PLEASE read all notes below before proceeding.

• Please print out these instructions and follow them carefully; the accuracy of your diagnosis depends on it. Instructions are included in The Insect and Disease Diagnosis Worksheet (Adobe Acrobat Document, available from the Master Gardener Office or your local Extension office).

• We're sorry, but due to the large volume of requests, we can only respond to Vermont and Northern NH residents and we must limit the number of samples to 3 per client.

• VERY IMPORTANT!! For household and structural pests (carpenter ants, termites, etc.) please contact Jon Turmel at jon@agr.state.vt.us.  Master Gardeners cannot handle these issues!

• If you are a COMMERCIAL GROWER, please visit the UVM Plant Diagnostic Clinic.  We're sorry, but we are only trained to work with home horticulture issues.

• If you are a Vermont or Northern NH resident looking for additional information, you can e-mail us at master.gardener@uvm.edu.

How to handle insect and plant specimens for identification

1. Fill out an The Insect and Disease Diagnosis Worksheet (Adobe Acrobat Document, available from the Master Gardener Office or your local Extension office). Be COMPLETE! The accuracy of your diagnosis depends on the information you supply.
2. Pick and pack the specimen properly.

   Insects: Collect 3-5 samples of the insect you would like identified.  Place them in a container (a 35mm film canister works great for this) in the freezer overnight.  This will kill the insects so they do not escape when we open them here.  After they are dead, tape the container shut, and place it with packing filler and the completed Worksheet in a cardboard box (it MUST be in a CRUSHPROOF BOX).
   Plants:  Don't be afraid to collect a large sample; a small sample may not contain all the signs needed to make an accurate diagnosis.   Send a representative sample, including both damaged and healthy tissue.   Plant material that has been dead for some time is useless in determining the causal agent.  For identification purposes, include leaves, stems, roots, and flowering or seed bearing portions of the plant.  Place green leaves between dry paper towels and enclose them in a plastic bag without added moisture.   Carefully shake excess soil from roots.  Place roots in a plastic bag with moist (not water-logged) wood shavings to prevent material from drying out.  Wrap fruits separately and without added moisture.  Place your samples in a cardboard box (it MUST be in a CRUSHPROOF BOX), along with your Worksheet.

3. To lessen the possibility of sample deterioration over the weekend, mail specimens no later than Thursday morning.

Mail samples to:
Vermont Master Gardener
659 Spear Street
Burlington, VT 05405-0107

See Help Services page for sample drop off hours.

Directions to Master Gardener Helpline Office: Take I-89 to Exit 14W. This brings you onto Route 2 west (Williston Road). Take a right at the first light past the Sheraton Conference Center. Take an immediate left (around the U-turn) to a set of lights. Go straight through the lights. This brings you onto Spear Street. Go approximately 1 mile. You will see the UVM Farm on the left, turn right at the UVM Bioresearch Facility sign. The Master Gardener Helpline office is in the second building on the left.

Contact Vermont Master Gardener at master.gardener@uvm.edu.
Contact webmaster sarah.kingsley@uvm.edu with questions or comments about this web site.

Vermont Master Gardener is an integral part of the University of Vermont Extension Home Horticulture Program

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture. University of Vermont Extension, Burlington, Vermont.University of Vermont Extension and U.S. Department of Agriculture, cooperating, offer education and employment to everyone without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, or marital or familial status.