{"id":6210,"date":"2026-02-11T03:37:18","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T11:37:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wrwofficial.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/11\/how-to-identify-and-control-15-common-pea-pests\/"},"modified":"2026-02-11T03:37:22","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T11:37:22","slug":"how-to-identify-and-control-15-common-pea-pests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wrwofficial.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/11\/how-to-identify-and-control-15-common-pea-pests\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Identify and Control 15 Common Pea Pests"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A biopesticide that contains Beauveria bassiana<\/em>, which is a beneficial fungus, is effective in killing the adults.<\/p>\n

The fungus causes white muscardine disease beetles like cowpea curculios without harming beneficial insects like bees and butterflies.<\/p>\n

The spray is harmless to plants, and treated produce is safe to eat right away, even on the day of application.<\/p>\n

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BioCeres WP<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Arbico Organics carries<\/a><\/strong> a powder that can be mixed with water to create a spray called BioCeres WP. Pick it up in pound bags.<\/p>\n

6. Cutworms<\/h2>\n

Cutworms are larvae of night flying moths in the Noctuidae family, the same ones that flap around your porch lights at night.<\/p>\n

They exist on every continent in every area except Antarctica.<\/p>\n

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Adult moths lay eggs on plants, which hatch into grubs that can reach up to two inches long.<\/p>\n

Since cutworms vary dramatically in appearance, the easiest way to identify one is to poke it gently \u2013 if it curls into a C shape, you\u2019ve found your culprit.<\/p>\n

These grubs emerge from the soil at night to chew through the herbaceous stems of young plants at ground level.<\/p>\n

A healthy pea seedling in the evening can be toppled and dying by morning.<\/p>\n

Learn more about cutworms here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

7. Herbivores<\/h2>\n

Deer, rabbits, voles, mice, and gophers all love the tender leaves, tendrils, flowers, and stems. I\u2019ve watched deer devour an entire pea plant down to the ground.<\/p>\n

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Growing in containers is the best defense against underground pests like gophers, while fencing or row covers works better for deer and rabbits.<\/p>\n

We have an entire guide on effective methods for protecting your garden from deer<\/a><\/strong> and a separate one for dealing with rabbits<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

8. Japanese Beetles<\/h2>\n

Japanese beetles (Popillia japonica<\/em>) are serious pests, even if their jewel-like iridescent green, brown, and bronze bodies make them surprisingly attractive.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t let the pretty exterior fool you \u2013 these beetles can devastate a garden.<\/p>\n

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In large numbers, they\u2019ll skeletonize entire plants, and they won\u2019t stop at peas.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ll move on to roses, apples<\/a><\/strong>, cherries, hollyhocks<\/a><\/strong>, marigolds<\/a><\/strong>, basil<\/a><\/strong>, and soybeans. The grubs also feed on turfgrass roots.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s alarmingly easy to end up with huge populations because when one beetle finds food, it releases a pheromone that alerts every other beetle in the area.<\/p>\n

They can quickly turn a healthy plant into a sickly, stunted, or dead one.<\/p>\n

Learn about how to deal with Japanese beetles here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

9. Leaf Miners<\/h2>\n

Leafminers are small flies that lay eggs on pea plants.<\/p>\n

When the eggs hatch and the larvae emerge, they tunnel through the leaves as they feed, leaving maze-like trails of dead tissue behind.<\/p>\n

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Pea leafminers (Liriomyza huidobrensis<\/em>) originated in South America but have spread throughout the warmer parts of North America.<\/p>\n

But there are other species that feed on peas and they appear in every part of North America except northern Canada.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just that the tunnels are unsightly. The feeding can lead to reduced yields.<\/p>\n

Learn how to deal with leaf miners here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

10. Pea Moths<\/h2>\n

Pea moths (Cydia nigricana<\/em> syn. Laspeyresia nigricana<\/em>) aren\u2019t widespread, but they\u2019re particularly problematic because you won\u2019t know they\u2019re present until it\u2019s too late.<\/p>\n

The first sign is usually when you shell your peas or bite into a snap pea and discover half-inch white caterpillars wriggling inside, or evidence of their feeding \u2013 holes in the seeds and frass.<\/p>\n

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Left undisturbed, these caterpillars drop to the ground to overwinter. In spring, they pupate and emerge as half-inch grayish-brown moths.<\/p>\n

The adults mate and lay eggs on pea plants, and when those eggs hatch, the larvae tunnel into developing pods to continue the cycle.<\/p>\n

To control pea moths, start by removing any weeds in the legume family from around your garden. When the garden bed is fallow, till the top inch of soil to expose overwintering larvae.<\/p>\n

You can\u2019t effectively spray insecticides because the larvae are protected inside the pods, but you can apply kaolin clay to plants in spring as a deterrent to adult moths.<\/p>\n

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Surround WP Kaolin Clay<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Snag 25 pounds at Arbico Organics<\/a><\/strong> and follow the manufacturer\u2019s directions for spraying plants.<\/p>\n

11. Pea Weevils<\/h2>\n

Pea weevils (Bruchus pisorum<\/em>) are misnamed \u2013 they\u2019re actually leaf beetles, not true weevils, though they certainly do feed on peas.<\/p>\n

These beetles arrived in North America from Europe in the 1600s and now occur throughout the continent except northern Canada. They\u2019re incredibly damaging and difficult to control.<\/p>\n

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The adults are oval-shaped beetles up to seven millimeters long with mottled cream, brown, and black shells.<\/p>\n

Females lay bright yellow, cigar-shaped eggs on developing pea pods.<\/p>\n

When the eggs hatch, cream-colored, C-shaped larvae burrow into the pods and tunnel directly into individual seeds, where they feed and develop.<\/p>\n

Unlike true weevils, the larvae lack a distinctive snout, though they do have brown heads and grow to about five millimeters long.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n