See All Pest, Disease and Weed Identification

The fall webworm is a widely distributed native pest that appears from late summer through early fall. It feeds on many species of deciduous trees and shrubs.

The European pine shoot moth is a key pest of ornamental pine plantings, pines in production nurseries, and Christmas trees in Pennsylvania.

Several species of ants commonly inhabit home lawns and ornamental plantings of trees and shrubs.

An annoying and troublesome pest that concerns numerous homeowners is the moth fly, also commonly known as the drain fly, filter fly, or sewage fly.

Thief ants are a native species that is found throughout the eastern United States. These ants are so small that they frequently go unnoticed in the home.

The German cockroach is a widely distributed urban pest. It is also the most common cockroach species in houses and other buildings.

The black vine weevil is a serious pest in nurseries and established landscape plantings.

The boxelder bug frequently becomes a nuisance pest around homes and buildings near plantings of the boxelder, Acer negundo.

The boxwood leafminer is a serious pest of Pennsylvania plantings of boxwood, Buxus spp.

The boxwood psyllid is a common pest of boxwood, Buxus spp. It is not considered as destructive as other boxwood pests.

Silverfish, Lepisma saccharina, and firebrats, Thermobia domestica, are insects that are mostly a nuisance pest in homes.

Yellow garden spiders are seen in gardens, tall weeds, and sunny areas with bushes and other supporting structures on which they build their large orb webs.

The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) was first collected in September of 1998 in Allentown, but probably arrived several years earlier.

Many species of aphids or plant lice occur on ornamental trees and shrubs in Pennsylvania.

There are a variety of gall-forming species of small wasps that commonly infest oak trees in Pennsylvania.

The magnolia scale is one of the largest scale insects in the United States. It feeds only on magnolia.

The Japanese maple scale is a recently detected pest of a wide range of woody host plants in Pennsylvania.

Millipedes are many-segmented, wormlike arthropods found throughout Pennsylvania. They usually go unnoticed in damp locations under leaves, rocks, and boards.

The pine needle scale is a key native pest of pine, Douglas-fir, spruce, and cedar in landscapes, nurseries, and Christmas tree plantations in Pennsylvania.

The potato leafhopper has been noted on more than 200 host plants, many of which are ornamental plants. However, this insect is best known as a field crop pest.

Pseudoscorpions are tiny arachnids with four pairs of legs and one pair of pedipalps (pincer-like claws). Pseudoscorpions are neither dangerous, nor destructive.

The rhododendron borer is a native pest of rhododendron, sometimes attacking mountain laurel and deciduous azaleas growing adjacent to infested host plants.

Rose-seed Megastigmus is a tiny seed-infesting wasp that is common in homes and establishments where dried flowers and potpourri containing rose hips are found.

The snailcase bagworm is a moth (family Psychidae) that was accidentally introduced into the United States from Europe in the 1940s.

Plant bugs are a large, diverse family of insects that feed by sucking sap from plants, especially parts with high rates of cell division like buds and flowers.