Common Garden Pests: Identifying and Controlling Plant Pests
Common garden pests: Identifying garden pests and How to control them.
If you have plants then at some point you have had or will have bugs and insects. Some of them aren't bad by themselves but large infestations can totally wipe out your plants.
Have a questions, comments, home remedies, etc. about common garden pests you would like to share? Click here to add it.
If only a small infestation is present, spraying your plants with a blast from your water hose can help control plant pests.
Identifying insects can sometimes be difficult so knowing what to look for can help with eliminating them.
NOTE: I try to use organic garden pest control to get rid of bugs and insects in my yard because even though pesticides work they will also eliminate beneficial insects that we need as well. That is always something to keep in mind.
Here are some of the most common plant pests you may encounter.
Common Garden Pests
Japanese Beetle (Popillia japonica)
These green and copper looking beetles will eat your leaves until they look like skeletons with only the veins of the leaves remaining. They can destroy your entire plant within a day.
Aphids
These small soft-body insects suck the sap out of your plants and leave honeydew behind that attracts ants and can drop off trees and onto your car, and outdoor furniture.
Mealybugs
These little white cotton-like bugs can destroy your plants by sucking the sap out of the leaves which make them turn yellow and die.
Scale Insects
These little pests look like bumps on the stems and leaves of your plants. The part you see is the protective coating over the insect.
Learn how to control scale insects.
Earwigs
These plant pests do not hurt humans but they will eat your plants. If you find holes in the leaves, then earwigs might be the cause.
Slugs and Snails
These slimy little insects will leave holes in the leaves of your plant during the night and hide in cool damp places during the day.
More Common Plant Pests
Caterpillars
They love to munch on leaves making your plant look unhealthy. They eat half the leaf and move onto the next one.
Learn how to get rid of caterpillars.
Spider Mites
Found on both houseplants and outdoor plants, these microscope insects will suck the sap out of the leaves and eventually they turn yellow and drop off the plant and eventually kill the plant.
Leaf Miners
If you see wiggly lines through your leaves, then chances are you have leaf miners.
They are larva from wasps, sawflies, and flies and live inside the leaves.
Whiteflies Control
These soft bodied, winged insects love to suck the sap out of leaves and leave behind honeydew that attracts ants and can drip from the leaves onto anything that is under them.
The How To's on Whitefly Control
Pest Resistant Plants
Something else to consider is that you can add some pest resistant plants to your landscape to keep unwanted bugs and insects away.
Plants that have a strong scent or an unattractive taste will repel bug and insects.
- lavender
- basil
- marigolds
- mums
- nasturtiums
- citronella rosemary and other herbs
- petunias
- catnip
The above list are all pest resistant plants. Try planting them around the plants you want to protect.
Common Garden Pest
There are a lot of ways to deal with bugs and insects if they become harmful to your plants.
Do you use all natural remedies like dish soap and water or do you use insecticides? And on which insects?
Do you have other insects not listed here? How do you eliminate them?
What is YOUR best way to get rid of pests?
Add your questions, comments, home remedies, etc. below. And if you find this site helpful, please pay it forward by answering or commenting on any of the submissions below.
How are YOU Dealing with Bugs and Insects in your yard?
Identifying and dealing with garden pests is something every gardener has to do at some point. How are you dealing with the bugs and insects that invade YOUR yard?
Technique and Recipes from Other Visitors
Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
Best Recipe for Garden Pest Control 
This is a recipe I use in my garden to control garden pests that are eating my plants.
Organic recipe with Chillies and Garlic
1/2 cup chillies …
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