Beetles

Coleoptera Beetles What are beetles? Beetles belong to the order Coleoptera, a well-known group of insects that are easily recognizable on account of their hard wing covers (elytra). With more than 35

Litchi moth

General Litchi moth ( Cryptophlebia peltastica ) is native to Southern Africa and also occurs on the Indian Ocean islands of Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion and Seychelles. Litchi moth is polyphagous a

Flies

Diptera Flies What are flies? There are several flies that are pests in agriculture, horticulture and mushroom cultivation. Species that can cause damage or nuisance, are particularly small flies of t

Codling moth

General The codling moth ( Cydia pomonella ) is a notorious, worldwide pest of apple and also occasionally of pear, quince, peach and other fruits. It is very common in Europe. Damage symptoms After i

False codling moth

General False codling moth ( Thaumatotibia leucotreta ) is native to sub-Saharan Africa and is found in all citrus production areas in Southern Africa. It also occurs on some of the Indian and Atlanti

California red scale

General information Red scale or California red scale (Aonidiella aurantii) belongs to the Diaspididae family and is a pest found worldwide, mainly in citrus, but also in fig, cotton, mango, banana, a

Tobacco whitefly

General The tobacco whitefly ( Bemisia tabaci ) belongs to the family Aleyrodidae , and the sub-family Aleyrodinae . This insect was first identified on tobacco in Greece in 1889, hence the name tabac

Avocado

About The avocado ( Persea americana ), also named ‘alligator pear’ is a tree originating in South Central Mexico. Its nick name points to its fruit which is botanically speaking a large berry with on

Macadamia nut borer

General The macadamia nut borer ( Thaumatotibia batrachopa ) is native to Africa and was originally described from the Eastern Cape province in South Africa. Macadamia is the major host of this moth,

Thrips

Thysanoptera Thrips What are thrips? Several species of thrips are a major problem in greenhouse horticulture. The Western flower thrips ( Frankliniella occidentalis ) is the most damaging species. Th