Pest identification
What's eating my butterhead lettuce?
Slugs & Snails
Signs: Ragged holes through outer leaves and hearts; silvery trails on foliage and soil; seedlings severed at soil level.
Control: Iron phosphate pellets; beer traps; copper barriers; hand-collect at night; encourage hedgehogs and ground beetles.
Lettuce Root Aphid (Pemphigus bursarius)
Signs: Plants suddenly wilt and collapse; white waxy aphid colonies visible on roots when plant is lifted.
Control: Rotate lettuce beds annually; destroy affected plants; choose root aphid-resistant varieties for next season.
Aphids (Nasonovia ribisnigri and others)
Signs: Colonies deep in heart leaves; honeydew and distortion; difficult to wash out of tightly packed heads.
Control: Blast leaves with water early; remove badly infested plants; neem oil spray on outer leaves.
Rabbits & Pigeons
Signs: Entire plants grazed to soil level overnight by rabbits; pigeons shred outer leaves to the stalk.
Control: Fine mesh netting (2 cm or finer) over beds; rabbit-proof perimeter fencing at least 60 cm high and buried 15 cm below soil.
Keep butterhead lettuce pest-free
Healthy plants resist pests best. Get the basics right:
- What eats lettuce — the species this cultivar belongs to
- What eats butterhead lettuce — our other guide for the same plant
- What's wrong with my plant? — the diagnosis apps compared
- Common butterhead lettuce problems & fixes
- Butterhead Lettuce watering schedule
- Butterhead Lettuce light requirements
- Full butterhead lettuce care guide
Butterhead Lettuce pests — FAQ
What is eating my butterhead lettuce?
Butterhead lettuce is soft and highly palatable, making it irresistible to slugs, aphids, and caterpillars. Rabbits and pigeons also readily graze the loose outer leaves. Root aphids can destroy an entire plant from below with no surface warning. Slugs are the single most destructive pest, especially in damp UK conditions.
How do I get rid of slugs & snails on butterhead lettuce?
Ragged holes through outer leaves and hearts; silvery trails on foliage and soil; seedlings severed at soil level. Iron phosphate pellets; beer traps; copper barriers; hand-collect at night; encourage hedgehogs and ground beetles.
How do I get rid of lettuce root aphid (pemphigus bursarius) on butterhead lettuce?
Plants suddenly wilt and collapse; white waxy aphid colonies visible on roots when plant is lifted. Rotate lettuce beds annually; destroy affected plants; choose root aphid-resistant varieties for next season.
How do I get rid of aphids (nasonovia ribisnigri and others) on butterhead lettuce?
Colonies deep in heart leaves; honeydew and distortion; difficult to wash out of tightly packed heads. Blast leaves with water early; remove badly infested plants; neem oil spray on outer leaves.
How do I get rid of rabbits & pigeons on butterhead lettuce?
Entire plants grazed to soil level overnight by rabbits; pigeons shred outer leaves to the stalk. Fine mesh netting (2 cm or finer) over beds; rabbit-proof perimeter fencing at least 60 cm high and buried 15 cm below soil.