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infestations, scrape off the scales by hand and dispose of them. For heavy infestations, prune out those branches that are badly affected. Spray with a plant oil wash in winter.euonymusmid-July, early September, winterMore common garden pestsWhiteflyLeaf miner

.virtually anything from tomatoes to honeysuckleearly spring to autumnDealing with other garden pestsWoolly aphidsWhiteflyPear leaf blister miteLeafhopper

. The adults have six legs and a pair of antennae, moving in the open at night, chewing the edges of leaves. This isn't itself a problem, but the fact that each adult is a female, laying almost 1,000 eggs in summer, is alarming.Holes and notches chewed out

. Take care not to disturb the beetles before an application, or they'll jump out of harm's way.brassica seedlings, nasturtiums, alyssum, anemone, stocks, cleome, godetiaspring, summerMore common garden pestsLily beetleRosemary leaf beetleCapsid bugsLeatherjackets

or they'll fly off.At the first sign of attack, spray plants with acetamiprid or sunflower oil. Treatment is more effective on larvae than adults.lilies, fritillaries and Solomon's sealspring, summer, autumnMore common garden pestsPollen beetleFlea beetle

.cacti, succulents,greenhouse and house plantssummer, autumn, winterMore common garden pestsAphidsPhormium mealybugThripsWhitefly

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...

The large, beautiful caterpillar larvae of the elephant hawk moth has two pairs of eye markings, which are made even more prominent when it withdraws its head into its body. They are, typically, a blackish-brown colour but are sometimes green, and though their 'eyes' make them lo...

More common garden pestsRosemary leaf beetleLily beetleVine weevilThrips

Tiny sap-sucking scale insects. They are 1-6mm long, and their whitish, grey-brown shells are covered by protective, waxy scales. The insects don't cause too much damage unless they are present in huge numbers, but some excrete an unsightly, sticky