Aphids - Greenfly

These are soft-bodied insects that usually congregate on the growing tips of young plants. They are small sap-sucking insects, so can weaken the plant. They can also carry diseases and viruses from plant to plant. Aphids can be killed by most ordinary insecticides. For small seedlings, I dilute the insecticide and paint it on the affected part with a child's paint brush.

Aphids - Blackfly
Almost the same as Greenfly, except that they are usually found in dense colonies like a soft black coating all around a stem. They are probably best eradicated by removing the affected part of the stem, or spraying with insecticide.

Red Spider Mite

Like aphids, these are sap-sucking insects. They also make minute webs around the growing tips or leaf edges, which may be more noticeable than the insects. Red Spider Mites are much smaller than aphids, and are usually found on the underside of leaves. Use a general insecticide or a systemic insecticide which might deal with these insects before you see them.

Froghopper
This is a small insect which is usually found in its nymph stage in a cloud of small bubbles, called 'cuckoo-spit'. The adults bear a resemblance to frogs and hop, hence the name. They are sapsucking insects, damaging and weakening plants. Froghoppers usually occur in small numbers, and are easily removed by spraying with water.

Leafminer
Leafminers are the larvae of small insects. They feed on leaves, making tunnels between the upper and lower surface. The larvae are difficult to kill once they are in their tunnels, and the easiest way to deal with them is to remove affected leaves. If the infestation is severe, systemic insecticides may be effective.

Sooty Mould, Black Mildew

This is a small black fungus which grows on the honeydew produced by aphids and other insects. It does not actually grow on the plant, but on the surface of leaves, which blocks out the light and prevents photosynthesis. Sooty Mould can be removed by wiping the leaf gently with a cloth or tissue dipped in warm water.

Powdery Mildew
This is an unexpected form of fungus, as it can thrive in dry conditions. Its effects include yellowing of leaves, and stunted or distorted growth. The fungus itself is then seen as visible white powder on the surface of leaves and stem. It can be dealt with by removing dead or damaged plant tissue, and some fungicides may be effective.

Botrytis, Grey Mould

There are several types of mould which can affect seedlings. They form grey or white fluffy patches on leaves or stems. Affected seedlings usually die. Prevention is better than cure. Make sure the air around your seedlings is moving, as moulds like stagnant air.

Damping off
Damping off is a mysterious fungal disease which affects young seedlings for no apparent reason, causing them to fall over and die, often in patches. Sow seeds thinly, and water the soil with Cheshunt Compound (a mixture of copper sulphate and ammonium carbonate) before sowing to prevent attacks.

Slug Snail
Slugs are mollusks - snails without the shell - and are particularly fond of young seedlings. Slugs can be hunted out and killed individually, or you can take preventative measures. You can use slug pellets based on formalin, but use these with care as they are poisonous. Aluminium sulphate crystals kill the slugs by dehydrating them. You can make a beer slug trap and drown them. Snails are the same as slugs, but more decorative and easier to pick up. You are more likely to get snails in places with limestone or chalk soils, as they need the calcium to build their shells. As well as demolishing small seedlings, they also munch holes in leaves. Snails are dealt with in the same way as slugs.

Millepede
Millipedes are round, black, heavy-looking insectlike animals about an inch long that you find under pots curled up like a spiral of wire. They have two pairs of legs on each segment, unlike centipedes, which only have one pair. Millipedes feed on decaying or soft vegetation so can attack young seedlings, but they are not usually a problem.

Centipede
Centipedes are brown, flat animals about an inch long with one pair of longish legs on each segment, and usually run away when you discover them hiding under pots. They are mostly carnivorous, and eat other pests such as slugs, so they are generally beneficial in the garden.

Earwig
Earwigs are small thin brown animals with long antennae at the front and two long pincers at the back. They can damage plant buds and flowers, especially multi-petalled flowers like Chrysanthemum and Dahlia. They also eat small insects like aphids, so can be beneficial. Earwigs can be trapped in upturned pots filled with straw, or plants may be sprayed with systemic insecticide.

Woodlouse
The Woodlouse is a crustacean, with a grayish or brownish body about half an inch long divided into segments. Some species roll into a ball when disturbed. Woodlice live in damp places and feed mainly on decaying vegetation, so are generally beneficial to the gardener, although they sometimes attack seedlings. They can be caught and removed, or chemical control can be used if really necessary.

Caterpillar
Caterpillars are the larvae of butterflies, moths and other winged insects. Their sole function is to eat plants until they are big enough to turn into adults. Caterpillars eat holes around the edges of leaves, but are not usually interested in small seedlings. Caterpillars usually occur singly or in small numbers, so can be removed individually (and put in another part of the garden to complete their life-cycle if you like).

Vine Weevil Larva

Vine Weevils are flightless beetles with long noses which lay their eggs in soil, particularly in pots of plants and seedlings. The larvae are about half an inch long, fat and white with brown heads but no legs. They eat the roots of plants, and often the first you know about it is when your plants are dead. The grubs are resistant to many insecticides, but you can use a soil drench, or biological control (nematodes which transmit a fatal bacteria), or you can pick them out of your pots by hand.

Cranefly
Craneflies are rather elegant, long-legged insects that emerge in late summer from eggs laid the previous year. The female can lay up to 300 eggs, usually just below the surface, often in lawns but also in garden soil. The Craneflies themselves cause no damage to plants, except when they emerge and leave their larval cases embedded in lawns. Damage may also be caused by birds looking for the larvae.

Leatherjacket
These are the larvae of the Cranefly, and are dark brown tough-skinned grubs around an inch long, living just below the soil surface. They can cause damage to the roots and other underground parts of plants, particularly grasses in lawns. Leatherjackets can be encouraged to come to the surface by watering the area and covering it with dark polythene. They can then be collected and disposed of.

Fungus Gnat, Sciarid Fly

One of the most troublesome pests in greenhouses, although it is mainly a nuisance to gardeners rather than a danger to plants. The Fungus Gnat is a small fly, breeding rapidly in warm conditions in leafmould, compost heaps and peat compost. The small larvae may damage plant roots. Fungus gnats can be dealt with by using sticky traps or an insecticide.

Springtail
Springtails are tiny insects that are often present in large numbers in pots, but may not be noticed until the plants are watered, when they jump all over the surface using their forked tails. They can damage the leaves, stems and roots of seedlings. Springtails can be dealt with by using an appropriate insecticide on the soil surface.