Cole Crops

Aphids, other

Identification tips: Green peach aphids are dark green or yellow and have no waxy covering. They are the most common in cole crops, but also look for turnip aphid.

Bagrada bug

Identification tips: Adults are about 0.2 inch and have black, shield-shaped bodies with distinct orange and white markings. Look for stippled or wilted areas on leaves and new shoots or heads of plants that become stunted.

Beet armyworm

Identification tips: Adults lay their eggs in scale-covered cottony masses on leaf surfaces. Larvae are dull green and have light-colored stripes down the back and sides. They can destroy seedlings, consume leaves, or stunt growth by feeding on buds.

Cabbage aphid

Identification tips: Grayish-green with a white waxy coating. Dense colonies covered with waxy droplets develop. They are found feeding deep within the heads of cabbages or Brussels sprouts.

Cabbage looper

Identification tips: Larvae are green, smooth-skinned, about 1.5 inches long, and have two white stripes along each side. They eat ragged holes into leaves, and bore through and contaminate heads and leaves with frass.

Silverleaf Whitefly

Identification tips: Adults are about 0.5 inch long, yellowish insects with white wings. Feeding frequently causes leaves to turn whitish or silver.