Garden Pests & How to Treat them
Curled leaf Aphid damage on mint.
Hey gardeners, here’s something to consider. The next time you see holes in your basil leaves, consider it a compliment. Pests LOVE healthy gardens. Here in Houston where heat and humidity play major roles, we know the power of a pest.
Kitchen gardens are an ideal breeding ground for pill bugs and other insects that need a moist environment in which to call home. Let’s cover the most common garden buggers and how you should treat them.
Aphids. Perhaps the most common of all! You’ll see them anywhere and everywhere, but they have a particular love for small tomatoes ripening on the vine (or rotting if you forget to pluck in time!). Aphids are green, red, grey or black. They have pear shaped bodies and love to suck sap from leaves. It’s imperative to check both sides of leaves, as aphids hide out on the underside and along the stem. They are often found in masses huddled very closely together. Treatment: Buy a container of live ladybugs (Cornelius, Buchanan’s, Wabash all carry them). Release the ladybugs in the evening and let them go to work.
Hornworm. If you discover that your tomato, pepper or eggplant stems are suddenly stripped of all their leaves, blame the hornworm. They are notoriously difficult to spot during the day because they blend right in with the leaves, but grab a flashlight and search in the evening. Hornworms are fat green caterpillars with a horn-like tail that give off a little glow at night. Treatment: The best way to manage these pests is physical removal. Toss into a bucket of soapy water or feed to chickens.
Grasshoppers. Large round holes in leaves are a sign of grasshoppers. If left untreated, they can much their way through an entire crop. They are difficult to nab because they can jump and fly and they’ll typically hang out from spring until frost, or until eaten by a spider, toad or bird. Treatment: Plant herbs and flowers that grasshoppers hate around your plants. Calendula, sweet clover and horehound repel grasshoppers. Physical removal is your best bet if you can catch them. Another trick is to lightly dust your leaves with flour. Insecticidal soap will also do the trick.
Pill bugs. Roly Polies love to multiply in raised garden beds, particularly underneath very established herbs. The root structure provides a safe habitat where they can avoid natural predators and multiply freely in moist soil. Treatment: Add a shallow dish of beer and sink it into the soil so that the lip is at soil level. Pill bugs (and slugs!) are drawn to the beer and will drown themselves. Another method of control is the application of DE~ Diatomaceous Earth, which is a safe way to desiccate pill bugs. Unfortunately, DE also kills ants and other beneficial bugs, so use it sparingly.
Stink bugs. Ugh. Even the name implies that these pests are a true pain for gardeners. Stink bugs have a shield shaped body, often brown to black, and cause significant damage to growing plants. Treatment: Insecticidal soap or a soapy water trap is often your best bet. Place it near the infested plant and stink bugs will be attracted to the scent and drown in the water. A strong spray of the garden hose will also do the trick but they’ll likely find their way back to your delicious garden.
Remember that the best defense is a good offense. The goal is not to eradicate every single pest you see. The goal is to provide a healthy and organic ecosystem in which common garden pests are managed. Ladybugs eat aphids. Birds eat caterpillars. We all eat from our gardens. Take pests in stride and understand that this is a natural part of gardening. You aren’t a bad gardener because aphids enjoyed your tomatoes before you did. That happens to all of us! We just want to encourage a proactive approach to pest management. Inspect leaves daily. Manually remove bugs or give them a good spray with the garden hose or treat according to the recommendations above.
Happy gardening!
