Plant Pests

And by providing adequate water, fertilizer and routine maintenance, your garden will be less inviting to bothersome pests.

But even under the best circumstances, garden pests can invade and damage or destroy our work.

If we can identify the pest, it's easier to eliminate it and control the damage.

And since most pests can be identified by the type of damage they leave behind, the key to control and elimination of plant pests is watching for early signs of damage.

Common Garden Pests

Earwigs live on decaying fruit, flowers and plants in the garden, as well as living mites and aphids. Adult earwigs are about ¾ inch long, oval and reddish-brown with tails that resemble forceps.

They create irregular holes in any part of a plant, especially seedlings and ripe fruit. Cleaning up debris and limiting use of mulch, where they live, in the garden will eliminate these prolific eaters.

Snails and slugs are members of the mollusk family which includes several varieties. They leave irregular holes with smooth edges in leaves, bark and fruit, especially those near the ground.

Slugs lack the spiral shells that snails have, but both leave behind a trail of silvery mucus as the telltale sign of their visit.

They hide to avoid the heat and sun of the day, and are most active on cloudy days and at night. Handpick and destroy them as you see them. Plant woody plants, those with highly scented foliage, or ornamental grasses to keep them out of the garden.

Aphids are 1/8 inch long, soft insects that may appear waxy or wooly due to secretions they produce. There are a number of colors of aphids, depending on the species.

They multiply rapidly, several times during the growing season, which can lead to infestations. They can stunt the growth of plants, sucking the sap from plants and causing leaves to curl and yellow.

They leave behind a sticky substance that turns into fungus, which can spread through many plants. They are most active in mild temperatures, between 65 and 80 degrees. Check under leaves where they hide and introduce lady beetles into the garden for control.

Mealybugs are garden pests that hang out in groups. There may be several clustered at leaf and stem junctions of a plant, where they draw out the sap.

They are powdery white, looking like small tufts of cotton, and can quickly infest an entire plant. Once attacked, the whole plant should be treated with systemic spray. Avoid spraying flowering fruit trees, as this will also kill pollinating bees.

Grasshoppers are about one to two inches in length, and can be green, brown or reddish yellow. Although only one generation lives per year, these plant pests can consume half their body weight in a day.

Their hinge-type back legs allow them to jump great distances and cover quite a bit of landscape. To destroy eggs deposited each year, roto-till your beds each spring.

Whiteflies tend to group together on the undersides of leaves, where they suck the sap from the plant. Leaves yellow, growth is stunted and the plant becomes susceptible to disease.

Whiteflies are tiny, at only 1/16 inch, with powdery white wings. You'll notice large clusters of whiteflies flying between plants. Spot treat with insecticidal soaps, or treat large areas with horticultural oils that will smother all stages of whiteflies.

Cutworms do their feeding at night, cutting off seedlings at ground level. Some species bore into vegetables or plants.

The one to two-inch long gray or brown caterpillars curl up when not feeding and dig into the soil during the day. Once they turn into moths, these plant pests no longer damage plants.

Because it is spring larvae that have overwintered in the soil that do the most damage, remove all garden debris and leaves in early spring to control.

More Plant Pests Info

How to Prevent and Control Plant Pests
By using a few simple techniques to prevent and control infestation by plant pests, you can limit the damage they leave behind.

Plant Diseases
With routine maintenance and care we can limit the damage done by plant diseases and further prevent their spread.