15 Garden Pests and Natural Ways To Control Them

When you want to have a beautiful garden, it is always necessary for you to save your crops and plants from garden pests. In case you grow vegetables and fruits, it is not advisable to use chemicals to eliminate them. Therefore, it is important for you to identify the garden pests and use proper pest management techniques to control them without using pesticides. The following are well known garden pests you will be compelled to deal with.

      1-Colorado potato beetle

It is easy to identify these beetles with their yellow colored backs with 10 black stripes. Potatoes, tomatoes and egg plant are the main crops on which their larvae and the adults feed on.  They damage stems, flowers and buds. The best thing you could do to eliminate them is to pick both adults and larvae by hand and collect them in a can filled with soapy water. Also, you could crush eggs to prevent them from yielding larvae.

      2-Cabbage looper

This is the green caterpillar garden pest which will cause damage to your cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower and turnips. They create ragged holes in these crops. When the population is high, they are able to even prevent the head formation with cabbages. One of the best natural insect control methods to use on them is to find some sick caterpillars and mix them in water and to spray the mixture on healthy caterpillars. The virus in the sick caterpillars will kill the healthy ones. You may also like to check out beneficial garden insects.

      3-Bronze cut worm

This is also a larva of a moth. It is able to damage a number of plants that include potatoes, tomatoes, beans, peas, lettuce and many others. These larvae cut plants at soil level. Tilling the soil before planting is one of the remedies to prevent bronze worms from infesting your garden crops. Also, you can find and kill them. You may also like to check out homemade pesticides.

      4-Bean leaf beetle

These beetles garden pests are found in a number of colors and they attack legumes such as beans and soybeans.  Adult beetles damage both foliage and pods. Picking them up and dropping them into a can of soapy water is the best insect pest control method to use in order to get rid of them. You may also like to check out homemade bug sprays.

      5-Aphids

Aphid pests damage any crop though they predominantly damage beans, melons, pumpkins, cabbages, tomatoes and potatoes. The best way to control them is to attract predatory insects that feed on them. In order to do so, you must know your pest identification methods.

      6-Cucumber beetles

There are two varieties of these beetles pests. One has black strips on its wings while the other has spots. Cucumbers, cantaloupe, squash, melon and pumpkins are among the crops attacked by them. This common garden pest cannot cause much damage to well grown healthy plants. Therefore, using cones and raw covers until plants grow up is a good way to protect plants from them.

      7-Squash vine borer

The cream colored larva of squash vine borer moth garden pest will cause damage to pumpkin, squash and zucchini plants. They rarely attack melons and cucumbers. If your plants wilt suddenly, that is a good sign of the presence of this garden pest. If you have some experience in identifying insects you can find the adult squash vine cork borers. Use yellow pan traps to find if they are there. Using raw covers and other barriers is the best way to contain damage caused by larva. You may also like to check out natural tick repellents.

      8-Squash bug

These black or brown insects are common garden pests. They cause damage to pumpkins, melons, cucumbers and sometimes gourds. Squash bugs are not easy to catch and destroy because they hide with the slightest disturbance. Use trap boards at night and catch them early morning to destroy them. Also, you could find their eggs and crush.

      9-Flea beetles

These shiny beetles pests are dark in color and they have a metallic sheen. They damage a number of crops including melons, squash, pumpkins, potatoes, cabbages, tomatoes and many others. Organic pest control methods such as keeping the weeds away and using transplanting instead of planting with seeds are the methods to control them.

      10-European corn borer

Caterpillars of European corn borers garden pests are grey or light pink in color. They damage corn primarily but they also attack tomatoes, cabbages, okra, celery and many more crops. In order to control them, destroy all corn stalks. Do not use them in compost either. Try attracting their predators such as lady beetles and lacewings.

      11-Asparagus beetles

There is the common asparagus beetle as well as the spotted asparagus beetle that damage asparagus. It is not difficult to hand pick them and drop inside a can of soapy water in order to destroy them.  Even the larva could be found and crushed. You also could wipe the larva away from plants with a soft broom.

      12-Tomato and tobacco hornworms

These caterpillars garden pests are either white or yellow in color. Peppers, eggplant, tomatoes and potatoes are the crops they damage. Hand picking the caterpillars is the best way to get rid of tomato pests. Tilling the soil at the end of the season is a good remedy too. You also can use a culture of Bacillus thuringensis to destroy them.

      13-Cabbage maggot

Maggots garden pests attack plants of cabbage family by tunneling roots, killing plants. Remedy to prevent them from attacking your plants is to use raw covers and to use tar paper squares and transplant through silts in them. You also could apply nematodes at the roots of your plants.

      14-Mexican bean beetle

Cow peas, soybeans, snap beans and lima beans are damaged by this beetle. They defoliate and even kill plants. The way to destroy them is to hand pick them. Floating raw covers could also be applied to prevent damage from them.

      15-Japanese beetles

These garden insects eat leaves leaving only their skeletons and chew on flowers. You can shake plants early morning in order to save plants from them. Also, you could use floating raw covers. Using milky disease spores is also a good remedy. You may also like to check out mosquitoes & fly repellent plants.