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The mullein moth, Cucullia verbasci, lays its eggs on verbascum, buddleia and figwort at the end of spring. Shortly after, from late spring to midsummer, the caterpillars demolish the foliage. Bad infestations can actually strip a plant. They then hide in the soil to pupate.Cater...

Pea and bean weevils are a nuisance but rarely a major problem on the veg patch. The larvae live in the soil and feed on the root nodules. Then when the adults emerge in June and July, they climb up the plants and eat the edges of the leaves. Thankfully, these 4mm-long, brown, sn...

The rose leaf rolling sawfly injects a chemical into young rose leaves to cause them to curl protectively around her eggs. Within a week the eggs hatch into green caterpillars that start to eat their home. In mid-summer, leaving behind skeletonised foliage, they crawl down into t...

, planting them 15cm apart in rows, with about 30cm between rowsPlace collars of card or carpet underlay around the stem base of newly transplanted brassicas to keep cabbage root fly awayPick off malformed or withered apples and any showing signs of pest

tender perennials, like fuchsias, from summer displays and bring into the greenhouseRaise roller blinds, but roll them back down on very bright daysLet sweet peppers develop their full colour and size before pickingLook out for pests and diseases

nursery presented me with a dead specimen found flying around indoors last year.Unlike the berberis sawfly, which has caused quite a running commentary on this blog, Cimbex is never a garden pest, since it never reaches pest proportions. Instead

. At each scale an ant would stop, tickle it with its antennae, and suck up the small droplet of honeydew that was presented.Neither of these insects has ever reached pest proportions in my garden, so I've never had need to regard them as pests. On the other

My annual pilgrimage to Gardeners' World Live has arrived, and what a week it will be. Although I'll be up at the NEC early to help put the finishing touches to our plans, the show officially opens its doors to gardeners at 9.00am on Wednesday 10th

Adam Pasco and I are talking about pests and diseases, using some seriously grim plant samples - some came from my own garden and travelled up here with me in the car. Adam claims the rest came from "a friend's garden", although I think they must come

to integrate some 'planned' piles of logs and prunings at the back of borders for these creatures, but they often have their own preferences for sheds and sheltered corners.The untidy gardener in me can use all those piles of autumn leaves and debris around