Identifying Garden Pests

Types of Pest

When identifying garden pests, Bugs you should remember that these common pests are pear-shaped, have various colors, and may be winged.

Aphids cluster in new growth and under succulent leaves. The insects cause damage to new growth. Sooty mold often builds up on leaf surfaces.

Beetles

Common garden pests include tomatoes Fungus ,Blight and rot ,potato Bugs ,beetle, Cucumber Beetle ,bean beetle and flea beetle. There are many kinds of beetles, usually less than half an inch in size. They may be striped, spotted, or solid-colored. Beetles chew holes in leaves, stems, flowers, and fruits.

Caterpillars

Garden pests include cutworms, hornworms, and tomato Worm like pinworms. Many caterpillars are green or brown but colors vary. They may be striped along the side or back and are from less than an inch in length to several inches long. The insects chew holes in stems, leaves, buds, and fruit.

Mealy Bugs

The mealy bugs are soft-bodied and covered with white waxy powder. Some have long filaments from the rear of its body. Mealy bugs suck juices causing leaves to wilt or drop. Plants weaken and decline rapidly from the damage.

Scales

The tiny insects come in almost any color. Scales are often less than ¼ inch and covered by a waxy coating that could be circular, oval, oblong, or pear-shaped. They suck juices, which causes the leaves to yellow and die. Growth is restricted causing the entire plant to decline.

These very small insects may only be visible using a hand lens. They are often eight-legged and come in a variety of colors. You may find spider mites on the underside of leaves. When existing in numbers, they may form filmy webs. They suck juices causing leaves to turn silvery and curl. Sometimes yellow dots develop and the plant quickly deteriorates and dies.

Identifying Garden Pests Thrips

Thrips are small, black or yellow insects. They scrape leaves and flowers and then suck the juices. Effected plant portions will curl and brown.

Whiteflies

Adult whiteflies are light-colored and resemble tiny moths. They swarm in a cloud when an infested plant is disturbed. Young are pale green and found on the underside of leaves. They suck juices, weakening the plant, leaving it susceptible to disease.

Organic Treatments

Biological controls for pests that may be released or found currently in the garden include wasps, lacewings, ladybugs, and assassin bugs.

In small numbers, aphids can be washed from plants with a mild, soapy solution. Natural insecticides such as insecticidal soap, pyrethrin, and rotenone also fight mealy bugs, caterpillars, beetles, whiteflies, spider mites, scales, stinkbugs, and thrips.

Some beetles can be tolerated but large populations could destroy a crop. One of the simplest methods of pest control is handpicking the insects into a container of alcohol. The ideal control for garden pests is to handpick. Caterpillar nests and webs can be cut from trees.

Stiff 3-inch collars of paper or cardboard around the stems of transplants prevent cutworm damage. Some caterpillars can be identified at the egg stage and rubbed from stems and foliage. Spraying with Bacillus thuringiensis is effective against many species of caterpillars.

Cut away and destroy portions of plants with heavy infestations. Daubing mealy bugs with alcohol or washing them off with soap works well. Oil sprays are extremely effective on scales. Try sticky boards to capture adult whiteflies before they lay their eggs.

Inorganic

Prevention

Effective chemical controls include Sevin and diazinon for caterpillars, beetles, mealy bugs, and thrips.

Identifying Garden Pests Worst types of Garden Pests

Mites rapidly build huge populations with their numbers doubling in days. Release predatory mites to aid in control. The tiny thrips are often overlooked until major damage has occurred.

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