Common Garden Pests

Garden pests are notorious for causing damage to home gardens by munching on foliage, sucking nutrients from stems and leaves, and even threatening the plants' survival. The best defense against pests is knowledge and prevention; keeping pests at bay is easier than eradicating them after they have started causing problems.

Garden pests vary depending on the location, climate, and the plants being grown. Some pests attack plants indiscriminately, while others are species-specific. Treatments also vary, making continuous scouting for signs of infestation crucial. Early detection allows for easier management before damage becomes severe.

Common Garden Pests and How to Manage Them

Slugs

Habitat and Damage:

• Thrive in dark, damp spaces with ample green foliage or decomposing plant material.
• Eat large holes in foliage, attacking most garden vegetables and fruits, especially young, tender, low-lying plants.

Management:

• Hand Picking: Tediously handpick slugs from the soil and plants about two hours after sunset.
• Barriers: Spread diatomaceous earth or boric acid granules around plant bases.
• Trapping: Use shallow pans of stale beer sunk into the ground as traps.

Cabbage White

Habitat and Damage:

• Affect brassica crops, reducing them to skeletons.
• Eggs are laid on the undersides of brassica and caper crops; larvae feed voraciously on the plants.

Management:

• Prevention: Cover brassicas with butterfly netting to prevent egg-laying.
• Physical Barriers: Ensure netting is secured tightly to the ground to prevent gaps.

Ants

Habitat and Damage:

• Can help pollinate flowers and feed on harmful caterpillars, but large infestations disrupt soil around plant roots.

Management:

• Borax and Sugar Mixture: Sprinkle around ant hills to eradicate colonies.
• Physical Barriers: Create barriers to prevent ants from accessing plants.

Caterpillars

Habitat and Damage:

• Caterpillars vary; some cause significant destruction, while others have minimal impact.

Management:

• Prevention: Cover plants with butterfly netting.
• Hand Removal: Physically remove eggs and caterpillars.
• Natural Deterrents: Plant strong-smelling herbs like lavender, sage, and peppermint.
• Biological Control: Use chickens or ducks to pick off caterpillars.
• Chemical Control: Apply neem oil as needed.

Woolly Aphids

Habitat and Damage:

• Affect woody stems of apple, pear, prunus, pyracantha, and cotoneaster.
• Cause knobby galls, making trees susceptible to canker and other infections.

Management:

• Water Spray: Remove aphids with a jet of water.
• Soapy Water: Scrub off aphids using soapy water and a brush.
• Resistant Varieties: Plant resistant apple varieties.
• Natural Predators: Encourage lacewings and ladybirds.
• Chemical Control: Use pesticides containing pyrethrin or pyrethroids.

Vine Weevil

Habitat and Damage:

• Affects ornamental plants and fruits, particularly those in containers.
• Adults eat leaves; grubs feed on root systems.

Management:

• Hand Picking: Remove adults by hand after dark.
• Biological Control: Apply nematodes in August and September.
• Chemical Control: Drench compost around plants with weevil-killing insecticides.

Birds

Habitat and Damage:

• Birds can eat insects but also damage fruits and vegetables.

Management:

• Netting: Cover plants with netting.
• Scare Tactics: Use reflective tape, metal pie tins, hawk or owl decoys, or scarecrows.

Common Garden Pests and Their Management