Pest identification
What's eating my iceberg lettuce?
Lettuce Root Aphid (Pemphigus bursarius)
Signs: Sudden wilting despite adequate water; white waxy powder coating roots when plant is lifted; no surface symptoms until collapse.
Control: Rotate crops yearly; plant resistant varieties; remove and destroy wilting plants immediately; avoid replanting lettuce in the same bed.
Aphids (green and grey species)
Signs: Colonies between heart leaves; very difficult to detect and remove once inside a tight head; sooty mould and contamination at harvest.
Control: Inspect plants weekly and reject heavily colonised heads; use insect-mesh covers from transplanting; neem oil on outer leaves.
Slugs & Snails
Signs: Slimy trails across outer leaves; ragged holes at leaf base; basal rot follows slug feeding wounds.
Control: Beer traps; iron phosphate pellets; copper tape on raised beds; hand-pick at dusk.
Rabbits
Signs: Outer leaves cleanly gnawed; entire small plants removed; clean diagonal cut at stem.
Control: Rabbit-proof netting 60 cm high with 15 cm buried skirt; harvest heads promptly when mature.
Keep iceberg lettuce pest-free
Healthy plants resist pests best. Get the basics right:
- What eats lettuce — the species this cultivar belongs to
- What eats iceberg lettuce — our other guide for the same plant
- What's wrong with my plant? — the diagnosis apps compared
- Common iceberg lettuce problems & fixes
- Iceberg Lettuce watering schedule
- Iceberg Lettuce light requirements
- Full iceberg lettuce care guide
Iceberg Lettuce pests — FAQ
What is eating my iceberg lettuce?
Iceberg lettuce's dense, moisture-retaining head makes it a prime habitat for aphids, which hide deep in the heart and are nearly impossible to wash out after harvest. Slugs attack the base and outer leaves, and lettuce root aphid can devastate plants silently from below. Birds and rabbits graze exposed outer leaves.
How do I get rid of lettuce root aphid (pemphigus bursarius) on iceberg lettuce?
Sudden wilting despite adequate water; white waxy powder coating roots when plant is lifted; no surface symptoms until collapse. Rotate crops yearly; plant resistant varieties; remove and destroy wilting plants immediately; avoid replanting lettuce in the same bed.
How do I get rid of aphids (green and grey species) on iceberg lettuce?
Colonies between heart leaves; very difficult to detect and remove once inside a tight head; sooty mould and contamination at harvest. Inspect plants weekly and reject heavily colonised heads; use insect-mesh covers from transplanting; neem oil on outer leaves.
How do I get rid of slugs & snails on iceberg lettuce?
Slimy trails across outer leaves; ragged holes at leaf base; basal rot follows slug feeding wounds. Beer traps; iron phosphate pellets; copper tape on raised beds; hand-pick at dusk.
How do I get rid of rabbits on iceberg lettuce?
Outer leaves cleanly gnawed; entire small plants removed; clean diagonal cut at stem. Rabbit-proof netting 60 cm high with 15 cm buried skirt; harvest heads promptly when mature.