Pests and Pesticides
A Visual Guide to Two-Spotted Spider Mites in Hops
Two-Spotted spider mite infestations pose significant threats to crop yield and quality for Idaho hop farmers. That many farmers struggle with pest identification and management only gives these...
Barny the Barn Owl Coloring Book
Teach children about crop ecosystems with this attractive 14-page coloring book. In it, youth learn about the ecological role of barn owls on a farm by meeting Barny, an adorable little raptor.
What do you do if you find a bed bug in school? This fact sheet for educators and families covers prevention, identification and best practices for treating an infestation. Authors: Dawn H. Gouge,...
Beware Signs of White Rot in Garlic and Other Allium Crops
White rot is a very serious disease of garlic and onion. This three-page Green Thumb publication will help you to identify the disease and prepare a defense against its growth in your garden,...
Any gardener gets discouraged when they see a dark, leathery patch develop on the bottom end of their vine-ripened tomatoes. The blemish indicates blossom-end rot, a calcium-deficiency disorder...
Bumble Bee Parasites and Conservation in the Pacific Northwest
Nearly thirty species of native bumble bee call the Pacific Northwest home and provide important pollination services, even pollinating certain crops more effectively than honey bees. With this in...
Centrocoris volxemi—A Newly Introduced Idaho Insect
Centrocoris volxemi is an introduced non-native true bug (insects with piercing-sucking mouthparts) that has been expanding its known range in the United States since 2020 and Idaho the year after.
Cereal Grass Aphid: A Newly Invasive Pest in North America
Cereal grass aphid is a newly invasive aphid pest in North America. It colonizes cultivated crops like wheat, barley and oat, sucking their juices and using them as host sites for reproduction,...
Chemical Weed Control in New Spring-Seeded Alfalfa
Weed management is one of the most important practices in alfalfa production, particularly in new seeding. This bulletin briefly discusses two chemical-based approaches: preemergence or preplant...
Controlando a los Topillos en Idaho
Los topillos pueden controlarse sin los productos químicos o con los productos químicos llamados "rodenticidas." Las estrategias sin el uso de los productos que incluyen eliminando el hábitat del...
Controlando los Insectos Picudos en el Césped
Esta publicación describe los síntomas y las estrategias de control para los gusanos de los insectos picudos (las larvas) en los céspedes de Idaho. Las estrategias sin el uso de los productos...
Controlling Iron Deficiency in Plants in Idaho
One of the most common problems for Idaho growers, landscapers and home gardeners is plant iron deficiency or chlorosis. Leaves turn yellow while the veins remain green. This publication describes...
El Control de las Avispas y de los Avispones en Idaho
Aprenda a reconocer las avispas chaquetas amarillas bravas, los avispones cariblancos, y las avispas papeleras de Idaho y a controlarlas con o sin los productos químicos. Autores: Stuart C.
Emerald Ash Borer: A Potential Threat to Idaho Urban Landscapes
Emerald ash borer (EAB) is an invasive metallic wood-boring beetle. It has decimated millions of ash trees in the United States and is spreading further west. Learn the signs and symptoms of an...
Help Protect the Famous Idaho Potato: Diagnose and Control Late Blight in Your Home Garden
Potato and tomato plants are susceptible to late blight, a disease caused by a fungal-like pathogen that caused the Irish Potato Famine of 1845–52. The disease is still with us today and continues...
Identification and Habits of Key Ant Pests in the Pacific Northwest
This publication describes the 12 most common ants characterized as structural pests in Washington, Idaho and Oregon. Drawings and descriptions follow an introduction to ants and their general...
Integrated Pest Management for Ants in Schools
Ant species are often beneficial in landscape settings. They aerate the soil, distribute seeds and play an important role in recycling organic matter. But the same ant species obtain pest status...
Integrated Pest Management for Ants in the Classroom
Ants invading school buildings is a commonly reported pest problem in the Pacific Northwest. Many ant species are remarkably capable of finding food and moisture and highly efficient at harvesting...
Integrated Pest Management for Bed Bugs in Schools
While schools are generally inhospitable to bed bugs, it's not uncommon to encounter bed bugs in school settings. Bed bugs sometimes stow away on articles being returned to school or drop off a...
Integrated Pest Management of Aphids in Cereals
Insect and disease pests are prevalent in both residential and commercial food production settings, meaning that a large number of Idahoans contend with them each year. Part of an integrated pest...
Integrated Pest Management of Armyworms
Insect and disease pests are prevalent in both residential and commercial food production settings, meaning that a large number of Idahoans contend with them each year. Part of an integrated pest...
Integrated Pest Management of Cutworms
Insect and disease pests are prevalent in both residential and commercial food production settings, meaning that a large number of Idahoans contend with them each year. Part of an integrated pest...
Integrated Pest Management of Fusarium Dry Rot in Potato
Insect and disease pests are prevalent in both residential and commercial food production settings, meaning that a large number of Idahoans contend with them each year. Part of an integrated pest...
Integrated Pest Management of Leafy Spurge
Leafy spurge is a highly invasive and aggressive weed that forms dense stands, significantly reducing the carrying capacity of rangelands or pastures by 50% to 75%. Part of an integrated pest...
Integrated Pest Management of Pea Aphids in Legumes
Insect and disease pests are prevalent in both residential and commercial food production settings, meaning that a large number of Idahoans contend with them each year. Part of an integrated pest...
Integrated Pest Management of Pea Leaf Weevil in Legumes
Insect and disease pests are prevalent in both residential and commercial food production settings, meaning that a large number of Idahoans contend with them each year. Part of an integrated pest...
Integrated Pest Management of Pea Weevil in Peas
Insect and disease pests are prevalent in both residential and commercial food production settings, meaning that a large number of Idahoans contend with them each year. Part of an integrated pest...
Iris Yellow Spot Virus: A Threat to Seed- and Bulb-Onion Crops in Idaho
Iris Yellow Spot Virus is a powerful viral pathogen that drastically slows onion growth, leading to major crop loss and higher production costs. It first appeared in Idaho in 1989, but has since...
La Enfermedad “Slime Flux” de los Árboles
'Slime flux,' o madera húmeda bacteriana, comúnmente afecta a los siguientes árboles de Idaho-Álamo de Norteamérica (cottonwood), sauce, olmo, y Álamo. Aprenda los síntomas de 'slime flux,' los...
Large Raspberry Aphid (Amphorophora agathonica)
Large raspberry aphid, Amphorophora agathonica , is an important pest in red and black raspberries in the Pacific Northwest. It transmits plant viruses that cause decreased cane vigor and fruit...
Manage Wildlife Conflicts in Your Home and Garden
Our homes and gardens often overlap with spaces and resources used by wild animals, both native and non-native. A "shared habitat" situation can pose some challenges when the animals' day-to-day...
Management of Vegetable Diseases in Home Gardens
Gives six practices to help you keep garden plants healthy, from disposing of plant residue at season's end to the occasional use of pesticides. Authors: W. Michael Colt, S. Krishna Mohan, Saad L.
Monitoring Insect Bucket Traps
Learn how to set up a bucket trap for monitoring flying insects. This method allows farmers, gardeners or other pest managers to learn more about insects entering their crops. The method works by...
Mothballs: Proper Use and Alternative Controls for Clothes Moths
Learn the right ways to use mothballs — chemical fumgiants — to protect your clothes and your health. Authors: David Stone, Tim Stock 3 pages
This publication addresses the common misconceptions associated with products labeled "natural" and "organic," and describes related insecticides intended for home gardening. Categories include...
This two-page fact sheet for use in the field offers recommendations for growing onions in Idaho, with pointers or information on growth stages and development, planting, fertilization, irrigation,...
Organic Management of Flea Beetles
Flea beetles are common garden pests found throughout the Pacific Northwest. Flea beetle feeding on plants in the Brassicaceae and Solanaceae families can scar foliage and potato tubers, leading to...
Peach Leaf Curl — Diagnosis and Disease Management in Idaho
Peach leaf curl is a fungal disease that destroys leaves, can cause cracking or corks in fruit, and can kill young peach, nectarine and almond trees if left untreated. With numerous color...
Pesticide Redistribution and Its Implications on Pesticide Efficacy
Pesticides that penetrate plant tissues or otherwise move to different parts of the plant may be more effective for some applications than pesticides that do not redistribute. Factor this property...
Potato Virus Y Management for the Seed Potato Producer
One of the most serious challenges facing seed potato producers is managing Potato virus Y, which causes stunting, foliar damage, wilting and sometimes plant death, even though some potato species...
Reading and Understanding Pesticide Labels
A pesticide label is a legal document whose content protects users, consumers and the environment. This useful seven-page bulletin shows you how to read and understand this carefully crafted...
Red Fire Bug — A New Idaho Invader?
The red fire bug, Pyrrhocoris apterus (Heteroptera: Pyrrhocoridae), is an introduced and invasive true bug with a vividly colored red and black body. Since its introduction and establishment, the...
If not caught early, slime flux (bacterial wetwood) create unsightly stains on and disagreeable odors around a number of Idaho trees, typically cottonwood, willow and elm. Worse, it can also kill...
Soil Insects and Other Arthropods in Palouse Agroecosystems
Soil arthropods play a significant role in the soil ecosystem. But producers tend to be more familiar with that of other soil creatures, like earthworms and microbes. To address the knowledge gap,...
Stay One Step Ahead: Leveraging the PNW Pest Alert Network for Smarter Crop Protection
With its diverse cropping systems and variable climates, the Pacific Northwest hosts an ever-shifting pest landscape that challenges growers daily. The Pacific Northwest Pest Alert Network is an...
Storage Management of Dakota Russet Potatoes
Dakota Russet is a multipurpose and popular potato cultivar whose Pacific Northwest acreage has expanded in recent years. With increased yields comes larger storage volumes. Based on the results of...