Common Vegetable Garden Pests

Bugs and insects are a huge pain for many vegetable gardeners. The majority of bugs are more of a nuisance than willfully destructive. However, discovering a garden pest making a meal of your crop would make anybody furious.

Among the ugliest garden pests is the tomato hornworm. It is a fat, white and green worm with a big horn that resembles a stinger. It can be plucked from the plant using gloved hands and submerged in soapy water to kill it. Alternatively, you could spray the tomato hornworm with stomach poison insecticide, neem oil, or Bacillus thuringiensis.

Thrips are partial to a variety of plants. You’ll know they’ve been there by the random white marks you see on the leaves. You can wash the bugs off by using a hose, and then apply contact poison to the plant.

You know when snails and slugs have been there because they leave behind a slimy trail and eat the leaves on the plants. You could purchase bait to get rid of them, but if you put a shallow dish containing beer in the garden, they will be attracted to it and drown.

If you notice fat white worms in the soil, you’re probably looking at grubs. Grubs will cause your plants to droop, and may stunt their growth. They can be held in check by adding milky spore to the soil. Grubs later become beetles, which can be wiped out using stomach poison insecticide.

Cutworms typically cut down the stem near the bottom of the plant. The only successful means of controlling them is by placing a paper collar around your plants.

Corn earworms will infiltrate a cob of corn while it’s still on the stalk and consume the kernels. Similarly, the tomato fruitworm will chow down on the interior of eggplants, peppers and tomatoes. Try using an insecticide that specifically targets earworms.

You’ll find borers in thick stemmed vine plants like squash and pumpkin. You have to cut them out of the plant in order to get rid of them. You might end up having to pull up the plant and destroying it if you find a borer near the base of the plant. You can usually get rid of them with insecticide.

Beetles are bothersome pests that enjoy munching on leaves. They are able to do an astonishing amount of harm to a vegetable garden, therefore it’s essential to eliminate them. It’s possible to pluck the beetles off the plants, or spray with an insecticide to destroy them.

Aphids are frequently found in a vegetable garden. Typically, you’ll come across bunches of tiny, soft bugs in assorted colors. To eliminate aphids, use neem oil or insecticidal soap.