and thread-legged bugs)] feeding on a wasp.  Wheel bugs belong to another group in this family, identified by the semicircular toothed pronotum (shield-like segment behind the head) resembling a cogwheel.  Zelus spp. do not have this feature.

Friend or foe?  Unidentified immature (nymph) true bugs on treasure flower (Gazania) foliage and a flowering tobacco (Nicotiana) flower.  Are they beneficial insects or pests?  Based on the wide, flattened leaf-like hind tibia [lower leg segment on the metathoractic (third set) legs], it could be a young leaf-footed plant bug--possibly Leptoglossus sp.--a plant pest in the family Coreidae.

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Beneficial Arthropods

Hover Fly - Order: Diptera; Family: Syrphidae

Hover fly, syrphid, or flower fly.  

An adult (possibly a male - eyes are holoptic) from another species (Allograpta obliqua) resting on a flower and juniper bush.

    And so the story goes...there's usually a bigger fish after the fish that's after the fish.  The same is true in the world of insects.  The hover fly larva is after the aphid, but what about the hover fly?  Click on the fish to find out what parasite hunts the hover fly.  And that's not all.  Click on the gator below to see an assassin bug feeding on a paper wasp, also an insect predator that feeds on insects that feed on plants.

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Beneficial Arthropods

Beetles - Order: Coleoptera; Family: Coccinellidae

Pupa of lady beetle [Cycloneda sanguinea (L.)?].

Adult lady beetle [Cycloneda sanguinea (L.)?].

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Arthropod Pests

Classes shown here: Arachnida (mites) and Insecta (insects)

Search for insect orders and families in Featured Creatures (University of Florida Dept. of Entomology & Nematology) by clicking on the gator:

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Class: Arachnida

Mites - Order: Acari; Family: Tetranychidae

Twospotted spidermites on African marigold (Tagetes patula)

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Class: Insecta

Grasshoppers - Order: Orthoptera; Family: Acrididae

Damaged hibiscus foliage with grasshopper nymph present July 3, 2005.

Damage to flowers:

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 Thrips - Order: Thysanoptera; Family: Thripidae 

Pansies and Viola

Zinnia

Thrips damage on young Zinnia elegans flower in early spring.  Pansies shown above were still in the field in rows adjacent to this plant.

Thrips damage to flower petals.

Thrips species on ornamental plants - University of Florida.

Detailed information about thrips species from Glades Crop Care.

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"Worms" - Lepidopterous Larvae and Adults

Key to Most Common Caterpillars Found on Flowers and Foliage Plants - North Carolina State University

Order: Lepidoptera; Family: Hesperiidae 

Severely damaged leaf.

Damaged leaf tied together.

The exposed larvae (note white points of attachment for silk for rolling leaf).

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 Order: Lepidoptera; Family: Unidentified

Damaged leaves tied together.

The exposed larva.

Pupa.

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Order: Lepidoptera; Family: Noctuidae 

Armyworms, Budworms and Loopers

Adults that emerged from larvae of a looper species that fed on ageratum foliage.

Views of a larva believed to be beet armyworm.  The specimen at bottom with green arrow pointing to a black spot found on the mesothorax (body segment containing the second pair of legs). 

Fall armyworm also can be found on flowers, but prefers vegetable and ornamental grasses.  Click on the gator to find out more about this species.  

Beet Armyworm and Granulate Cutworm on Cupflower and Sweet Alyssum

Crops such as cupflower (Nierembergia hippomanica) and sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima) for a carpet of foliage and flowers.  Uppon lifting the foliage mats, these insects can be found sheltered by the foliage and feeding on it.

To find out more about cutworms, click on the gator.  

Budworms on Flowering Tobacco (see also: Colorado Potato Beetle and tobacco hornworm)

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Examples of Lifecycles

Complete Metamorphosis

Read about metamorphosis: 

Order: Lepidoptera; Family: Danaidae

Monarch Butterfly on Milkweed

Danaus plexippus

Egg

Mature Stage - notice wings beneath surface of pupal case.

Chrysalis

Adult

Click on the gators to find out more about Monarchs:

Florida monarchs.

Monarch migrations and facts.

Milkweed species (GRIN)

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 Order: Lepidoptera; Family: Pyralidae

Cabbage Webworm

Adult and pupa

Signs of feeding on stem.

Larvae exposed, feeding in pithy center of stem..

 Cabbage webworm (Hellula rogatalis) on Cleome hasslerana.

Leafroller

Leafroller species on iresine (Iresine herbsii).

Click on gator for another leafroller on canna:

To distinguish leafrollers from leaftiers, click on the gator:

To view leaftiers, click one of the gators:

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 Diamondback Moth - Order: Lepidoptera; Family: Plutellidae 

Foliage damage

Plutella xylostella on wallflower (Cheiranthus cheiri)

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Tobacco Hornworm - Order: Lepidoptera; Family: Sphingidae

Tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta) on flowering tobacco.

Other flowering tobacco pest pictures: Colorado potato beetle and budworms

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Aphids - Order: Hemiptera (Homoptera); Family: Aphididae

Beneficial Arthropods

Oleander aphid [Aphis nerii] on milkweed.  The arrow indicates a winged adult.

Click on a gator to find out more about these parasites.

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Leaffooted Bug - Order: Hemiptera; Family: Coreidae 

To see green stink bug feed on ornamental millet, click on gator:

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Stink Bugs - Order: Hemiptera; Family: Pentatomidae 

To see leaffooted bug feed on ornamental millet, click on gator:

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Cotton Stainer - Order: Hemiptera; Family: Pyrrhocoridae

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Leafminers - Order: Diptera; Family: Agromyzidae

Find out more about leafminers by clicking on the gator: 

Leafmines and stipples on sweet alyssum 

(Lobularia maritima)

Leafmines on zinnia.

(Zinnia elegans)

Leafmines and stipples on wallflower (Cheiranthus cheiri)

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Crane Fly - Order: Diptera; Family: Tipulidae

When you see the enlargement of cane fly (above), you will notice two pronounced halteres (nobes) protruding from beneath  the two wings between the second and third pairs of legs.  Click on the gator to find out more about these structures and general information about flies:

 .

Find out more about crane flies by clicking on a gator: 

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Beetles - Order: Coleoptera; Family: Chrysomelidae

Grasshoppers also cause some damage to hibiscus.  Click on the gator to view this pest:

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Whitefly - Order: Hemiptera (Homoptera); Family: Aleyrodidae

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Pests of All Kinds Observed in Our Trials

    The pests found here should not necessarily be viewed as an indication that the crop is not manageable.  Many pests are controlled naturally by beneficial arthropods (insects, mites and other species) and by the professional or homeowner using integrated pest management (IPM).  Many pests may be present during the lifetime of the crop, but may not render the crop unacceptable in appearance.  Refer to Articles, Papers & Reports for performance and university recommendations found on this page, on the web or at your county extension service for control of these pests.

Click on: the pest or beneficial found below that you wish to view, or scroll down the page.

Focus on: Diseases

Bacteria

Bacterial leaf spot (Xanthomonas capestris pv vesicatoria) can be a serious pest on many crops.  On pepper plants, the spots are very wet looking and coellesce to form large dark areas. 

Bacterial leaf spot symptoms (water-soaked lesions) on pepper leaves:

Bacterial leaf spot symptoms on geraniums:

Bacterial leaf spot symptoms on geraniums caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. pelargonii:

Click on the gator to read more about bacterial diseases found on ornamentals: .

Click on the gator to see the affects of soilborne fungal pathogens: .

Bacterial leaf spot symptoms on geraniums:

Xanthomonas (yellow colonies) isolated on a plate of nutrient agar.  The white mass at the bottom of the plate is the fast-growing Bacillus thuringiensis, used to control infestations of lepidopterous larvae (worms).

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Fungi

An introductory guide to the study of moulds (fungi) by David Malloch, University of Toronto

Alternaria

Alternaria species conidiophores isoloated from ornamental bedding plant flower petals.  Click on the gator to learn more about this fungus: .  Click on the conidiophores pictured on the left to view more pictures of Alternaria (U. of Georgia):

Alternaria Lesions on Globe-Amaranth

To view insect pests on this crop, click on the gator:  .

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Choanephora

Petunia flowers in lowers in early stages of disease.

Choanephora flower blight (Choanephora sp.) on petunia.

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Colletotrichum

Antracnose (Colletotrichum sp.) isoloated from an ornamental bedding plant.

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Fusarium

See Soilborne Pathogens on Geranium below.

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Graymold

1 & 2. Flowers with the typical circular lesions seen in the early stages of the disease.

3. Graymold infested  flower seen transferring large amounts of disease inoculum to pansy leaf.

1.

2.

3.

1.

 2.

1. Botrytis Blight on Ornamentals-Diagnosis and Control (A. R. Chase) - Western Connection (newsletter, Western Farm Service).

2. Botrytis Primer (A. K. Gonsalves & S. A. Ferreira) - University of Hawaii (see Hawaii's Agricultural Gateway - Research, Education, Outreach Groups).

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Myrothecium Leaf Spot

Description of disease.

Click on thumbnails.

Myrothecium leaf spot (Myrothecium roridum) on fibrous rooted begonia transplants.

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Powdery Mildew

Powdery mildew species on common zinnia [Zinnia violacea Cav. (Syn: Zinnia elegans)].

Find out more about powdery mildew by clicking on the gator:

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Pythium species

Description of disease.

Click on thumbnails.

Pythium is one of the fungi responsible for damping-off and root rot in bedding plants.  It is an oomycete, commonly called a water mold.

Agar plugs of Pythium cut from the colonies growing on the PDA and placed in a vegetable broth to promote growth of the mycelium mats

Vegetable broth washed away and replaced with water, showing the original plugs and the white mats of Pythium suspended in the water.

The formation of many oogonia and oop in the washed plates.

A..

B.

C.

(The American Phytopathological Society)

Helios - Edinburgh University

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Rhizoctonia species

Description of disease.

Click on thumbnails.

Rhizoctonia (R. sp.) step leaf, stem and root rot of spot on fibrous rooted begonia transplants.  Pictures and information on: Rhizoctonia (The American Phytopathological Society)

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Rusts

Rust on ornamental millet (Pennsetum glaucum).

Rust on Cape Daisy (Dimorphotheca aurantiaca).

Rust on morning glory (Ipomoea purpurea).

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Soilborne Pathogens of Geranium

Description of disease.

Click on thumbnails.

Click on the gator to see the affects of the baterium, Xanthomonas on geranium:          

Fusarium biology.

Fusarium disease cycle.

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Virus

Description of disease.

Click on thumbnails.

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Other Pests

The Rest of the Story

Higher Forms of Life and Trouble

The Birds

Viola plants nipped off at the plant base.

Blackbirds gather in the early morning to drink, eat insects, and (unfortunately) they are suspected of destroying some bedding plants.

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Slugs

To find out more about slugs, click on the gator:

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The Cows

A recreation of the incident we least expected - cows with flower fever.

    When you have succeeded in growing a good crop, something unexpected rears its ugly head and takes to the flower fields with a big appetite.  As Saturday Night Live's Rosanna Dana said, "There's always something!"  For us, that something was a cow that broke through a fence and was heading straight for our flowers.  We were fortunate that our field crew saw the danger and came to the rescue just in the nick of time.

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If you do not have Adobe Reader software for viewing PDF files, you can download it for free on their website www.adobe.com.

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Sources include: EDIS and Plant Pathology Extension Publications, University of Florida.

Biology and Management of Diseases of Greenhouse Florist Crops (view as HTML file) - Cornell University (view as PDF file)

Retail Garden Center Series: Homeowner Fungicide Products for Diseases of Ornamentals - University of Florida

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