Pests in your garden can pose a huge threat to your vegetable and fruit crops. The question is which ones should you get rid of? I looked it up and this is what I found.
There are a variety of insects that you’ll find in your garden. Some are very helpful to plants such as praying mantis, damsel bugs, and ladybugs as they feed on other bugs that eat the plants. Some are definitely not helpful, even harmful. This list is a selection of bugs that you should look out for and why they are harmful.
Leafhoppers
The hoppers may seem like very benign bugs, their presence does not seem like a threat but they can cause severe damage to plants by feeding on plants and spreading diseases. These insects feed by sucking sap from the foliage of the plant, after they’re done you’ll find stripes on the leaves, this occurs as hoppers remove the chlorophyll which keeps the plant green
Thrip
This bug is a common nuisance in gardens, it damages plants by sucking the juices of the plants as well as scraping any fruit. As a result of this healthy plants turn splotchy, silvery and pale before dying
Garden slug
Slugs feed on plants leaving holes in lettuce, asparagus, flowers and other plants. They leave a secretion like slime on the plants damaging it, they also eat the seedlings as soon as they come out of the ground. Salt will get rid of these pests, read this article to find out more.
Rose slug
This type of bug causes damage to your roses as they strip necessary chlorophyll from the leaves, this leaves them unable to photosynthesize and the plant eventually dies.
Woolly beech aphid
This insect removes plant fluid through its mouth part which pierce and stuck into the plant causing it to dehydrate.
Four lined plant bug
These are one of the most damaging insects to plants as they cause foliage to become distorted. This bug attacks swollen and opening buds during the spring time, this results in the plant becoming short and bushy. If this insect attacks after the shoot elongates then the shoot will turn black and die
Scale
This plants feeds off the sap of plants, sometimes they can eat to such a degree that it weakens the plant and can kill it. It is sometimes difficult to see scales as they might cover themselves with a white soft fuzzy material and appear to be fungal attack
Codling moth
The larvae of this insect is detrimental because it cannot feed on leaves so it finds a source of food in fruits making them rot and unable to be eaten by humans
Mealybugs
Similar to scale insects these bugs dehydrates the plant by sucking juice from the host plant. You will usually find them on new parts of plants which are more tender and desirable, eventually the plants will drop down from the plant after yellowing
Grasshopper
Grasshoppers are common pests that can be found on plants, they damage the plant by feeding on grasses and the leaves. They can cause excessive damage especially when exposed to crops on farms or large gardens
Aphids
Aphids can turn plant leaves yellow while producing a sticky substances called honeydew in large quantities. When left on the plants this turns the plants black and it grows a sooty mold fungus. Some aphid types inject a certain poison into the plant, this toxin distorts plants growth.
Beetle grub
These tiny grubs need sustenance from the root systems of crops, this inhibits the crops from getting nutrients from the soil. This then stunts plant growth and sometimes leads to plant death, this is more severe in some plants
Chipmunk
These cute little critters dig up roots in your garden as they are natural diggers. Unfortunately this digging up of roots can cause serious issues on your property like killing the plants
Earwig
These little critters eat away at flowers, vegetables and a variety of other plants causing them to distort. To identify an earwig attack you will see holes or rough edges on the leaves and petals.
Sawfly larva
The larva of the sawfly feed on various parts of the plants depending on the species. There are some species which leave the plants with just the skeleton by devouring the tissue. They spin webs or roll up leaves, some species leave holes in the leaves
Red spider mites
In large numbers these mites have a very concerning affect on plants, they can cause defoliation to the whole plant if the infestation is bad. You will see small white dots on the low leaves, eventually these leaves can turn bronzy
Leaf miner
The damage left on plants by these insects is very interesting, they seem like traces of paint on the leaves. This happens as the larvae creates tunnels in the plant leaves resulting in this pattern. If the infestation is severe then a plant can brown and by the end of summer can fall
Horn worm
These insects are large and can eat at foliage and fruits of the tomato at an alarming rate. You usually see this at the top of the plant and in just a few days the leaves can be eaten leaving just the stem. They are huge, they do not need to borrow in the tomato as they eat from the exterior leaving the tomato inedible
Rabbit
Unfortunately these cute creatures can cause damage on your plants by eating. They’re ferocious, you can tell a rabbit is eating because the damage on the leaves is clean because of their teeth
Stink bug
Small seedlings are killed by stink bugs, this results in plants that are stunted. They feed on the plant seedlings from nearby fruits and vegetables. If there’s a large infestation your crops can be severely harmed
Borers
Luckily these types of insects rarely infest healthy plants. They only attack stressed plants for example: after transplantation of trees or shrubs into the landscape, if your plants are stressed from sun, have injuries or soil compaction then borers are more likely to attack them
Bag worm
You should check the population of bag worms regularly or else you might have as serious issues of defoliation. This can occur if the population is particularly high. Infested plants such as trees and shrubs will be killed off, you will not really see it early in the season because these insects are very small
Whiteflies
These insects can cause direct harm, the insect sucks juices from the plant resulting in yellow shriveling up weak plants which end up dropping prematurely. An increase in population of this insect can cause death
Cabbage white caterpillars
The small larva of the butterfly or the large white lava is a threat to brassica plant. The insects eat these plants for sustenance eventually causing severe defoliation, the whole plant can die if untreated
Gall mites
This microorganism creates a wound in the plant tissue which causes the plant to have abnormal growth. The mites then lay their eggs in the wounds. This causes an issue because they leave the plant open and susceptible to damage from a variety of organisms.
Japanese beetle
This beetle is a very dangerous to flowers, trees, fruit, shrubs, turf and cornfields as they feed on the grass roots making the plant weak and unable to get nutrients from the soil eventually dying. They have a very negative effect on lawns and gardens. As plants get weaker they become more desirable to other pests and disease.
Deer
Dear feed on foliage as it is a herbivore. They are particularly fond of the soft young tender shoots. Deer eat plants such as leaves, shrubs and twigs with their lower front teeth killing them off
Click this link for ways on how to get rid of garden pests.
If you need information on which insects you need to keep away from your garden click this link.
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