Articles
Gardening Articles
Research-based horticulture information to help keep your plants and gardens thriving.
Early Blight
Early blight is a common fungal disease that can devastate tomatoes in commercial and home gardens. Learn about symptoms and management in this factsheet.
Trellising, Staking and Caging – Vertical gardening techniques for vine-type vegetables
Various trellising, staking and caging techniques can be used with vine-type fruits and vegetables to enhance yield, minimize disease, and ease harvesting. Find techniques for your garden here.
Millipedes
Phil Pellitteri, UW Insect Diagnostic Lab Revised: 17/12/2016 Item number: XHT1108 Millipedes can become pests in late summer and fall, as well as during wet periods, when they are found in large numbers in and around the home. These harmless, hard-shelled, segmented worms feed on decaying organic matter in the soil and can be easily […]
Pavement Ants
Rachel Arango, UW-Madison Entomology and Phil Pellitteri, UW Insect Diagnostic Lab Revised: 1/27/2008 Item number: XHT1160 Background: Native to Europe, pavement ants were introduced into eastern North America in the 1700’s, and have become a common indoor problem in Wisconsin in recent years. Pavement ants feed on foods rich in proteins (e.g., meats, nuts, cheese), […]
Onion Thrips
Onion thrips are an important annual pest of onion, and can attack other garden crops as well, including leeks and garlic. Learn about these pests in this factsheet.
Onion Maggot
Onion maggots are a common and often serious pest of plants in the onion family, including onions, leeks, shallots, garlic and chives. Learn about these pests, the damage they cause, and control here.
Mealybugs
Mealybugs are slow-moving, small, oval insects covered in white cottony wax. This factsheet describes the identification, biology and management of this insect pest.
Masked Hunter Bug
Phil Pellitteri, UW Insect Diagnostic Lab Revised: 1/20/2009 Item number: XHT1184 The masked hunter bug (Reduvius personatus) is a type of assassin bug that is commonly found indoors. The common name of this insect comes from the fact that the immature stage of the insect (the nymph) covers itself with dust and debris. These true […]
Powder Post Beetles
Phil Pellitteri, UW Insect Diagnostic Lab Revised: 4/27/2004 Item number: XHT1053 Powder post beetles attack porous hardwoods such as oak, walnut, mahogany, hickory and maple. Unheated buildings, very damp basements, barns, seasoned firewood, and lumber stored outdoors are most often attacked. Indoors, beetles can be found infesting hardwood flooring and trim, barn boards, rough-sawn timbers, […]
Pseudoscorpions
Phil Pellitteri, UW Insect Diagnostic Lab Revised: 4/27/2004 Item number: XHT1112 Have you ever found a strange, scorpion-like creature in your home? Pseudoscorpions are common, but rarely seen. They are harmless, small (1/16 to 1/8 inch long), tick-shaped critters that have a large pair of pincers, but lack the long tail and stinger of a […]
Sawtoothed Grain Beetle
Phil Pellitteri, UW Insect Diagnostic Lab Revised: 4/27/2004 Item number: XHT1111 The sawtoothed grain beetle and the closely related Merchant grain beetle are common pests in the kitchen where they infest grains, cereals, pasta, pet food, straw flowers, tea, old rodent bait, candy bars, flour, spices, and other dried plant material such as potpourri. Sawtoothed […]
Soil Contaminants in Community Gardens
Before siting and starting a community garden, learn about types and sources of potential contaminants, the basics of soil testing, and how to limit exposure to contaminants in this publication.
