Common Garden Pests

Common Garden Pests

Aphids

Most gardeners have had more than a few run-ins with aphids. The tiny, pear-shaped, pests often appear in the spring and feast on your plants' tender new leaves. Aphids come in many colors including green, black, brown, red, and pink. Aphids often excrete a sweet, sticky substance as they suck sap from your plants.

Aphids may be found feeding on your vegetables, shrubs, flowers and trees. Healthy plants can tolerate a small number of aphids, but large numbers of aphids can wreak havoc. Aphids are notoriously resilient and plentiful, because they can reproduce very quickly. Plants that are under attack by a large number of aphids may show signs such as reduced growth, wilted leaves, drying branches, stunted needles, and curled foliage. Look for clusters of the little bugs.

There are many safe methods to combat aphids. Attract and protect aphid predators such as ladybugs, lacewings, assassin bugs, praying mantis, adult wasps, spiders and chickadees. Another method of controlling aphids is to knock them off the plant with a steady stream of water from a hose. You can also don gloves and rub or hand-pick aphids from affected plants. You may need to cut off and dispose of infested foliage. As a last resort, spray carefully with an insecticide such as insecticidal soap.

Caterpillars

Caterpillars have voracious appetites and have been known to consume entire plants almost overnight. Try to identify caterpillars before killing them. Many are not considered pests and might be the larvae of important species of butterflies or moths. You can pluck caterpillar pests by hand; they can often be found on the undersides of leaves. If physical removal isn’t practical, a bacterial spray with Bacilus thuringiensis (Bt) will control caterpillars.

Colorado Potato Beetle

These beetles plague members of the potato family, including eggplant, tomato, peppers, and potatoes. Adult Colorado potato beetles are oval and about half the size of your thumbnail. They have red heads and black and yellow stripes down their back. Females lay clusters of bright orange oval eggs on the underside of leaves. Hand picking is the gardener's best defense against Colorado potato beetles. Knock any beetles and larvae you find into a can of soapy water to dispose of them. For major outbreaks, spray Bt San Diego while larvae are small. Try spreading a thick organic mulch over the garden to make it hard for emerging beetles to reach plants in the spring.

Cucumber Beetles

Cucumber beetles eat holes in the leaves and roots of corn, cucumbers, and other members of the squash family. They have oval bodies with yellow and black stripes or spots. To control, rotate crops each year. Applying a heavy layer of mulch around plants may help curb attacks. Attract predators such as ladybugs and parasitic wasps. If necessary, apply neem oil, a botanical pesticide, to the soil to kill larvae.

Cutworms

Cutworms are moth larvae that live in the soil and come out at night to feast on new seedlings. Plants are often cut off completely at or just below the soil surface. Create a barrier around new plants with a toilet paper roll or a collar cut from a plastic bottle. Place the collar around the plant and push into the soil to prevent the cutworm from attacking the stem. Birds such as bluejays, sparrows, blackbirds and wrens feed on cutworms. Attract birds by placing bird feeders close to infested areas. You can also purchase parasitic nematodes to eat cutworms in the soil.

Flea Beetles

Flea beetles are common garden pests of many vegetable crops. Flea beetles are quick jumpers and hard to catch. They damage plants by chewing small holes, called "shotholes" in the leaves. Injury is usually minor and easily outgrown on established plants; seedlings are most at risk. In your vegetable garden, start with transplants or try high seeding rates and thin the plants once they are established.

Leafhoppers

Leafhoppers are common garden pests. They damage plants by sucking, leaving behind curled leaf tips and edges that are crispy brown. Leafhoppers quickly move short distances when disturbed, giving them the appearance of hopping. In most cases leafhoppers do not require control. Spot treat with insecticidal soap. As a last resort, treat with a botanical insecticide such as pyrethrin.

Leafminers

The larvae of a small fly, leafminers live in and feed on leaves, leaving behind highly visible tunnels, or mines. Damage is mostly cosmetic. Remove by hand and destroy infested leaves. Mulch soil under plants to prevent leafminer larvae from reaching the soil to pupate. If necessary, neem oil is among the best defenses against leaf miners. Parasitic wasps in the garden will also take care of them.

Slugs and Snails

Slugs and snails love to chew on leaves, particularly hosta and other plants growing in moist, shady locations. They leave behind large holes and a trail of slime. You can trap slugs and snails by sinking containers of beer into your garden near damaged plants. Or sprinkle diatomaceous earth around affected plants.

Related Topics

• Spider
• Garden Pest Control
• Vegetable Garden
• Vegetable Garden Tips
• Organic Vegetable Garden