Protect Annuals from Insects and Animals

Insects and animals will try to infest your garden. The following chart will help you identify and cure common garden pests for annuals.

Picture of yellow poppy, horned poppy.
Like all garden annuals, horned poppy is at risk
of being attacked by insects and animals.
Symptom Cause Cure Annuals
Cluster of small, soft-bodied insects on buds and growth tips; sticky secretions may be evident
 Aphids Spray with rotenone or malathion* in evening.
 Pot Marigold, Nasturtium, Primrose, Sweet Pea
Leaves chewed away; hard-shelled beetles on plant and burrowed into flowers
 Beetles of various kinds
 Spray with rotenone or Sevin* **; pick by hand and destroy.
 Gourds, Hollyhock, American/French Marigold, Zinnia
Growth tips wilted; small hole in plant stem at point where wilting begins
 Borers Snap off at level of hole; spray with endosulfan*, pyrethrum, or rotenone.
 Gourds, American/French Marigold, Ornamental Corn, Zinnia
Leaves and flowers chewed away; caterpillars on plant
 Caterpillars of various kinds and sizes
 Pick off by hand and destroy; spray with pyrethrum, malathion*, or Bacillus thuringiensis.
 Nicotiana, Ornamental or Flowering Cabbage, Petunia
Entire young plants wilted; partially or entirely chewed through at ground level
 Cutworms Dig in soil around plant base; find rolled up caterpillars and destroy; circle plant with cardboard collar on edge (1 inch below ground and 1 inch above ground).
 China Pink, Nicotiana, Ornamental or Flowering Cabbage, Petunia
Leaves peppered with small round holes; small triangular-shaped bugs seen when disturbed
 Leaf Hoppers
 Spray with malathion* or methoxychlor*; dust with diatomaceous earth.
 Aster, Dahlia, Pot Marigold
Leaves "painted" with whitish, curling trails
 Leaf Miners
 Spray with malathion*; remove badly infested leaves.
 China Pink, Hollyhock
White or pinkish fuzzy clumps on stems and at base of leaves; sticky to the touch
 Mealybugs Spray with malathion* or pyrethrum; hand kill by painting each bug with alcohol.
 Asparagus Fern, Moses-in-a-Boat, Transvaal Daisy
Slime trails on plants; soft sticky slugs on plants after dark; holes eaten in leaves
 Slugs and Snails
 Set out shallow containers of beer; set out metaldehyde slug bait*; pick by hand.
 Hollyhock, Nicotiana, Petunia, Primrose
Leaves yellowing with speckled look; fine spider webs on plant; tiny bugs on backs of leaves
 Spider Mites
 Spray with a miticide* on backs of leaves; wash or spray with soapy water.
 Flowering Maple, Impatiens, Primrose
Small glob of white bubbles on plant stem or leaves; small insect hidden inside
 Spittlebugs Ignore unless very pervasive; spray with malathion*; wash off repeatedly with hose.
 Bachelor's Button, Four O'Clock
Brown or white flecks on plant leaves
 Thrips Spray with malathion* or dust with sulphur.
 Gladiolus
Cloud of tiny white flies fluttering around plant
 White Flies
 Spray with malathion* or diazinon*; use yellow sticky traps.
 Heliotrope, Lantana, Morning Glory Vine
* Inorganic treatment
** Copyrighted brand name

Protecting your plants from diseases is of course just as important as keeping them free of insects and animals. Go to the next page to read more about plant diseases.

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