Pests of Garden Plants
Pests can destroy an entire garden. Pests affect plants of all varieties, shapes and sizes. They eat the leaves and roots of your plants, leaving them starving for nutrients and moisture. Signs of pest are leaves that are wilted, brown or have holes in them. Does this Spark an idea?
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Aphids
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Aphids attack many different plants. Aphids use their piercing, sucking tongues to get into the vines and stems of plants and then suck out the sap and moisture. This pulls nutrients away from the developing flowers, fruits and vegetables. Aphids are easily recognizable by their pear-shaped bodies. If you suspect aphids, lift up a leaf and if there are many tiny bugs, it is probably an aphid infestation. To get rid of aphids, spray the plants with a strong stream of water. Some pesticides will also take care of an aphid problem.
Hornworms
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Hornworms are about the biggest insect pest in the garden. These large, green caterpillars grow to about 5 inches long. One sign of a hornworm in the garden is holes in the leaves where they have been feeding. A couple of the plants that hornworms affect are tomatoes and eggplants. While they mainly eat leaves, they have been known to bite holes in the produce as well. A natural way to get rid of these is to make a natural pesticide that can be sprayed on the plants regularly, especially after rain. Mix together 1 clove of garlic, a palm-full of dried, hot pepper, one chopped onion, a teaspoon of dish soap and a gallon of water. Allow the mixture to sit for two days, strain, fill a squirt bottle, and spay then solution on the leaves. This mixture also works for other garden pests including cabbageworms, flea beetles and aphids.
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Black Vine Weevils
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Black vine weevils are unusual in a couple of ways. One is that they feed at night. If you should happen to catch them on your garden plants, they will pretend to be dead. These bugs are black and about ½ inch long with bent antennae. Treat your soil in the spring before planting, as weevils deposit eggs in the soil in the summer and fall, which hatch in the spring.
China Mark Moth
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The China mark moth is a pest that attacks aquatic plants. Aquatic plants include water lilies, pondweed, water chestnut and frog-bit. The China mark moth lays eggs on the leaves of plants. When the eggs hatch, the larvae feed on the leaves, and then use what is left of the leaves to wrap themselves in a cocoon until they mature into adult moths. If you find egg clusters on the undersides of leaves, remove them and destroy them to protect your plants.
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References
- Photo Credit aphids image by lnzyx from Fotolia.com
