What Garden Pest Is It?

Pests are a normal part of starting and nurturing your garden. Which garden pest is it? Click here to learn how to identify it.

Did you know that nearly 20% of people in the United States feel that they could do a better job at gardening?

Growing a successful garden can be challenging if you aren’t gifted with a green thumb or have the time to tend to it.

Part of taking care of a garden is paying attention to its environment, including the species that are living within.

Continue reading to learn about the most common garden pest examples so that you can protect your hard work! 

Red Spider Mites 

One of the easiest types of garden pests that you can identify is the red spider mite.

Red spider mites are a garden pest that makes the leaves on your plants look yellow. These mites suck out the sap in your beautiful green leaves, making them look like they are dying. It is not uncommon to also see brown spots appear on the leaves since they get dried out.

Try to look for fine webs that these spider mites build around your plants. You can use organic sprays to help control the situation. Otherwise, you might not notice it getting better until you have some humid days in the forecast. 

Bagworm

Some pest signs are more obvious than others, which makes it easy to identify if your garden has bagworms.

Bagworms are larva that comes from moths. These pests target evergreen trees and bushes. You will be able to see if you have them by looking for brown cocoons that the bagworms protect themselves in. 

Getting bagworms under control is important if you don’t want them to spread. The female bagworms can lay eggs in the sacks during late fall, so get the problem controlled by then! 

The best way to get bagworms out of your garden is to pick them off of the plants and soak them in soapy water. 

Moles

Although moles are carnivores, they are still able to find something to eat in your garden.

Moles like to go into people’s gardens to capture insects.

They are a blessing and a curse to have in your garden. If you have unwanted insects taking over, moles can help control the situation. However, if the moles start coming into your garden and kill off the insects that are contributing to garden growth, this can become an issue. 

If you aren’t able to get rid of this problem, Trap Your Moles can help get rid of them. This company can get rid of moles in a humane way so that you can get back to your normal life. 

Another reason you will want to get rid of moles is so that they don’t dig up your plants and the dirt, damaging your hard work. 

Japanese Beetles

Getting unexpected garden visitors can be stressful if they are attacking your flowers and plants. 

Japanese beetles are a common pest that you will come across in the garden. They can be identified by their reddish-brown colored and green color entwined. Japanese beetles will often attack a garden for nearly 6 weeks, wreaking havoc on all of your hours spent outside. 

Plants that Japanese beetles are attracted to include roses, raspberry bushes, and fruit trees. You can get rid of these pests by treating your plants with an organic beetle killer. Spray the affected areas down at the first sign of beetles entering your garden. 

During the colder months, these beetles will hibernate underground in the soil and grassy areas. They start to wake up in late June or the beginning of July. 

Tomato Moth

If you have tomatoes growing in your garden, you will want to know about the tomato moth.

Tomato moths primarily eat tomatoes, peppers, and potato plants. They also eat eggplants since it is in the same family. Most people recommend covering your tomatoes in garden fleece to help protect them. 

The fleece covering won’t add chemicals to your garden and is transparent. Even with the fleece, the plants can get sunlight, air, and water. If you aren’t sure if you have tomato moths, check beneath the leaves and the interior of the stem. During the day, the moths hide in these areas and start eating away at your beautiful plants. 

When tomato moth infestations occur, expect them to last 3 to 4 weeks. It is best to treat the problem at the first sign of them though. 

Grasshopper

A fun insect that is interesting to watch jump around in the grasshopper.

Unfortunately, it isn’t fun to watch grasshoppers in your garden. Grasshoppers love you eat leaves and flowers from nearly every plant. They also enjoy fruit plants, so be aware if you have them in the garden. 

If you start noticing small grasshoppers, get rid of them before they grow. They can eat up to half of their body weight in a day and will ruin your garden in a matter of days. Try to encourage bluebirds, toads, and snakes in your garden, they will eat the grasshoppers and help protect your plants. 

There are a couple of natural methods of getting rid of grasshoppers. If the issue isn’t fully managed, however, they will keep coming back to eat what you are growing. 

Discover the Garden Pest in Your Nest

Figuring out which garden pest is taking over your produce and herbs can be frustrating. 

By looking at the signs or for the pest itself, you can identify who is to blame. Knowing this will help you keep unwanted visitors away from your garden with preventative measures. 

Although you don’t want a bug species taking over your garden, make sure that you don’t get rid of everything. Pests might not be as harmful as you think and can help with growing. 

Be sure to check out our blog for more articles about garden problems and taking care of your plants! 

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