| Index
Aphids, Mealy bugs & Scale
Brassicae
- Chrysopa carnea
- Chrysopida
- Syrphina larva
Cucurbitae
- Coccinella
- Coccus
- Dicyphus
- Tiphia vernalis
Rosaceae
- Tanacetum vulgare
- Deraeocoris nebulosus
Labiatae
Leguminosae
Vitaceae
Mites
Brassicae
- Bovista
- Ricinus communis
- Trombidium
- Campylomma
- Euseius tularensis
Gall wasps
Ornamentals
Ants & Termites
- Artemisia vulgaris
- Camphora
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Bacillus thuringiensis
A soil bacterium. Bacillus thuringiensis. NO Bacillae.
Tincture of the commercial brew.
CLINICAL
Caterpillars. Beetles,
flies and fly larvae, such as whitefly, cabbage moth and cabbage
fly, carrotfly.
GENERAL
The introduction of the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis looked
at first to be very promising. It appeared to kill serious pests,
like caterpillars, beetles and fly larvae, while being non-toxic
to humans, spiders and other predators. By transferring the genes
and encoding these in crop plants, it was assumed that the plants
themselves would be the insecticides. Hence ‘no-spray’ cotton, potatoes,
tomatoes, soybeans or corn, cultivated in what was thought to be
the Utopian farm.
At this moment it has to be admitted that what first
looked so promising, is rapidly proving to be a lot less rosy. A
handful of pests have already developed resistance against the ‘pesticide
plant’, something the scientists had predicted would never happen.
And, according to the latest laboratory reports, many other pests,
like the Colorado beetle and some species of budworm, have the potential
to become resistant in the near future. The worry is really that
by putting toxic genes into crops, the evolution of ‘super-bugs’,
resistant to an array of transgenic toxins, might be sped up much
faster than previously thought. Such was the case at the change
of the Century.
It is an observable fact that in the last 50 years developments
in pest control have followed the same patterns, governed by the
assumption that resistance could be overcome by either more or stronger
versions of the same substances. The trend has now shifted to genetic
engineering, backed by the same fallacious philosophy. Although
bacterial toxins are a lot more selective in what they kill, the
burgeoning business they have generated, is exactly what fans the
worry about resistance. In the 1980s their sales have increased
more than fourfold, to the tune of over US $100 million. Although
farmers have been abundantly spraying Bt, as it is called, for over
20 years, without there ever being any evidence of resistant insects,
that picture is fast being demolished. Some scientists have always
been sceptics. Whenever there is a new insecticide, people think
of reasons why it is impossible for insects to become resistant
to it. Others just assume they are going to become resistant, which
is a safer and more realistic viewpoint. 
As early as 1985 the first resistant moths, taken from
grain storage bins in the Midwestern US turned up. Then in 1990,
scientists came across another moth, the diamondback, on Hawaiian
cabbage and watercress. Consequently, resistant diamondbacks have
been found as far afield as Florida, New York State, Japan and mainland
Asia. Roughly a dozen breeding experiments have only confirmed that
a wide range of insects has the capacity to develop resistance.
On top of that, the toxins lose their potency in a couple of days
after spraying, because of sunlight, which breaks them down rapidly.
Thus the protection they provide is only very temporary.
 Transgenic cotton, potatoes and soybeans are already
a fact and so are tomatoes, while maize should follow shortly. While
it looks as though this scenario is needed, to get rid of pests,
the risk of resistant survivors passing on their resistance to their
progeny increases with every generation. If it were not for transgenic
plants, there would not be such an urgent need to deal with the
resistance problem. Other critics accuse Monsanto, the producer
of Bt, of dragging its feet. It is the old style of working – it
is studied to death. By the time resistance appears it is too late.
Scientists have to pay attention to clues that it is coming, or
the battle is lost. It is scientific suicide to sit back and say,
let’s wait and see what is going on. At the same time, because of
the complexities of the subject, scientists know little about which
of their tactics might work. Scientists can model and discuss or
try to run lab experiments, but it appears that they all agree that
this is insufficient to come up with an answer that will allay the
fears of the farmers
Only a few countries that came into its program in the latter years
still have benefit from its use. The Bt transgenic plants have been
shelved and the battle has returned to more conventional chemicals
and other genetic changes.
Bt has a disadvantage that is all
the more glaring, considering its limited period of usefulness.
This is due to the dosage, which is aiming at a knock-out effect.
While such may work the first few times, after a period the pest
begins to develop resistance, simply because it must somehow perform
its job – rebalancing the unnatural spacing caused by interfering
humans.
Control can never be achieved completely, simply because in nature
there is also no complete control. Each species of plant has to
sacrifice 5% of its numbers to maintain the insect populations,
which are necessary once the balance is lost, to restore it. Naturally
each farmer must be satisfied with the fact that 5% of his crop
is lost to disease, damage from storms and insects or other influences.
 Bt in potency has none of the disadvantages
of the crude, since it is on the level of the subtle that the potencies
work. The energy levels of a monoculture crop are possibly measurable.
How they can be measured we do not yet know, but we can conceptualise
different ways in which such could be done. A radionics machine
or NMR might provide us with the necessary parameters. We can also
conceive of Kirlian photography as a possible means, since the ‘aura’
of the plants ought to differ after the administration of the remedy.
Until such has been attempted and definitively proven, we shall
leave this speculation for what it is and restrict ourselves to
the remark that dynamic processes are difficult of measurement.
Minimum dose means the smallest possible amount. All effects produced
in nature are always caused by the smallest possible amount of energy.
Nature does not like waste, therefore the waste of material doses
will create the opposite effects of what we want to achieve – sooner
or later, dependent on the sensitivity of the entities involved
and the volatility of the product used. With volatility we mean
here the severity of the effect produced.
Of course it is to be expected that insects develop resistance,
since the method to get rid of them is the wrong method. Homoeopathic
remedies do not have the disadvantage of resistance development,
simply because they are not aimed at the insect, but at the plant.
If we were to seek to destroy the insects with our remedies, everyone
who would use them would soon find the same resistance problem rearing
its ugly head. The advantage of the homoeopathic approach is found
in the fact that the insect is interesting only as a symptom and
never as something that needs to be killed to be rid of.
Bombyx processiona
Procession caterpillar. Bombyx processiona. NO Lepidoptera.
Tincture of the live caterpillars.
CLINICAL
Caterpillars, vegetable loopers, sawfly larvae, army worms, cabbage
moths and other caterpillars.
GENERAL
The true bombyx is not a very large caterpillar and is today known
as the white cedar moth, Leptocheria reducta. It is about
45 mm long, dark brown, with yellow head and masses of long grey
and black hairs, which on contact cause skin irritation.
Clarke mentions that: “in one case a boy shook a large number of caterpillars
from a tree on his naked chest. It caused an itching so severe,
that he had to run for assistance. Then fever, somnolency, delirium
and finally death ensued.”
(Clarke, 1991)
The caterpillars live in colonies at the base of the tree during
the day and feed on the foliage at night. After denuding the tree,
they walk in a single file to the next, which behaviour accounts
for their name. They produce two generations per year.
Rodale’s periodical relates the case of a commercial peanut and soybean
farmer (1976). He prepared a crude product from vegetable loopers.
Control was very successful. Another report from 1978 mentioned
sawfly larvae being used in a similar fashion.
Bombyx in potency has been used to treat most caterpillars on most
crops as a generic remedy. Both as a spray and in the trickle system
it is effective. In both cases the plants become immune to caterpillar
infestations.
RELATIONS
Compare: Canth. Samb., Val., Vib
Aphids,
Mealy bugs & Scale
Brassicae
Chrysopa carnea
Gauzefly. Chrysoperla =Chrysopa carnea, C. rufilabris Neuroptera: Chrysopidae. NO Hymenopterae. Family
Chrysopidae. Genus Aphidius. Species Chrysopa carnea. Tincture
of the live insect. Trituration of the live insect.
CLINICAL
Aphids, spider mites (especially red mites), thrips, whiteflies,
eggs of leafhoppers, moths, and leafminers, small caterpillars,
beetle larvae, and the tobacco budworm. Aphid infestations of all
types on nearly all types of plants. Chrysopa prefers Brassicae,
but will take aphids from almost any plant.
GENERAL
Common Green Lacewing C. carnea.
These green lacewings are common
in much of North America. Adults feed only on nectar, pollen, and
aphid honeydew, but their larvae are active predators. C. carnea
occurs in a wide range of habitats in northeastern, midwestern and
western U.S., and C. rufilabris may be more useful in areas
where humidity tends to be high (greenhouses, irrigated crops, southeastern
and midwestern U.S.).
Appearance
Adult green lacewings are pale green, about 12-20 mm long, with
long antennae and bright, golden eyes. They have large, transparent,
pale green wings and a delicate body. Adults are active fliers,
particularly during the evening and night and have a characteristic,
fluttering flight. Oval shaped eggs are laid singly at the end of
long silken stalks and are pale green, turning gray in several days.
The larvae, which are very active, are gray or brownish and alligator-like
with well-developed legs and large pincers with which they suck
the body fluids from prey. Larvae grow from <1 mm to 6-8 mm.
Habitat (Crops)
Cotton, sweet corn, potatoes, cole crops, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants,
asparagus, leafy greens, apples, strawberries, and other crops infested
by aphids.
Pests Attacked
Several species of aphids, spider mites (especially red mites),
thrips, whiteflies, eggs of leafhoppers, moths, and leafminers,
small caterpillars, beetle larvae, and the tobacco budworm are reported
prey. They are considered an important predator of long-tailed mealybug
in greenhouses and interior plantscapes.
Life Cycle
These two species of green lacewings overwinter as adults, usually
in leaf litter at the edge of fields. During the spring and summer,
females lay several hundred small (<1 mm) eggs on leaves or twigs
in the vicinity of prey. Larvae emerge in 3-6 days.

The larval stage has three instars and lasts two to three weeks.
Mature third instars spin round, parchment-like, silken cocoons
usually in hidden places on plants. Emergence of the adults occurs
in 10 to 14 days. The life cycle (under 4 weeks in summer conditions)
is heavily influenced by temperature. There may be two to several
generations per year.
Relative Effectiveness
These lacewing larvae are considered generalist beneficials but
are best known as aphid predators. The larvae are sometimes called
aphid lions, and have been reported to eat between 100 and 600 aphids
each, although they may have difficulty finding prey in crops with
hairy or sticky leaves.
 Natural populations of Chrysoperla have
been recorded as important aphid predators in potatoes, but mass
releases of lacewings have yet to be evaluated against aphids in
commercial potato production. In small scale experiments outside
the United States, lacewings achieved various levels of control
of aphids on pepper, potato, tomato, and eggplant, and have been
used against Colorado potato beetle on potato and eggplant. On corn,
peas, cabbage, and apples, some degree of aphid control was obtained
but only with large numbers of lacewings. Mass releases of C.
carnea in a Texas cotton field trial reduced bollworm infestation
by 96%, although more recent studies show that C. carnea
predation on other predators can disrupt cotton aphid control.
C. carnea is considered an important aphid predator in Russian
and Egyptian cotton crops, German sugar beets, and European vineyards.
The North Carolina State University Center for IPM considers it
an important natural enemy of long-tailed mealybug, one of the 5
most important pests of NC interiorscapes.
Several strains of C. carnea occur in North America. Matching
of the proper strain to specific pest management situations is desirable.
Pesticide Susceptibility
C. carnea appears to have some natural tolerance to several
chemical insecticides although there may be considerable variation.
Populations tolerant of pyrethroids, organophosphates, and carbaryl
have been selected in the laboratory.
Conservation
Because young larvae are susceptible to dessication, they may need
a source of moisture. Adult lacewings need nectar or honeydew as
food before egg laying and they also feed on pollen. Therefore,
plantings should include flowering plants, and a low level of aphids
should be tolerated. Artificial foods and honeydew substitutes are
available commercially and have been used to enhance the number
and activity of adult lacewings. These products may provide sufficient
nutrients to promote egg laying, but they cannot counter the dispersal
behavior of newly emerged adult lacewings.
Commercial Availability
![lupaphid1ag[1]](images/Bacillus/image022.jpg) C. carnea and C. rufilabris are available
commercially and are shipped as eggs, young larvae, pupae, and adults.
C. carnea is recommended for dry areas, C. rufilabris
for humid areas. Larvae are likely to remain near the release site
if aphids or other prey are available. Newly emerging adults, however,
will disperse in search of food, often over great distances, before
laying eggs. Naturally, in potency such restrictions as to environment
do not have any significance, because the remedy is not subject
to environmental circumstances to enable its effectiveness.
‘All aphid parasites are Hymenoptera or wasps in the broad sense
and belong to two Families; the Aphidiidae, which are the most important
and are all aphid parasites and the Aphelinidae, which also parasitise
other insects such as scale and whiteflies.
The Aphidiidae include many important genera; Aphidius,
Praon, Ephedrus, Lysiphlebus, Monoctus and Trioxys. The adults
are small, slender wasps with black, brown, orange or yellow colouration.’
(Hussey N.W. Biological Pest Control)
While in nature the wasp oviposits the aphid and still
takes a few days to hatch, the remedy will immediately act and thus
time is gained against the aphid devastation. For the different
instars of the parasitic wasp do not interfere with the development
of the aphid. Only at the 4th instar does the predator
become active enough to stop the aphid’s development and life.
The remedy made from the parasitic wasps do not have this delay
in action, nor are they dependent on a particular instar of the
aphid to do its work. Several parasitic wasps prefer or even need
a particular instar of their prey to oviposit their eggs.
Another drawback to using parasitic wasps lies in the
fact that although the adult female may make several hundred ovipositions
during its life, only a small proportion will reach adulthood. Even
under laboratory conditions only 100 will be produced, of which
60 might be female. Because development takes about two weeks, the
maximum population increase rate can be calculated as approximately
4.5 x a week. In the greenhouse practise of every day, the rates
are considerably lower.
These drawbacks do not exist with the homoeopathic potencies, which
do not require breeding time, have no influence from the lifecycle
of the pest or the weather conditions and are thus applicable at
the time the infestation is acute. The immediate response is another
feature with which the remedy shows superiority over even IPM.
Chrysopida
Chrysopida. Gauzefly. NO Hymenopterae. Trituration of the live
fly. Tincture of the live insect.
CLINICAL
Aphid infestations. Scale
GENERAL
Aphid infestations on the plant or crop. These gauzeflies
subsist mainly on aphids. They are generally active at dawn and
dusk. They can be recognised by their glass-like wings, which contain
greenish or yellowish veins.
It can be given at the time of infestation or as a preventative
measure, protecting the plant before such infestations occur. It
gives protection during the entire lifecycle of the plant in annuals
and biennuals.
While it is true that live insects can be cultivated
to do the work, it is often difficult on account of the unpredictability
of pest infestations. Therefore, it is also costly, since the insects
may not be available at the moment of need or the breeder of predators
does not sell any, since there are no infestations during its own
lifecycle. Moreover, the adult predator migrates away from the aphid,
even when there are plenty available.
The solution presented is the best possible alternative, since
the lifecycle of the predator or of the pest no longer plays any
role in the eradication – the remedy is always available and works
at all times, under all circumstances.
With commercially available poisons, control needs 5-6 treatments
at intervals of 8-10 days during the entire summer. With the build-up
of resistance, this has to be increased to 6-10 treatments at intervals
of every week. The costs are astronomical.
With IPM, three successive batches of cocoons have to be introduced
at intervals of 5 days, at a ratio of 1 cocoon to 25 aphids. Many
times, the parasite larvae are incapable
of controlling the aphid populations, since these can explode at
30 x their rate every day, in hot and dry weather. This also requires
additional parasites, to achieve effective control and makes it
rather expensive to use. While control is often very effective,
provided the development of aphid and parasite are parallel, equally
often a change in weather can cause population explosions requiring
more parasites.
Homoeopathic remedies can be applied at all times and prevent re-infestation,
even when optimal conditions are present. IPM does not prevent re-infestation
and will have to be applied again, thus raising the cost for the
grower.
Syrphina larva
Hover fly. NO Diptera: Syrphidae Syrphus
spp., Allograpta spp. Tincture of the live insect. Trituration of
the live insect.
CLINICAL
Aphid infestations; also as prophylactic
APPEARANCE
Aphid infestations. Plants covered in aphids. When Syrphina is
sprayed or given directly to the plant, the aphids have either died
by the next day or have fled. Notwithstanding their protection by
ants, these cannot fight off a non-existing enemy and therefore
the aphids will disappear.
GENERAL
Syrphina is a green, yellow or brown coloured
glider, the larvae of which like aphids almost as much as Coccinella
larvae do. When the soil is cultivated, the larvae which survive
underground, are promptly killed. During the insect season the use
of the remedy is therefore indispensible, if the farmer is not to
succumb to pests.
Adults are 10 to 12 mm long marked with yellow, black, or white
bands resembling bees or small yellowjackets. They fly swiftly and
tend to hover over plants (also call hover or flower flies). Adults
feed only on pollen, nectar, or honeydew produced by aphids. Larvae
are about 12 mm long, wrinkled or slug-like, and tapered to a point
anteriorly. They are usually brown or green with whitish areas.
Eggs are chalky-white with faint longitudinal ridges and are laid
singly among aphid colonies.
Lifecycle
Syrphid flies overwinter as pupae in the
soil. Adults begin emerging in April and May about the same time
as aphid populations begin to increase. They lay eggs on leaves
and stems of plants infested with aphids or other suitable prey.
Eggs hatch in 3 to 4 days into soft-bodied maggot-like larvae. Larvae
feed for 7 to 10 days, then drop to the soil to pupate.
A life cycle from egg to adult is completed in 16 to 28 days and
there are three to seven overlapping generations each year.
Importance
Larvae feed on soft-bodied insects, particularly
aphids. As many as 400 aphids may be consumed by one larva during
its development period. Larvae seize aphids with their mouth hooks
and suck out the body contents. These predators are common in most
field and vegetable crops and may be important in suppressing aphid
populations if unnecessary applications of non-selective insecticides
are avoided.
Two common species of syrphid flies occur in the northwest: the
western syrphid, Syrphus opinator and Scaeva pyrastri,
and both species are commonly found in mint fields.
Cucurbitae
Coccinella
Lady bird. Sunchafer. Coccinella septempunctata.
Chrysopa septempunctata. NO Coleoptera. Genus Chrysopids. Tincture
of the freshly crushed beetles.

CLINICAL
Aphids. Scale. Whitefly
GENERAL
Sevenspotted Lady Beetle
The sevenspotted lady beetle, repeatedly introduced to North America
from Europe for the biological control of aphids, was established
in the early 1970s in New Jersey, apparently from an accidental
introduction. It has since spread naturally or been introduced to
many northeastern and north central states. C. septempunctata
may be a more effective predator than some native lady beetle species,
displacing them in some areas.
Appearance
Comparatively large (7-8 mm) with a white or pale spot on either
side of the head. The body is oval, and has a domed shape. The spot
pattern is usually 1-4-2, black on the orange or red forewings.
Lady beetle larvae are dark and alligator-like with three pairs
of prominent legs, growing to 7-8 mm in length. Eggs are spindle
shaped and small, about 1 mm long.
Habitat (Crops)
Aphid infested crops, including potatoes, legumes, sweet corn,
alfalfa, wheat, sorghum, and pecans.
Pests Attacked
Reported prey include pea, cowpea, green peach, potato, corn leaf,
melon aphids, and greenbug.
Life Cycle
Adults overwinter in protected sites near the fields where they
feed and reproduce. In spring, emerging beetles feed on aphids before
laying eggs. Females may lay from 200 to more than 1,000 eggs over
a one to three month period commencing in spring or early summer.
Eggs are usually deposited near prey such as aphids, often in small
clusters in protected sites on leaves and stems. The eggs are small
(about 1 mm) and spindle-shaped.
C. septempunctata larvae grow from
about 1 mm to 4-7 mm in length over a 10 to 30 day period depending
on the supply of aphids. Large larvae may travel up to 12 m in search
of prey. A second generation may appear about a month later. The
pupal stage may last from three to 12 days depending on the temperature.
In the northeastern United States, there are one to two generations
per year before the adults enter winter hibernation. Development
from egg to adult may take only two to three weeks, and adults,
most abundant in mid- to late summer, live for weeks or months,
depending on the location, availability of prey, and time of year.
Conservation
C. septempunctata is spreading to new areas each season.
Conservation can best be accomplished by following integrated pest
management guidelines as outlined in the tutorial of this guide.
Pesticide Susceptibility
Aphids attack grains, fruits, vegetables and flowers.
They are 1-2mm long in general,
although larger species also exist (4-5mm). Different species have
different colours, green, blue, pink, deep yellow, lemon-coloured,
grey, white or black. Some species have wings. Others have a winged
and a wingless stage. When over-crowding occurs, they grow wings,
flying to other plants or other parts of the same plant. Near the
end of the body two tubes protrude, called cornicles, a feature
particular to aphids. Aphids are viviparous, ie. bearing live young,
resulting in possible population explosions.
Coccinella either sprayed directly on the aphid or when given to
the plant, rapidly diminishes the populations. Aphids pierce and
suck, drawing sap from plants, preferably young shoots and buds,
the latter producing deformed flowers. Some aphids form galls, attacking
root system as well. Others carry yellow dwarf virus. Aphids are
protected by ants and produce honey dew for them.
Population size
depends on temperature and nutrient levels. At 15oC the
females produce three young per day, which increases to six at 25oC
and with high potassium and/or phosphorus levels can increase to
ten. Hence population explosions occur mostly during warm to very
warm weather, when humidity is around 40 to 50%.
Coccinella has been used extensively with good results, usually
requiring only a single dose. Overdosing will attract aphids to
a plant, resulting in repeated aphid infestations.
Coccus
Cochineal.
Coccus cacti. NO Hemiptera. Trituration of the dried bodies of the
female insect.
CLINICAL
All soft bodied scale.
GENERAL
  Coccus, being a soft scale, is specific for
treatment of soft scales, because it possesses similar properties.
Shellac is an example of a remedy for hard scales, as it is a product
of a hard scale species. Coccus has been used on different
species of scale living on different trees. Eucalypt scale (wattle
tick, soft brown scale), scale on citrus trees, scale on bottle
brush disappeared after a single dose. As with Coccinella,
care must be taken not to repeat the remedy
There are some twenty types of soft scale, all of which can be
treated with this remedy. It is the remaining hard scale that must
be treated with Shellac, approximately ten species. Thus each of
these remedies is generic to the scale to a certain extent.
Dicyphus
CLINICAL: Whiteflies, aphids, thrip, spider mites. Greenhouse whitefly
(Trialeurodes vaporariorum), Tobacco whitefly (Bemisia
tabaci). Dicyphus will feed on two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus
urticae), Thrips and Moth eggs but will not control these pests.
GENERAL:
Plants
Note: Since Dicyphus is also a plant feeder it should not be used
on crops such as Gerbera which can be damaged. This is only relevant
if it is used as an Integrated Pest Management tool. In the potency
such drawbacks do not exist. Most of the work with Dicyphus has
been on vegetable crops such as tomato, pepper and eggplant where
it will not cause plant damage by plant feeding.
Description
The predatory bug, Dicyphus
hesperus is similar to Macrolophus caliginosus, which
is being used in Europe to control whitefly, spider mites, moth
eggs and aphids. The use of Dicyphus is being studied by D. Gillespie
(Agriculture and Agri-Foods Canada Research Station, Agassiz, BC).
Dicyphus should not be used on its own to replace other biological
control agents. It is best used along with other biological control
agents in greenhouse tomato crops that have, or (because of past
history) are expected to have. whitefly, spider mite, or thrips
problems.
• Eggs are laid inside plant tissue and are not easily seen.
• Adults are slender (6mm), black and green with red eyes and can
fly
• Nymphs are green with red eyes
Use in Biological Control
• Release Dicyphus as soon as whiteflies are found, early in the
season at a rate of 0.25-0.5 bugs/m2 (10 ft2)
of infested area; repeat in 2-3 weeks.
• Release batches of 100 adults together in one area where whitefly
is present or add supplementary food (frozen moth eggs: i.e. Sitotroga
sp., Ephestia sp.) to these areas weekly.
• Dicyphus needs large numbers of prey (+100) to reproduce, so
releases should only be made in areas where pests have been detected
or where supplementary food is being added.
• This predator obtains water from plant
feeding and can survive for long periods without food but must have
insect food to reproduce. Feeding damage to the plant or tomato
fruit is superficial and not usually noticeable unless population
levels exceed 100 Dicyphus/plant.
• The use of banker plants such as mullein (Verbascum thapsus)
and eggplant is useful for increasing Dicyphus numbers as well as
monitoring for pests.
Monitoring Tips
• Adults and nymphs move quickly and hide in plant material when
approached.
• On mature tomato plants adults and nymphs are often found on
the middle leaves.
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