Common Garden Pests and How to Get Rid of Them
No one likes to put hours of hard work into their garden only to discover pests munching on leaves, laying eggs and wreaking havoc. Fortunately, there are many tried-and-true methods for nipping the most common garden pests in the bud. Here are nine pests to look out for in your garden and how to treat them.
1. Aphids
Aphids will top the list of most common garden pests any day of the week, and for good reason. These notoriously tiny troublemakers suck the sap from leaves and leave a sticky residue behind that attracts ants and invites fungal disease.
How to spot them: Aphids are minuscule and green, making them a little harder to spot unless you look closely. If you see a sticky residue on the underside of your leaves, or something resembling black soot, you likely have aphids.
How to treat them: Neem oil works well to deter aphids, as does the encouragement of natural predators like ladybugs and lacewings.
See more:Â 5 Foods You Can Use as Plant Fertilizer
2. Slugs and Snails
Slow and steady, slugs and snails may not look overly harmful. But when they spend all evening chewing your garden to pieces, you might think twice about letting them linger.
How to spot them: We all know what slugs and snails look like. But the easiest way to know they are around if you can’t find them is to look for their iconic sticky trails.
How to treat them: You can hand-pick and relocate slugs and snails if their numbers are manageable. But if you have an infestation, sprinkle diatomaceous earth or coffee grounds around the base of your plants.
3. Japanese Beetles
Beautiful in appearance but pesky in nature, Japanese beetles are a true pain for gardeners living east of the Mississippi River. In addition to devouring greenery, these bugs will wipe out stems, flowers and roots altogether if left unchecked.
How to spot them: These beautiful bugs are easy enough to see, but the real sign of their presence is the skeleton-like leaf patterns they leave behind after a feast.
How to treat them: Hand-pick the mature beetles from your plants when you spot them, and apply row covers or other breathable protection over your plants to keep more from returning. Some gardeners also swear by milky spore, which is a natural deterrent that stays in the soil for up to 10 years.
See more:Â 10 Ways to Make Your Garden More Eco-Friendly
4. Cabbage Maggots
Few things make a gardener’s heart sink to the bottom of their stomach like cabbage maggots. The adult manifestation is a gray fly, but the larvae are the real offenders. Females will lay their eggs at the root of brassicas, such as cabbage, kale and broccoli, and let their larvae feast upon the plants, destroying your crops before you can enjoy any of the bounty.
How to spot them: Larvae are the real issue here, and spotting them with the naked eye is nearly impossible. You probably won’t know these guys are around until you see wilted leaves and struggling plants.
How to treat them: Preventative treatment here is best. Cover your immature cabbage plants until the egg-laying season is over. If you see any eggs in the meantime, scrape them off and destroy them immediately.
5. Tomato Hornworms
As the name suggests, tomato hornworms are a huge concern for anyone hoping to enjoy homegrown tomatoes from their own garden. They develop into moths if allowed to mature, but their caterpillar form leaves a lot to be desired as they punch countless holes in your growing tomato plants.
How to spot them: These bright green worms are easy to spot. Look for their bright coloration and a horn on their back.
How to treat them: Because hornworms are immature Sphinx Moths, some gardeners are averse to killing them. Pick and relocate them or plant flowers that attract some of their natural predators, such as wasps.
See more:Â 7 Ways to Attract Pollinators to Your Garden
6. Flea Beetles
Everything from broccoli and kale to peppers and tomatoes can be at the mercy of the flea beetle. As adults they overwinter in dead leaves and rear their ugly heads as soon as they discover available food. As if leaving hundreds of holes in your plants wasn’t bad enough, they also have a habit of laying their eggs at the roots of vegetables, which encourages larvae to feast and spread disease.
How to spot them: If you find small, round holes in the leaves of your plants, you may be harboring a herd of flea beetles. If you have sharp eyesight, you might also spot their small, black bodies.
How to treat them: Brush your leaves with talcum powder or mix up a spray using alcohol, water and liquid soap.
7. Colorado Potato Beetles
You may think these little tricksters are exclusive to Colorado, or even potato plants. But names can be deceiving. Colorado potato beetles are happy to feast on tomato and pepper plants, munching away at the foliage until your plants and hopes for a generous harvest are ruined. The worst part is that the female beetles can lay 500 eggs each week, which means they can get out of control in no time at all.
How to spot them: Colorado potato beetles resemble ladybugs, but their hard shells are black and yellow. You’ll usually see them in groups rather than individually.
How to treat them: These beetles are remarkably immune to many pesticides, so hand-picking them from your plants and encouraging beneficial predators (such as ground and soldier beetles) are your best bets. You could also apply neem oil.
8. Cutworms
Cutworms embrace their name by cutting the leaves of your plants – and they often do it overnight, as if they weren’t sneaky enough as is. because they look like grubs, they can sometimes be mistaken for the Japanese beetle. But these will usually appear at dusk, which is one way to quickly identify them and tell them apart.
How to spot them: Cutworms resemble grubs, and you’ll see evidence they have been in your garden if you find plant stems that have been chewed through at the base.
How to treat them: If you’re early enough in the growing season, aim for preventative maintenance by applying plant collars around the stems of your plants. A handy and affordable trick is to use paper towel tubes. You can also sprinkle diatomaceous earth around the base of your plants.
See more:Â 8 Water-Conserving Tips for Summer Gardening
9. Squash Bugs
Zucchini, yellow squash, summer squash winter squash – any kind of squash is fair game to the appropriately named squash bug. The females lay their eggs on the undersides of leaves, where they will more likely survive to birth and cause damage to your beloved plants. Swarms will inject your squash stems with toxins, drain the sap and kill the plants in record time.
How to spot them: Somewhat large with gray-brown bodies and flat backs, squash beetles are easy to see if you check under the leaves of your squash plants.
How to treat them: Once squash bugs move in, they are hard to kick out. Check beneath your leaves regularly, scraping off eggs and removing bugs every day. You could also plant nasturtiums near your squash plants, which act as a natural repellent.