• Sciarid flies

  damage is the immediate result of larvae feeding on the roots. The larvae feed mainly on decaying plant material and on algae and fungi present in the soil [...] of Sciarid flies The life cycle of sciarid flies has the following stages: egg, four larval instars, a pupal instar, and the adult. The adult insects are [...] General Sciarid flies constitute the family of Sciaridae. The species that cause most damage to crops belong to the genera Bradysia and Lycoriella . Lycoriella

• Glasshouse potato aphid

  deformations in the growing tip of the plant. Precisely where the plant is pierced is unimportant. The piercing of the lower leaves in the crop can cause [...] length exceeds that of the body. The legs are also long, there are two distinctive dark green spots on the abdomen at the base of the cornicles. Alate (winged) [...] sometimes tomato. Damage symptoms When the glasshouse potato aphid (Aulacorthum solani) pierces the leaves or the fruit of sweet pepper it secretes a toxic

• Spotted Wing Drosophila

  unripe fruits. The larval development takes place in the fruit. The larvae pupate either fully or partly in the fruit, or outside the fruit on the ground. [...] oviposition, the respiration tubes extend from the fruit but are difficult to see. Larval feeding in the fruit leads to fruit tissue collapse. Even if the fruits [...] fruits have not collapsed, the occurrence of larvae within the fruit makes them unmarketable. The punctures made by the oviposition by D. suzukii exposes fruits

• Tomato russet mite

  and affected leaves dry out quickly. The damage is first seen on the lower part of the plant and moves upwards as the mites ascend. Life cycle and appearance [...] appears to be divided into two parts: the head with the mouthparts, and the rest of the body. All mobile stages have only two pairs of legs, whereas other mite [...] Other members of the plant family Solanaceae may be affected to a lesser extent. Damage symptoms Damage is caused by the mites sucking out the contents of plant

• Black bean aphid

  caused through the transmission of plant viruses. Infestations start usually at the younger parts of the plant but can spread all over the plant. Nymphs [...] from the plant and disturb the balance of growth hormones. As a result, the plant’s growth is retarded giving rise to deformed leaves or, if the infestation [...] betraying their presence in the crop. The black bean aphid is dark olive green to black with black bands across the back. The two cornicles (or siphunculi)

• Click beetles

  and feed on the roots of many plants. Damage symptoms The click beetles feed on the roots and bore into the base of plants. This can cause the plants to [...] fully grown the larvae pupate in the soil in summer. The adults appear about 4 weeks after pupation, but usually remain in the soil until the following spring [...] to black. The eggs are laid in May or June in groups in the soil. They hatch about one month later and the larvae start to feed on roots. The larvae (‘

• Thrips

  hatching, the larvae begin to feed on plant tissue on the underside of the leaf. The larvae are smaller than the adults and lack wings. Depending on the species [...] cause damage to the plant by piercing the cells of the surface tissue and sucking out their contents, causing the surrounding tissue to die. The resulting [...] pupate on the plant or in the ground. The pre-pupal and pupal instars are recognizable by their developing wing buds. Compared with the pre-pupa, the pupa has

• Two-spotted spider mite

  to the host plant by feeding on plant sap. They mainly occur on the underside of leaves where they pierce the cells and suck out the contents. The empty [...] to loss of the crop. The nymphs and adults also produce webs, and plants can get completely covered with such webs in which the mites live. The webbing and [...] become yellow, and in many plants the damage can also be seen on the upper surface of leaves as small yellow dots. The destruction of cells results in reduced

• Cyclamen mite

  become brown near the base. Life cycle and appearance of Cyclamen mite The life cycle of the cyclamen mite ( Phytonemus pallidus ) has the following stages: [...] on plant sap by penetrating the plant tissue with its piercing-sucking mouth parts. The mites are mostly found within the flower buds, growing tips and [...] in localized patches, because the mite spreads very slowly. Symptoms vary depending on the host plant and can resemble the damage caused by viruses. Infested

• Western flower thrips

  buds. Compared to the prepupa, the pupa has longer, more developed wing buds and longer antennae that are curved back over the head. The prepupal and pupal [...] causing the surrounding tissue to die. The resulting silver-grey patches on leaves and the black dots of their excreta indicate their presence in the crop [...] General The western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis) is currently the most damaging thrips species in many greenhouse crops. The western flower