Insect & Pests

All Insect & Pests Content

A yellow-orange insect with 10 narrow stripes running down the length of its body.

What’s Bugging Your Garden? Colorado Potato Beetles

Colorado potato beetles have become all too common in many home gardens and also in community gardens where potatoes are commonly grown. If left untreated, they can defoliate potato plants, drastically cutting yields of the delicious tubers that so many of us love to eat.

two orange and white caterpillars feeding on green plant leaves.

What’s Bugging Your Garden? Broom Moth

There is a new pest problem for flower growers that enjoy Baptisia (false indigo) called the Genista Broom Moth. It is actually the caterpillars that cause the damage.

plastic container with lid removed. several earwigs are floating in the oil inside.

Earwigs in the Garden: Less-Toxic Control Alternative

Since earwigs provide some ecological service as natural enemies, I hesitate to recommend a pesticide application to control it. As an alternative least-toxic solution, bait trapping the earwigs should work to reduce the insect’s population to the non-threatening levels.

white fly sitting on a green plant leaf

Biological Control of Pests in High Tunnels

Major insect and mite pests in high tunnels include aphids, thrips, white flies, and spider mites. Biological control uses living organisms (natural enemies) to suppress or limit pest populations to levels that do not cause economic injury to the crop.

hand holding three green apples with a dimpled, lumpy appearance

Apple Issues

Learn to identify and manage common apple tree issues including: apple maggot injury, apple scab, cedar apple rust, and fruit cracking.

Man wearing a long-sleeved shirt and waterproof gloves loading pesticide-contaminated clothing into a washer. Courtesy: NDSU Extension

How to Properly Launder Insecticide-Contaminated Clothes

It is important to prevent insecticide exposure from occurring when laundering contaminated or potentially contaminated clothing.

a black weevil with red to brown legs and antennae

Root Weevils & Imported Longhorned Weevils Finding Their Way Inside

We have been receiving reports of small, black insects that are observed crawling up bathroom walls, hanging out in basements, or otherwise finding their way inside.

a long, worm-like caterpillar with small black spots and white markings

Achemon Sphinx Moth Caterpillars

Achemon sphinxe caterpillars (Eumorpha achemon) feed on wild grape, Virginia creeper, and related vines.

black insect sitting on white background

Root Weevils: Accidental Invaders

The latest insects to find their way inside South Dakota homes are the root weevils, a kind of beetle characterized by a distinct snout on the front of its head.

juniper greens with noticable browning on shoot tips.

Vole Damage to Junipers & Small Trees

Vole-damaged junipers can be identified by distinct yellowing and browning shoot tips, as well as unique gnaw marks.