It ’s hard to know if your embrown lawn or swag blossom are suffering from disease , deficiency of water , poor nourishment or something else entirely . The symptoms of root - eating insects , including deprivation of plant energy , stunted growth , wilting and discolouration , often resemble plant life disease or deficiencies . If you suspect stem - feed dirt ball are damaging your industrial plant , dig the soil around the plant and sift through it for worm . You may have to dig up the intact works to to the full scrutinize its source and right identify the pest .

Beetle Grubs

Immature beetle , called grubs , are lightly colored with moody , hard heads . Most have six legs , mature up to 1 column inch long and typically dwell in a " 100 " shape . Japanese and June mallet grubs , along with the legless grubs of longsighted - nosed beetles , called weevil , are common ascendent - feeding pest of vegetables , turfgrasses and decorative plant . The presence of adult beetles and evidence of prod by raccoons and so-and-so are indicator of root - eat grubs . Pick adult beetles off plants and miss them in a bucketful of soapy weewee . do by larvae underground with the parasitical nematode Heterorhabditis bacteriophora , uncommitted from garden suppliers in granule or other forms . Mix 1 teaspoon of the nematode worm , which fare box in inert powder , in 1 gallon of water . atomizer during overcast conditions onto moist soil or turf . Keep the region moist for the next seven days .

Fly Maggots

Root - feeding fly ball larvae , or maggots , are pale , legless , tube - work creatures measuring approximately 1/4 - inch long . Common plague of root vegetables and other plants , root maggots cause droop , yellow and stunted growing in host plants . Young flora are most vulnerable to ascendent maggot in nerveless , wet leap . No effective handling live for these pests once they are instal in your plants . naturalize the soil well in the downfall to remove all plant debris , including ascendent , where root maggot pupae obscure for the winter .

Moth Caterpillars

With their clear wings and striped marking , adult Sesiidae , or clearwing moths look standardised to wasps and bee . Caterpillar of these moth are frequent feeders on the roots of trees , shrubs and vine . Keep roots goodly with loosely tamp down dirt for atomic number 8 and right irrigation for the particular plant life . When cultural methods fail and plants show serious preindication of hurt , apply epenthetic nematodes to kill pest caterpillars .

Cicadas and Aphids

expectant , noisy cicadas lay eggs in twigs , which then pass and settle to the dry land . The eggs concoct , and nymphs burrow into the soil where they flow on roots for several years . The feeding inflicts only minor terms and is rarely a cause for fear . Aphids are midget , pear tree - shaped insect that suck the sap out of plants . While most metal money favour leave-taking and stems , some aphid attack fruit tree and vegetable roots . Aphid discourse normally work on contact with the pest . No current treatments are available for belowground aphids , but these pests seldom cause significant damage . Rotate veggie crop to stave off increasing population of root aphids .

References

Cicada

Macro shot with worm

Maggot of fly for sport fisherman.

Hawk moth caterpillar

Aphids