Today we will talk about the pests of the garden, insects that attack the plants and that, sometimes, can spoil them. It is important to know how to identify pests and what are the remedies to eliminate insects that are harmful to plants.
Today we will see what the pests of vegetables are, such as tomato pests, lettuce pests and insects that attack peppers, broad beans, cabbages, aromatic herbs… and other typical crops in home gardens. Many of these common insects can also become pests of garden plants, such as flowers or fruit trees.
The 5 most common pests or insects in the garden
Here we will analyze five of the most common insect pests that you can have in your garden or orchard, obviously I am leaving many pests without analyzing. I have selected these five because they are the ones that I personally find the most difficult to control in my garden each year.
1. Aphid
Aphids are insects of black or green color, of a very small size. They settle on the aerial parts of plants, especially on young shoots and buds. Sometimes the leaves look rolled up and sticky, many turn yellow.
Among the garden plants that attack the most are rose bushes, ivy, hibiscus, and in the garden they love to attack your tomatoes, lettuce, broccoli.
Among the tips that I can give you to prevent the attack of aphids, I can tell you that you should avoid environmental dryness and excess fertilizer.
If you have not been able to prevent their attack to eliminate them, you can clean the areas where they have attacked with a brush, that will only be effective in reduced infestations.
When the plague has spread too much, you should use a systemic insecticide every 15 days or spray with soapy water (one tablespoon of liquid soap per liter of water). Ladybugs are their natural predators.
2. Mealybugs
They are characterized by having a brown, cottony white or striated waxy protective shield. They are sucking insects that feed on the sap of plants.
Mealybugs are visible and generally secrete a kind of honeydew that makes the leaves sticky, which lose color, turn yellow and become deformed. Molasses encourages the appearance of the bold fungus.
In general, mealybugs like to attack all kinds of ornamental plants (from orchids, as in the photo, and coleus to chamaedoreas and arecas) and fruit trees, especially citrus and olive trees.
One of the best ways to combat this plague is by cleaning the affected parts with a cotton swab dipped in methylated spirits; The cottony mealybug can be controlled by spraying with soapy water. If the infestation is massive, it is best to cut to the chase. Move the affected plants to a cooler place with more light. Apply an insecticide and repeat the treatment two to three times every 15 days.
3. Ants
They are easily recognizable, almost everyone is able to distinguish ants, so we will not dwell too much on their description. These common insects are harmful pests above all because their presence is associated with that of other types of pests, such as aphids or whiteflies.
There are many ways to control ants in your garden, some more effective than others. We can mention some such as crop rotation, placing containers with Diesel oil, blocking the path of ants with glass wool rings, placing aromatic plants in the garden, using various special insecticides for ants.
4. Red spider
The red spider mite is the mite that most attacks plants as a pest. You may notice that there are spider mites in your garden when you see leaves that are filled with yellow or brown specks and turn pale; then they curl up, dry up and fall. Cobwebs are sometimes visible; spiders are almost imperceptible.
They like to attack almost all houseplants, especially alocasia, rose bushes, citrus, etc. You can prevent environmental dryness when the temperature is high by spraying with water. Periodically apply an acaricide that acts systemically.
A very efficient way to control the attack of red spiders is by spraying the underside of the leaves with an acaricide soaking well. Apply a second treatment two weeks later.
5. Snails and slugs
Slugs are shellless gastropod molluscs, which differentiates them from snails. But given this difference, the truth is that the attack of both mollusks is quite similar. Both produce holes in the aerial part of the plants, especially in the leaves and shoots, leaving a characteristic mucous trail.
They especially love to attack bulbous plants in general, herbaceous plants with large leaves (lettuce) and hydrangeas. One way to prevent it is by protecting the base of the stems with copper sheets or granular baits in the ground.
If the prevention was not effective, it is good that on rainy or very humid days you inspect the garden at night, which is when they go out to collect the animals. You can also place traps, such as beer cans, near the plants, or spray them with salt, which kills them. Of course there are also special insecticides to kill these mollusks, although this should always be our last option
