NSW Department of Primary Industries

Insect pests and plant diseases

More topics in this section
ThumbnailTitleCrops/s affected
Yellow top borer moth with yellow-brown body and wings extended Yellow top borer
 Multiple hosts
Twelve circular orange and black bugs surrounding twelve empty whitish cylindrical eggs all sitting on a green leaf Yellow spotted stink bug
 Multiple hosts
Shield shaped insect, brown in colour with long thin antennae and a yellow triangular marking on the back. Western plant bug
 Multiple hosts
Macadamia nut with husk opened to reaveal tunelling damage and borers within Tropical nut borer
 Nuts
Tomato red spider mite among leaf hairs Tomato red spider mite
 Multiple hosts
A closeup of many insects on a leaf Tomato Potato Psyllid
Infected tomato fruit that are misshapen and light green or brown coloured. Infected tomato leaves that are mottled dark green and light green Tomato brown rugose fruit virus
 Tomatoes
A cotton crop, seemingly healthy and green, is scattered with sections of dead brown cotton plants. Texas root rot
 Cotton
A cut plant stem revealing a tunnel and a small white caterpillar with a brown head Sugarcane stem borer
Sugarcane internode borer moth with wings extended and a short body Sugarcane internode borer
 Multiple hosts
Two leaves being held up by a human hand, leaves are green with significant brown patches Sudden oak death
 Multiple hosts
Person holding an orange which has been cut open to reveal thick rind at the base and thin rind at the top Stubborn
 Citrus
Magnified image of 2 light green insects on a slightly darker green background Sth African citrus thrips
 Citrus
Stem borer
 Rice
A raspberry with a small brown fly on the surface Spotted wing drosophila
 Multiple hosts
Spotted stem borer moth with a small yellow-brown body and 20-25 mm wingspan. The moths have yellow-brown forewings with darker scale patterns. The hindwings are dirty-white grey. Spotted stem borer
 Grains
A patch in a soybean crop infested by soybean cyst nematodes with leaf yellowing and stunting of the affected plants. Soybean cyst nematode
 Pulses
Aphids massing on soybean Soybean aphid
 Pulses
Green tomato leaf with grey/white squiggly lines Serpentine leafminer
 Multiple hosts
Two images of different species of sawyer beetles. The left showing a darker greyish black beetle while the right is reddish brown. Both beetles are otherwise similar shape and size. Sawyer beetles
 Forestry and timber products
Figure 4. Discolouration of wheat leaves caused by Russian wheat aphid Russian wheat aphid
Green grape leaf with discoloured segments that are light greenish-yellow Rotbrenner
 Grapes
Apple leaves that have curled over and become misshapen Rosy apple aphid
 Apples
Close up image of a small brown and grey weevil on a green stem of a rice plant Rice water weevil
 Rice
Green rice leaves with white patches that have brown edges Rice blast
 Rice
Red turpentine beetle Red turpentine beetle
Pear-shaped scales, brown and with white waxy fringes, on a greyish green leaf Pyriform scale
 Multiple hosts
Large green kiwifruit leaf with brown lesions surrounded by yellow halo PSA in Kiwifruit
 Kiwifruit
Potato tubers with wart like growths protruding from the surface Potato wart
 Potatoes
Healthy potato plants surround a plant infected with PSTVd Potato Spindle Tuber Viroid
A potato crop with a definitive patch of stunted plants surrounded by the healthy crop Potato cyst nematodes pest information and biosecurity
Polyphagous shot hole borer
Three plum leaves with mottled light green and brown patches (Biologische Bundesanstalf für Land-und Forstwirtschaft) Plum pox
 Stone fruit
Reddish brown weevil with large snout on a bright green leaf Plum curculio
 Multiple hosts
Female pink gypsy moth with wings expanded showing white and grey patterning of forewing and pink colouring of hindwing Pink gypsy moth
 Multiple hosts
1 Dieback of radiata pine infested with pine nematodes Pine nematodes
 Forestry and timber products
Grapevine with leaves that have yellowed Pierce's disease
 Grapes
Light green pecan pods with mottled brown markings extending from the tip to the stem Pecan scab
 Nuts
Banana tree with some green healthy leaves at top surrounded by yellowed and browned leaves that have drooped Panama TR4
 Banana
Black and yellow flies on fruit. Oriental fruit fly
 Multiple hosts
Brown and tan coloured moth on a green grape Omnivorous leafroller
 Grapes
A row of olive trees in an orchard showing scattered browning throughout the otherwise green canopy Olive quick decline
 Olives
Two images of adult nun moths placed side by side. Image on left is of a primarily white moth with dark brown wavy patterning on wings. Image on left is of a primarily grey-brown moth with similar dark brown wavy patterning. Nun moth
 Multiple hosts
Brown moth sitting on a pistachio Navel orangeworm
 Citrus
Myrtle rust
Leaves of a blueberry plant that are browned and dying from the petiole. Some leaves with complete leaf blight and a tan spore mass at the base of one leaf Mummy berry
 Berries
Lemon tree with top branches almost completely defoliated Mal secco
 Citrus
Maize crop with patches of pale green, severely stunted plants Maize cyst nematode
 Grains
Signs of the symptoms appearing on this plant Lupin anthracnose
Little cherry virus image 2 Little cherry disease
A green tomato fruit hanging from a tomato vine with a circular dark brown late blight lesion on its skin. Late blight
 Potatoes
A small brown beetle and a larger lighter brown larva with many hairs, on grains of rice. The adult beetle is smaller than the rice grains, the larva is roughly the same size as a rice grain Khapra beetle
 Multiple hosts
Infected rice grains on left showing brown patches on grains, uninfected rice grains on right with even cream/tan colour Kernel smut rice
 Rice
Grapefruit leaves that have yellowed especially along leaf veins Huanglongbing
 Citrus
Asian giant hornet on a leaf eating a honey bee. Hornets
 Environmental and ornamental plants
Magnified image of a hazelnut mite showing oval body, black brown colouring and fine hairs covering the body. Hazelnut mite
 Nuts
Green grape leaf with many small reddish-brown spots covering the upper surface Grapevine leaf rust
 Grapes
Brownish grey snail shell showing opening and the snail flesh Golden apple snail
 Rice
Adult glassy winged sharpshooter showing dark brown colouring, transparent, red veined wings and white chalky spots about half way down the outer edge of each wing Glassywing sharpshooter
 Multiple hosts
Closeup of a cluster of about 20 giant willow aphids feeding in a close group on a twig Giant willow aphid
Figure 3. Pine tree infested with giant pine scale has white waxy substance in cracks of bark(Image: VIC DEDJTR) Giant pine scale
Giant African snail being held in the palm of a hand Giant African snail
 Multiple hosts
healthy patch of muskmelons with a section of wilted and yellowing leaves in the centre Fusarium root rot
 Melons
Branch of apple tree that has curled into a hook shape and leaves are browned and dying Fire blight
 Apples
A green leaf with a long thin caterpillar on the leaf surface. The caterpillar is light brown with whitish stripes and a very dark brown head Fall armyworm
 Multiple hosts
Composite image showing at right black fly with yellow spot on back, yellow marking on head, and long translucent wings with black veins. At left black fly with larger yellow spot on back and brighter yellow marking on head. Exotic leafminers
 Multiple hosts
EHB larvae to beetle comparison European House Borer
Small tree branch with area of orange-dark brown canker on bark European canker
 Apples
Eumusae leaf spot disease on an infected banana leaf Eumusae leaft spot disease
 Banana
A single elm tree with Dutch elm disease. Many of its leaves have yellowed, curled and turned brown. The infected tree is also partially defoliated. Dutch elm disease
 Environmental and ornamental plants
A cotton plant with whole leaves curled and cupping upwards Cotton leaf curl disease
 Cotton
Cotton plants in a field showing a stunted plant surrounded by healthy vigorous plants Cotton blue disease
 Cotton
A coffee bean with a small black beetle on the surface Coffee berry borer
 Coffee
Young maize plant with green leaves but where the youngest still unfolded leaves at the top of the plant have died and are light green-brown Coastal stalk borer
 Grains
Underside of citrus leaf showing small freckle like brown patches to larger brown lesions surrounded by yellowing leaf tissue Citrus variegated chlorosis
 Citrus
Stem, fruit and leaf of an orange tree all with greenish yellow lesions on part of surface Citrus leprosis virus
 Citrus
Green citrus leaves with orange spots Citrus canker
 Citrus
Chickpea crop with large patches of yellowed plants interspersed with small patches of green healthy plants Chickpea cyst nematode
 Pulses
Bark of a chestnut tree discoloured to a bright orange brown in comparison to the normal olive green colour of healthy bark Chestnut blight
Cherry fruit with a black fly with brown mark on head Cherry fruit fly
 Cherries
Person holding a small cucumber with mottled and blotchy skin CGMMV
 Melons
Brown coloured wheat roots that are tangled/knotted caused by endemic cereal cyst nematodes. The small white balls on the roots are cereal cyst nematodes. Cereal cyst nematodes
 Grains
Cedar pine branch with orange tentacle-like fungal growths Cedar apple rust
 Apples
Two small, unmarketable carrot cyst nematode infested carrot roots with an Carrot cyst nematode
 Vegetables
Candidatus
a large black beetle with black legs and black curved antennae Burnt pine longhorn beetle
 Forestry and timber products
Burning moth specimen with spread wings and golden body hairs pinned to a grey background. Burning moth
 Multiple hosts
Green apple with large brown patch and also circular grey fungal growth Brown rot
 Apples
Brown marmorated stink bug Brown marmorated stink bug
 Multiple hosts
Four blueberry fruit showing areas of brown discolouration and yellow rust pustules around the base Blueberry rust
Blueberry leaftier moth with wings folded showing rust and yellow colouring Blueberry leaftier
 Berries
colony of around 20 aphids on the underside of a blueberry leaf. Ranging in size and colour from yellow to green. One black winged aphid can be seen. Blueberry aphid
 Berries
Blood disease evident on banana tree Blood disease
 Banana
Banana leaf with fungal lesions that are dead at the centre, have a black margin and surrounded by yellow Black sigatoka
 Banana
Two unripe bananas with brown fungal spots all over Banana freckle
 Banana
Banana plant with leaves that are very upright rather than horizontally fanned out Banana bunchy top
 Banana
A dark, red brown mosaic pattern on the banana flower Banana bract mosaic virus
 Banana
Yellow-brown moth with wings extended Bamboo leaf roller
 Environmental and ornamental plants
Rice crop with one plant with light yellow leaves sticking up higher than surrounding plants Bakanae
 Rice
Seed head of a rice plant with some seeds brown and upright, indicating they are diseased Bacterial panicle blight
 Rice
Leaves on a branch of an almond tree showing browning (scorching) of leaf margins with a distinct band of yellow leaf tissue between the brown and green sections of the leaves Bacterial leaf scorch in tree nuts
 Nuts
Green leaves of a blueberry bush with brown, or scorched, margins. Scorched pattern reaches toward the center vein of the leaf in sections. Bacterial leaf scorch blueberry
 Berries
Grapevine branches with leaves that have wilted and died Bacterial blight
 Grapes
Circular cross section of a branch with borer holes and an asian long horn beetle on the surface. Beetle is black with white dots and long black and white striped antennae Asian long-horned beetle
 Multiple hosts
Male and female Asian gypsy moths shown in same picture. The female is primarly white with a longer, narrower body shape than the male. The male is primarily brown. Both have brown wavy patterning on the wings. Asian gypsy moth
 Multiple hosts
psyllid insect on a leaf (magnified) Asian Citrus Psyllid
 Citrus
Two hawthorn berries, one with a fly on the surface Apple maggot
 Apples
Apple leaves curled tightly upwards and the leaf edges are rolled together into distorted tubes Apple leaf curling midge
 Apples
Green grape leaves on vine, one leaf has a brown misshapen patch Angular leaf scorch
 Grapes
yellow and black fly on a green leaf American serpentine leafminer
 Multiple hosts
Psyllid insect on a green leaf with a yellow background African Citrus Psyllid
 Citrus
www.dpi.nsw.gov.au