• Walnut husk fly

  General The walnut husk fly ( Rhagoletis completa) is of American origin. It occurs in Europe since the 1990s and is now established in several European countries where it a pest of walnut. Damage symptoms Infested fruits bear a small, back oviposition scar. Later the surface of the fruit blackens and the underlying tissue is destroyed and turns black as well. When the fruit is opened the larvae can be seen; there can be up to 25 larvae in a fruit.

• Hemispherical scale

  General The hemispherical or helmet scale, Saissetia coffeae , occurs widely in tropical regions and in greenhouses throughout the world. It is a severe pest in coffee and citrus. Many ornamental crops can also be affected, including various different species of fern, orchid, ficus, oleander and carnation. Damage symptoms The scales present are usually quite easy to see as shiny brown domes on leaf undersides close to the midribs. They produce large

• Olive scale

  General The olive scale, Saissetia oleae , is a cosmopolitan pest of citrus and olives and occurs widely in tropical regions and in greenhouses throughout the world. It is a severe pest in coffee and citrus. Many ornamental crops can also be affected. Damage symptoms Olive scales produce large amounts of honeydew causing build-up of sticky deposits on nearby surfaces. The honeydew may attract attendant ants and sooty moulds grow on the sugary deposits

• Brown soft scale

  General The brown soft scale Coccus hesperidum is very common in tropical and sub-tropical regions and is also a common pest in greenhouses throughout the world. C. hesperidum has many host plants, including sub-tropical fruit crops (citrus, papaya, etc.) and ornamentals such as schefflera, ficus, hibiscus, oleander, palms, ferns and orchids. Damage symptoms The scales produce enormous quantities of honeydew. This is usually the first visible

• Cherry fruit fly

  General The cherry fruit fly ( Rhagoletis cerasi ) is the most important sweet cherries pest in Europe. In addition, it also attacks a few other species of the genus Prunus . Damage symptoms The exit holes are visible on infested cherries. Infested fruits often rot, are unmarketable as fresh fruit and may be rejected by processors. Life cycle and appearance of Cherry fruit fly The adult cherry fruit fly is 3.5-5 mm long. It has a black body with

• Soybean looper

  General In Brazil, the species has become a serious phytosanitary problem in the soya bean crop, with various outbreaks occurring, either in isolation or associated with the velvetbean caterpillar . C. includens is a polyphagous insect that can develop on at least 73 host plants, belonging to 29 families. Initially, the caterpillars of the pest were observed attacking beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), cabbage, okra, sweet potato, tobacco, and tomato

• Southern armyworm

  General The southern armyworm ( Spodoptera eridania ) is a pest of various agricultural crops in Southern and Central America and the Caribbean. It is a polyphagous species that attacks corn, cotton, rice and soy crops, amongst others. It is considered a pest in areas of cultivation in the savannah. Symptoms and damage The caterpillars cause serious leaf loss and feed greedily when they are young, often leaving only the stems. When they mature,

• Velvetbean caterpillar

  General The velvetbean caterpillar Anticarsia gemmatalis is considered the main foliage feeding pests in the Americas and is one of the most common species affecting the soya bean crop. Its season of occurrence is correlated with the latitude where the crops are located; it has been observed that at lower latitudes, the attacks occur earlier while in the south of the country, the attacks occur later. It attacks Alfafa (Medicago sativa), Cotton

• Olive fly

  General The olive fruit fly ( Bactrocera oleae ) is the most serious pest for olives. It is widely distributed from the Canary Islands to India and common throughout the Mediterranean region. The olive fruit fly was introduced into California in the late 1990s and is now causing extensive damage there as well. Damage symptoms The larvae (maggots) of the olive fruit fly feed inside the fruit, destroying the pulp and allowing the entry of secondary

• Pea leaf miner

  General The pea leaf miner (Liriomyza huidobrensis), occurs in a variety of vegetable and ornamental crops. It originates from South and Middle America and has subsequently spread via plant material. It is now wide-spread across the world. This species can be particularly damaging to leaf vegetables and causes problems especially in lettuce grown on open ground. Damage symptoms Leaf miners cause damage to plants both directly and indirectly. The