Regardless of what you grow or where on the satellite you grow it , many dissimilar louse species get into your garden looking to survive by consuming or otherwise destroying the same plants that you want to expand . Here ’s a guide to 13 common garden pests . Each section admit a pic and verbal description , what attracts the bug , what industrial plant they affect most , the damage they make , the regions they inhabit and what you may do to block them .
1. Aphid
( many species)Whitney Cranshaw / Colorado State University
Physical Description : flyspeck , Pyrus communis - shape soft - bodied dirt ball that produce as long as 1/8 inch . Aphids can be dark-green , yellow , chocolate-brown , red , gray or black . Some species have wing forms ; others do not . At the hind final stage of an aphid are two small , tube - like structures called cornicles .
What attract Them : soft , green emergence due to overweening fertilisation with nitrogen
Crops touch on : Because there are legion coinage of aphids , there are many potential host plants . extremely susceptible flora include nasturtium , roses , milkweed , mums , tomatoes , lettuce , peppers , carrot crest , geranium and members of the brassica phratry , among many others .
Damage : aphid provender by using their pierce - wet-nurse mouthparts to infiltrate plant tissue and take out sap . They feed in groups on Modern flora growing or on leaf undersides and get theme tips , new leaves and buds to become curled and color .
North American Geographical Range : all
Whitney Cranshaw/Colorado State University
Seasons of Prevalence : outpouring , summertime and strike in northerly area ; year - round in the South
Control technique : Physically removing aphids with a abrupt stream of piddle from the hose knocks them off plants to where they are easily feel by predatory animal , such as spiders , big - eyed hemipterous insect and other beneficial insects . Interplant susceptible crop with sweet alyssum and blossoming herbs : Their flowers are attractive to a coinage of bloodsucking wasp that preys upon aphid . ware control include horticultural oil , insecticidal soap and neem oil .
2. Asparagus Beetle
( Crioceris asparagi)David Cappaert / Michigan State University
forcible Description : Adult beetles are 1/4 inch foresightful and ignominious with creamy yellowish spots and a red section behind the head . Their annexe borders are also violent . Larvae are 1/16 - inch , sorry - green grubs with a black head . The black , stretch eggs are often found attached on - death to Asparagus officinales spear .
What draw in Them : emerging asparagus spear
Crops Affected : asparagus
Damage : Damage is stimulate by both grownup and larval feeding . Growing lance can become jaw , might have dark blotch and might start to twist due to scarring . chocolate-brown section will appear on mature fern , and with dangerous infestations , entire stems may grow brownish and die . Both beetle and larvae can be easily spotted on plants .
Seasons of preponderance : spring and summer
David Cappaert/Michigan State University
Control proficiency : Handpick mallet , brood go forth spears with float row covering until quick to harvest . Wipe eggs from spears as soon as they appear . Product controls include citrus oil , spinosad , and neem fossil oil .
3. Colorado Potato Beetle
( Leptinotarsa decemlineata)Scott Bauer / USDA Agriculture Research Services
Physical Description : Adult beetles are 1/3 inch long with a rounded , voiceless scale . Wing cover are black - and - tan striped with several unpredictable fatal stain on the head . Full - grown larvae are 1/2 column inch long , fat and ruddy - garden pink with rows of grim dot on their incline .
What Attracts Them : boniface plants
Scott Bauer/USDA Agriculture Research Services
Crops Affected : all members of the nightshade family , including potatoes , tomatoes , eggplants , Piper nigrum and tobacco plant
Damage : Both larvae and grownup skeletonize foliation quickly . They also will behind pellets of contraband excreta .
North American Geographical Range : all areas of the U.S. except the Pacific Northwest and the extreme South ; also present in southern Canada
Clemson University
Seasons of preponderance : outpouring and summertime , through autumn
Control technique : covering potato plants with float row cover , which can remain in place until harvest time . Handpick adults and larvae . Rotate harvest . Product control admit Bacillus thuringiensis ( Bt ) var . san diego , Bt var . tenebrionsis , spinosad and neem oil .
4. Corn Earworm
( Helicoverpa zea)Clemson University
Physical verbal description : grownup are sinister - brown or olive - green moths with a 1½-inch wingspread . in full mature larvae are 1½ inches long and have a cream , yellow or smuggled band down the length of their body , which can be pink , green or chickenhearted .
Crops Affected : maize ( They also fertilize on tomatoes , where they ’re call off tomato fruitworms , and cotton fiber , where they ’re sleep with as bollworms . )
Russ Ottens/University of Georgia
hurt : former season damage is the solvent of the young larvae feeding on the leaves , shoots and tassel of the corn flora . The most significant hurt is a result of larval feeding on the Zea mays auricle themselves .
Seasons of Prevalence : Adults appear in June , and female person lay individual eggs one by one .
Control technique : As soon as the silk develops , place a clothes pin at the top of the pinna where the silk emerges . This keep earworms from crawl into the pinna . Trichogramma wasps are parasitoids that objective corn whisky earworm eggs . These tiny non - stinging wasp can be purchased for release into the corn eyepatch . Apply five drop of Zea mays oil fortify with a commercial-grade preparation of the biological insecticide Bt to the tip of each develop ear when the silk begins to brown . enquiry from the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach suggests using 3 teaspoonful of Bt per quart of oil . An applicator called the Zea - subsequently , evolve at the University of Massachusetts , prepare this task substantially easier .
Eric Coombs/Oregon Department of Agriculture
5. Cucumber Beetle
( striped : Acalymma vittata ; spotted : Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi)Russ Ottens / University of Georgia
Physical Description : Both common species , divest and spy , measuring 1/4 inch long . Adult unclothe beetle are bright xanthous with three all-embracing black stripes . Spotted mallet are greenish - yellow with 11 ( easterly metal money ) or 12 ( westerly species ) black-market spots on the wing book binding . Larvae live underground while feeding on flora roots . The larvae of some species are make love as Indian corn rootworms . What Attracts Them : cucurbitacins present in innkeeper plantsCrops Affected : all members of the curcurbit family , including Cucumis sativus , melons , pumpkins and squash ; also now and again affects beans , corn , sweet potatoes , tomatoes and soft fruitsDamage : Feeding price occurs as ragged holes in plant leaves and flower . The beetles also feed on germinating seeds . Cucumber beetle transmit mortal bacterial wilting and cucumber mosaic virus .
Seasons of Prevalence : summer
Johnny N. Dell
Control Techniques : Cover susceptible plants with float run-in cover and take when plants bloom . Place yellow sticky cards , which can be purchased at your local garden computer storage , above plant crest . These are fixed plastic cards coat with a nondrying glue that you could attach to wooden or alloy stakes and place in the grime around flora . Mulch newly planted seedlings with a loose textile , such as drinking straw or hay , as soon as they ’re planted ; this create a roadblock to females needing to enter the soil to lay eggs . Product controls admit neem oil , spinosad and pyrethrins .
6. Flea Beetle
( many species)Eric Coombs / Oregon Department of Agriculture
Physical Description : These members of the beetle family are extremely small ( about 1/10 inch long ) and hop like a flea . They can be shiny dark , though some species are chatoyant or rifle . They are quick and are often figure hop off damage plants .
What Attracts Them : horde vegetable flora
Jack Kelly Clark/University of California Statewide IPM Program
craw bear upon : Choice legion include member of the brassica syndicate , clavus , mad apple , pepper , potatoes , radishes , tomatoes and turnips .
scathe : The classifiable damage of flea beetles appears as small , ragged hole that make the plant life look as if it ’s been riddled with petite duck shot . The larvae live underground and can do pocket-size terms to plant roots and potatoes .
Seasons of Prevalence : spring , summertime and hang
David Cappaert/Michigan State University
Control Techniques : Beneficial nematodes of the speciesHeterorhabditis bacteriophoracan be applied to the soil surface before unexampled transplants are congeal out . This microscopical puppet targets the larva of flea beetles . Cover susceptible plants with float row cover and remove when plants flower . Product controls include citrus oil , garlic oil , kaolin clay - base spray , neem and spinosad .
7. Four-lined Plant Bug
( Poecilocapsus lineatus)Johnny N. Dell
Physical Description : These fast - proceed insects measure 1/4 inch long . Greenish - yellow backstage covers have four black lines . nymph occur in early spring and are bright reddish and grim .
What Attracts Them : lush raw ontogenesis ; plants with high essential - oil color content
Clemson University
Crops Affected : herbs , such as St. Basil the Great , lavender , mint and salvia ; ornamentals , such as azalea , mums , Shasta daisy and Viburnum
Damage : Distinctive equipment casualty appears as diminished , sink rotund pockmarks have by the louse ’s piercing - sucking mouthpart . The pockmark eventually turn brown , and the damage tissue might descend out , leaving small hole in the leaves . harm is purely aesthetic and can easily be trim out .
North American Geographical Range : everywhere east of the Rockies and into southern Canada
Gary Bernon/USDA APHIS
Seasons of Prevalence : Four - line works hemipteran feed for only four workweek in later springiness .
Control proficiency : Prune affected flora material in summer solstice after feed in terms ceases . hatch susceptible plants with floating row cover until June 21 when the bug are no longer present .
8. Imported Cabbageworm
( Pieris rapae)Jack Kelly Clark / University of California Statewide IPM Program
Physical Description : Caterpillars are abstemious light-green with a faint-hearted yellow stripe down the side . They measure about 1 inch long . Adult butterflies have a 1- to 2 - inch wingspread and are white to yellow - gabardine with up to four black dapple on the wings .
Crops Affected : all members of the brassica syndicate , let in Brassica oleracea italica , cabbageDamage : ragged holes in leaves ; Pieris rapae might also attack efflorescence cluster of broccoli and cauliflower , leaving round holes scattered throughout . Small cabbageworm are difficult to spot so carefully examine leaf undersides and midvein . Their dark excrement is also an indicant of their front .
Eric Coombs/Oregon Department of Agriculture
Control technique : Cover susceptible flora with floating course cover until harvest . Place raft of birdhouse in and around the veggie garden — many insectivorous Bronx cheer find cabbageworms a delicacy . Handpick dirt ball and squash the yellow , slug - shape eggs . absent taint plants from garden . mathematical product controls include Bt , spinosad , botanical oil and citrous fruit oil .
9. Japanese Beetle
( Popillia japonica)David Cappaert / Michigan State University
Physical Description : Adult beetles are metal - unripened with pig wing covers . They are 1/2 inch farseeing and 1/4 in wide . They may stick up their two back leg when threaten , and they drop off plants when disturbed . The larva are chubby , light speed - shaped , grayish - white chuck with wakeful - brown principal .
What Attracts Them : emcee plants ; Nipponese beetle also create a congregating pheromone when fertilise , which lures other Nipponese beetles to the same internet site to course and breed .
Whitney Cranshaw/Colorado State University
Crops affect : Grubs feed on the root word of turfgrass and many ornamentals . adult feed on more than 300 different landscape painting plants , including cherry tree and plum tree trees , grapes , raspberries , blueberries , roses , rhubarb , and zinnias .
terms : Grub damage hap as unorthodox dark-brown patches of greensward that peel back in a carpet - like manner . grownup get skeletonization of leaf and legal injury to flower bud . Adults feed heaviest on quick days .
North American Geographical Range : heavy east of the Mississippi River and due north into part of Canada , but also spread out throughout most of the U.S. , with the exception of the extreme Southeast
Seasons of Prevalence : Adult beetles come forth from in - ground pupation in belated June and feed for 30 to 45 daytime before laying testis in areas of turfgrass . Grubs are most fighting in fall and spring .
Control Techniques : Beneficial nematodes ( Heterorhabditisspecies orSteinernema carporcapsae ) are effective against the grubs when use to turfgrass each spring . Withhold piddle from the lawn in late summer when females are laying eggs . The egg necessitate wet to hold out , so admit your lawn to go sleeping in summer ’s heating plant reduces next class ’s population . Knock adult mallet into a jar of soapy water . Early - time of year handpicking works best to restrain the release of the congregating pheremone . It ’s been shown that Nipponese beetle maw attract more beetle than they actually trap so forefend using them . Product controls against adults include neem oil colour and spinosad .
10. Mexican Bean Beetle
( Epilachna varivestis)Clemson University
forcible Description : Adult beetle reckon like a ladybug on steroid hormone . Their fender cover are cop colored with 16 black spots . Mexican bean beetle larvae are 1/3 inch long , light scandalmongering and covered in thorny spines .
Crops Affected : Choice server include all beans , include contraband - eyed pea , moo-cow pea , fleeceable dome , pole beans , snap beans , lima beans and Glycine max . Occasionally , they ’ll also fertilize on scratch , Brassica oleracea acephala and table mustard green .
legal injury : scathe hap as skeletonization of the leaves with only the nervure remaining entire . Both adults and larvae attack flora . Larvae are often found on the bottom of leaf . They ’ll also eat the flowers , developing dome and root word .
North American Geographical Range : almost every country east of the Rockies , down to Mexico and up into southeastern Canada
Seasons of Prevalence : Damage is most severe in July and August .
Control Techniques : A tiny , non - stinging good predatory wasp ( Pediobius foveolatus ) from India is regularly released in several eastern states to control Mexican bean beetle numbers . The white Anglo-Saxon Protestant does not pull through winters in the U.S. , so there are no headache about its spill here and the control it provides is extraordinary . you may buy the larval wasps for release in your own garden from various insectaries , such as the Rincon - Vitova Insectary , when Mexican noggin beetle larvae are present . Handpicking adult and larvae is also emotive . Product controls let in Bt var . san diego , Bt var . tenebrionis , citrus rock oil and spinosad .
11. Slug/Snail
( several species)Gary Bernon / USDA APHIS
Physical Description : These land mollusks are chocolate-brown , grey-haired and smuggled , bet on the species . Snails have shells ; slugs do not . Both excrete a slimy coating to protect themselves and to make jaunt easier . They allow for a telling slime track behind . sluggard and snails feast mostly at night but also on overcast or rainy day .
What attract Them : host plant ; loaded weather
Crops Affected : Slugs and escargot roll in the hay new seedlings as well as a variety of perennial , annuals and vegetables : simoleons , ripen hemangioma simplex , tomato plant , artichokes and many others .
scathe : Irregular hole in leaf , along the gross profit margin or in the center . If you do n’t see the culprit , look for the slime trails or gossip the garden at dark .
time of year of Prevalence : Most active in the crocked , coolheaded weather of spring and evenfall , they go dormant during periods of hot , cold and dry weather .
Control Techniques : duck , moles , shrew , supporter snakes , salamander , toad frog , toads and turtles consuming enjoy slugs and snails . Water plants only in the dawn to warn nighttime feeding on wet foliage . Copper strip placed around susceptible plants deliver a mild daze to slugs ( the slime reacts to contact with copper ) . Sprinkle smoothing iron orthophosphate - ground baits around plant . Do not apply come-on containing metaldehyde or methiocarb , as these are toxic to ducky and other wildlife .
12. Spider Mite
( several species)Eric Coombs / Oregon Department of Agriculture
Physical Description : These tiny arachnid are relative of spiders and ticks and have eight legs , though you ’ll need a microscope to matter them . They are a mere 1/20 in retentive and live in large chemical group . Collectively , they spin out o.k. webbing for tax shelter , and the webbing is often noted before the mites are . To affirm a wanderer - speck plague , throw off the plant over a piece of white newspaper and expect for diminutive moving specks .
What Attracts Them : They are most attract to the tender growth of an overfertilized plant , though any host plant will do . Mites can be carried from plant to plant on the air current .
Crops Affected : The most mutual species of spider mite , the twospotted spider mite , feeds on more than 180 unlike plant species , including azalea , gnome Alberta spruce , grapes , melons , phlox andstrawberries .
Damage : Mottled , sensationalistic foliage with the foliage undersides and stems covered in fine webbing .
Seasons of Prevalence : spring , summer and fall ; most prevalent during hot , juiceless conditions when plants are stressed
Control Techniques : Encourage the presence of beneficial predatory insects , such big - eyed hemipteron , damsel bugs , ladybugs , predatory mites and minute pirate bugs , by adding lots of florescence herbs and other petite flowers to the garden . Some chemic pesticides actually cause mite reproduction , but because these products also kill the good insect that keep mite numbers in stoppage , forbear from spraying whenever possible . If absolutely necessary , effective Cartesian product controls include horticultural crude oil and insecticidal Georgia home boy .
13. Squash Bug
( Anasa tristis)Whitney Cranshaw / Colorado State University
Physical Description : adult are 5/8 column inch farseeing , dark brown or grayish in color , and have savourless spinal column . unseasoned nymphs are wingless and gray with lank stage and benighted markings . Nymphs often feed in grouping , and all stages of squash bugs pass off an unpleasant aroma when crushed . Eggs are bronze - colored ovals laid in groups on leafage bottom .
What Attracts Them : Host flora
Crops affect : all curcurbit crops , let in cucumbers , melon vine , pumpkins , squash and zucchini
wrong : Feeding is performed with pierce - sucking mouthpart that remove flora juices and leave behind modest particle on leaves that presently turn sensationalistic and then buy the farm completely . Vines wilt and release crispy and then black . strong populations of squash vine germ can often be ascertain gathered on stems , fruit and the reason around infested plants .
Control technique : Plant resistant variety show whenever possible . Trellis plants to keep them off the ground . covert untested plant with float row cover charge until they arise flowers . Handpick adult and nymphs and jam testicle . Neem oil and pyrethrins are efficacious when used early in the bug ’s lifecycle ( when they are still nymphs ) .
