The 5 Worst Garden Insects and How to Get Rid of Them

 Aphids

 These pear-shaped 1/6-inch insects puncture plant tissues to get sap. Without treatment, affected plants might have puckered leaves, display stunted development, and even perish. In addition, the aphids' delicious, sticky honeydew attracts ants, who guard the aphids because they desire the honeydew, and aids in the formation of sooty mould.

How to eliminate aphids

To get rid of aphids, spray plants vigorously with water, or cut off afflicted plant sections and eliminate them. Spraying with horticultural oil (a petroleum- or vegetable-based oil used to suffocate insects), insecticidal soap, or neem are examples of organic alternatives (insecticide made from a tropical tree by the same name). Aphid-eating lady beetles are another product you may purchase. Discover these other organic pest control methods.

Cutworms

Cutworms are fatty, one-inch-long moth larvae that spend the daytime in hiding under leaves or in the top layer of soil and feed at night on plants. Cutworms are to blame if a recently planted seedling has been toppled like a tree in the forest since they normally target stems, the first component of a plant they come across.

Cutworm removal instructions:

Use cardboard toilet paper roll collars or plastic drinking cup collars to protect immature plants. Before planting, you may also cultivate the ground lightly and manually remove any curled-up cutworms (or let robins do the dirty work). Another option is to plant seedlings a few weeks later, once their stems have thickened and become resistant to cutworms.

Japanese Beetles

Bronze and metallic blue-green 1/2-inch beetles are the adult insects. Larvae are large, brown-headed white grubs. Beetles eat flowers and skeletonize foliage. Grubs consume the roots of plants, including grass.

Adult Japanese beetle removal instructions:

When they are less active, early in the morning, shake them from plants into a jar of soapy water. Insecticidal soap or floating row coverings are other options (extremely lightweight fabric placed directly on plants to keep insects from laying eggs).

How to get rid of grubs from the Japanese beetle

Apply milky spores or helpful nematodes, which are tiny worms that naturally grow in soil (a bacterium). Be patient; both of these organic solutions need time to develop in the soil and perform their functions.

Scales

Adult female scale insects, which resemble lumps on plant stems, leaves, or fruit, are the most noticeable. While larvae are tiny, squishy crawling insects, males are little flying insects. Scale insects feed on plant sap, weakening the plant and causing yellowing and falling off of the leaf. On fruit and leaves, honeydew is also produced. It's ugly and can encourage illness. The following list provides 14 plant care suggestions.

How to remove scales:

Remove and burn infected plant parts in cases of minor infestations, or use a soft brush to remove scales off twigs in soapy water before rinsing. Dormant oil or summer oil spray should be used to treat larger infestations.

Slugs

Slugs are soft-bodied mollusks with slimy bodies that are typically approximately one inch long and brown or grey in appearance. They spend the most of the day hiding out in shaded areas and eating at night. Almost any garden plant will be consumed by them, and the leaves will develop unattractive holes. Although they frequently occur in wet, humid environments, they are more frequent when it has been raining.

Slug removal instructions:

Place empty tuna fish cans filled with beer in the yard (slugs are attracted to the beer and will fall in and drown). Additionally, you may hand-pick slugs in the morning or evening, salt them, and then freeze them. To prevent slugs from wiggling their way to the plant, you can also sprinkle sharp sand, wood ashes, crushed seashells, or diatomaceous earth (a naturally occurring, soft, sedimentary rock derived from fossil remnants) around the stems of plants.