Book of Gardens 
125 
THE PESTS AS THEY APPEAR 
Insect or 
Disease 
Identification 
When to Look For 
Attacks 
Control 
IN THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 
Cut-worms 
Aphis or “plant 
louse” 
Potato beetle 
Flea beetle 
White grub 
Root maggot 
Sluggish, fat, brown soil worm, W to 
2" long with stripe along side; works 
at night. 
Small, green or black, soft bodied flies 
about tV' long, congregating in large 
numbers. 
Common striped beetle or bug y 2 " long. 
Minute, black, active jumping beetle. 
Large, soft, white, repulsive grub or 
worm, feeding on roots under ground; 
Vi" to 1J4" long. 
Small white worm or grub W' to }4" 
long. 
Through season, mostly April to June, 
cutting off young plants and seed¬ 
lings. Dig around cut-off plant. 
Throughout season, especially on half- 
grown plants and in dry weather on 
under side of leaves. 
Through season, first on earliest sprout¬ 
ing potatoes; three broods. 
Mostly in May and June on seedlings; 
leaves punctured. 
Through season; especially numerous in 
newly plowed sod ground and moist 
places. 
Through season; first indication wilting 
of plants without apparent cause. 
Corn borer 
White, smooth borer, 1" to 1J4" long. 
Second brood in early fall. 
Moths appear in May, caterpillars soon 
after. 
Cucumber beetle 
Squash bug 
(“stink” bug) 
White fly 
Thrip 
Asparagus beetle 
Melon louse 
Small, very active, black and yellow 
striped beetle, l / 2 " or so long. 
Dull black, flat, very active beetle with 
long legs, often moving backwards or 
sideways when disturbed; J4" to 
long. 
Minute, tenacious, white winged fly, 
congregating in large numbers until 
disturbed.' 
Very minute, cause yellowish appear¬ 
ance or twisted leaves. 
Active, yellow spotted beetle, y 2 " long. 
Small green aphis. See Aphis. 
Onion thrip 
Tomato worm 
Rust 
Minute, active, whitish insect barely 
visible to the naked eye, lodging espe¬ 
cially down between leaves. 
Large, green horned worm, often sev¬ 
eral inches long. 
“Rusting” or yellowing of foliage or 
stalks. 
Through season, especially as vines be¬ 
gin to run, and in dry weather. 
Usually appears first late in June, re¬ 
maining until cold weather. Young 
hatched from brown eggs on under 
side of leaves; resemble large aphis. 
Through warm season, especially under 
dry or overcrowded conditions; prev¬ 
alent in frames or greenhouses. 
Throughout season, especially on neg¬ 
lected or backward plants. 
June-Aug., especially on new growth. 
Throughout season, usually first in May 
or June; leaves curl up abnormally. 
Through season, especially June to Au¬ 
gust; onion tops twisted and curled, 
permaturely yellow. 
From mid-summer to early fall; strips 
foliage clean, conspicuous inroads. 
Through season, especially late June to 
August. 
Mildew 
Blight 
Leaf spot or rot 
Whitish coating or spotting of the foli¬ 
age, spreading rapidly. 
Usually a yellowing or spotting of the 
leaves, progressing very rapidly. 
Spots in leaves, stems, or fruit turning 
brown or black. 
Favoring conditions same as for blight; 
also crowded foliage. 
Throughout season, especially in muggy 
weather and low, closed places. 
Throughout season, especially in warm 
weather after rainy spells. 
Especially cabbage, 
cauliflower and to¬ 
mato plants. 
Cabbage,, cauliflower, 
lettuce, peas, etc. 
Potatoes, egg - plants, 
tomatoes. 
Potatoes, tomato, cab¬ 
bage group, turnips. 
Strawberries especial¬ 
ly; also corn, po¬ 
tatoes, etc. 
Onions, cabbage, cau¬ 
liflower, turnips, etc. 
Corn, chard, beets, 
etc. Lives over on 
burdock, etc. 
Cucumbers, melons 
and vine crops. 
Squash, pumpkins 
and other vine 
crops. 
Poison bait before planting, and give plants pro¬ 
tection with 4" paper bands 1" in soil; also hand 
picking. 
Contact spray, two or three applications, at inter¬ 
vals of a week or ten days, especially against 
under side of foliage, and on folding leaves. 
Spray or dust with arsenate of lead or Paris green; 
hand picked from egg-plant. 
Bordeaux mixture and arsenate of lead; tobacco 
dust on seedlings. 
Plowing late in fall; summer following; trapping 
adults (May beetles); destroying grubs and re¬ 
setting affected plants. 
Protect cabbage group with tarred paper guards; 
poison paper for adult flies before laying eggs; 
burn infested plants. 
Keep garden surroundings clean; burn old stalks, 
weeds, etc., in fall. 
Arsenate of lead with Bordeaux mixture. Screen 
young plants and sprinkle with tobacco dust. 
Trap old bug under shingles and destroy; spray 
young with nicotine or kerosene emulsion; screen 
young plants. 
Tomato, cucumber, 
etc. 
Onions and leeks. 
Asparagus foliage. 
Melons, cucumbers 
and other curcu- 
bits; strawberries. 
Onions and leeks. 
Spray with nicotine or kerosene emulsion for 
young, which resemble lice on under sides of 
leaves; tobacco dust as a repellent. 
Thorough, forceful spraying with kerosene emul¬ 
sion or with nicotine. 
Arsenate of lead; cut and burn stalks in fall. 
Carefully remove, bury or burn infested parts of 
plants; spray as for aphis. 
Nicotine spray forcibly applied; kerosene emulsion. 
Tomato and tobacco 
mostly. 
Various vegetables, 
especially celery, 
beans, asparagus. 
Cucumbers, melons, 
lima beans, etc. 
Potatoes, beans, cel¬ 
ery, cucumber, etc. 
Tomatoes, beans and 
many others. 
Arsenate of lead; hand picking into can or pail, 
and late fall plowing. 
Avoid working when foliage is wet; successive 
spraying with Bordeaux. On maturing celery 
use ammoniacal solution of copper carbonate. 
Spray with Bordeaux every week or ten days. 
Spray with Bordeaux at or before first signs and 
repeat frequently to keep all growth covered. 
Bordeaux mixture, removing surplus foliage, and 
in the case of fruits that touch. 
IN THE FRUIT GARDEN 
Scale, San Jose 
Minute, yellowish, sucking insects cov¬ 
ered with small shell or scale, the size 
of a pin-head; presence indicated by 
gray scurvy appearance of bark, and 
minute red rimmed spots on fruit. 
Throughout season; multiplies with ex¬ 
traordinary rapidity. 
Apple and other fruit 
trees. 
Dormant sprays in early spring or fall, using lime 
sulphur, miscible oil or kerosene emulsion. 
Scale, oyster shell 
Dark brown scale like elongated oyster 
shell about W' in length, the young 
resembling active whitish lice. 
Throughout season, young hatching in 
May or early June. 
Apple and other fruit 
trees. 
Same as for San Jose; also nicotine or kerosene 
emulsion as soon as young hatch. 
Apple aphis 
Bright green aphis. 
Throughout season, especially on the 
sides of new leaves. 
Apples, peaches, 
plums. 
Dormant spray before leaves come out; nicotine 
spray on young foliage. 
Scab, apple 
Causes dark colored spots on leaves or 
fruit. 
Throughout season, spreads most dur¬ 
ing spring. 
Apple and pear. 
Spray with lime sulphur before blossoms open, 
after blossoms fall, and two weeks later; burn 
leaves and twigs in fall. 
Caterpillar, tent 
Striped caterpillars in large masses in 
webs or “tents.” 
Early in spring; “tents” at first in¬ 
conspicuous, gradually enlarged. 
Apple, cherry, and 
other trees. 
Destroy egg masses in winter; wipe out tents as 
soon as visible with kerosene smudge in spring. 
Arsenate of lead spray for matured worms. 
Bud moth 
Eight brown caterpillar, head and legs 
dark. 
Early in spring before buds open. 
Especially apple buds. 
Arsenate of lead when leaves appear, before buds 
open. 
Currant worm 
Green worm with black spots about l" 
long. 
The “mother” of wormy apples; moth is 
small and chocolate colored; worm 
hatches on the outside, usually in blos- 
Before blossoms open, usually first on 
lower leaves. 
Currant and goose¬ 
berry. 
Spray with arsenate of lead until fruit forms; 
after that, hellebore. 
Coddling moth 
In spring and early summer. 
Apple. 
Spray with arsenate of lead just before petals fall, 
before calix closes; ten days later and again in 
about four weeks; band trunks during July. 
Canker worm 
A “measuring worm,” 1" or more in 
length. 
May and June. 
Apple. 
Arsenate of lead, when worms appear; band trunks 
in March or early April. 
Blister mite 
Small mite causing leaf blisters turning 
from light green to red and brown 
Throughout season. 
Pear and apple. 
Strong miscible oil or kerosene emulsion spray; 
just before leaves come out and again in fall. 
Curculio 
Small, grayish beetle, A" to about W' 
long. Back mottled black and white; 
has a conspicuous “snout.” 
In early summer when fruits are be¬ 
ginning to form; another generation 
in August. 
Injures young fruits 
by puncturing them 
to eat and lay eggs; 
apples, peach, plum. 
Spray with lime sulphur and strong arsenate of 
lead; for best results jar trees every cool morn¬ 
ing, and catch beetles on sheet spread beneath. 
Leaf hopper 
Small, slim, yellowish hoppers with blunt 
heads. 
1 hrough season, indicated by leaves 
turning brown and drying up; “hop¬ 
pers” working on the under side. 
Apple and grapes. 
Spray under side of leaves with strong kerosene 
emulsion. 
Rot, black 
Fruits turn purplish brown and become 
shriveled. 
Summer; especially after wet weather 
and where tall weeds or grass are left 
near the vines. 
Grapes. 
Spray with Bordeaux till mid-July; then ammoni¬ 
acal solution copper carbonate; for few vines 
bunches may be covered with paper bags; dor¬ 
mant spray with lime sulphur or miscible nil; 
gather fallen fruit and burn. 
IN THE FLOWER GARDEN 
Aphis (plant 
louse) 
Similar to those attacking vegetables 
described above. 
See aphis above. Where foliage is thick, 
in axils of leaves or growing tips. 
Roses, sweet peas and 
most soft-wooded 
plants. 
Nicotine spray; kerosene emulsion. 
Mealy bug 
Small, soft-bodied insect covered with 
small cotton-like specks. 
Congregate in leaf axils throughout sea¬ 
son; most likely on neglected plants 
in frames or on porches. 
Soft-wooded plants 
and new growth on 
some hard-wooded 
plants such as 
fuchsias. 
Nicotine spray or paint with strong kerosene emul¬ 
sion, alcohol. 
Rose beetle 
Yellowish, active, crawling beetle y 2 " 
or more long with long hooked legs. 
Throughout season, especially May to 
July, when plants are in bloom. 
Roses mostly. 
Arsenate of lead or Paris green extra strong; hand 
picking into kerosene and water most effective. 
Throughout season. 
Asters, carnations, etc. 
Spray with Bordeaux. Keep new growth covered. 
Mildew 
Powdery, dirty white deposit on leaves. 
Through season, especially after sudden 
changes in temperature. 
Roses and some 
others. 
Prune infected parts; dust with flowers of sul¬ 
phur: thin sufficiently for free circulation of air. 
Aster beetle 
Active, long-legged beetle, y 2 " to U" 
in length, eating flowers and foliage. 
Appears in numbers, August and Sep¬ 
tember. 
Asters preferably, and 
some other flowers. 
Strong arsenate of lead spray; knock bugs in early 
morning into can of kerosene and water. 
