Category: Plant Pests

Cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkins are all staples of a summer garden, and for good reason. They are typically very productive and easy to grow even for a beginner gardener. Unfortunately, depending on where you live, pests tend to get in the way. The pests and pest transmitted diseases that cucurbits (squash family plants) are susceptible to,…

Today we are going to take a quick look at the big ugly tomato hornworm. Many times, they seem to appear and demolish big chunks of your tomato plants almost overnight. Fortunately, they are easy to manage, and they do not require any pesticide usage to control. If you are unfamiliar with this garden pest,…

This is the time of year when it has started to frost and many gardeners have moved tender plants indoors to overwinter them. Be it inside a greenhouse or your sunny south window, this is also the time of year that spider mites love to sneak up and overtake the unsuspecting indoor gardener. If you…

On several occasions in the past, we have mentioned that pests can sometimes be effectively controlled biologically. Not surprisingly, Mother Nature has a system of checks and balances for insects just as she does for the larger ecosystem. Thus, it would be in our best interests to learn how to work with nature to control…

Recently we received a question from someone about what to do about a severe scale infestation on some magnolias in their yard. We thought that it might be helpful to share that information with you. There are a variety of different scale species and scale affects a variety of ornamental plants such as hollies, boxwoods,…

Aphids. If you have been gardening for any amount of time you have probably seen them. Fortunately, while unsightly, they are not as much of a concern to the health of your plants as many other pests. In most cases, they will not actually cause any damage to the health of your plants. Because of…

Have you have ever grown any kind of Brassica crop? Did you encounter a gaudy black and orange bug that is shaped like a stink bug on your broccoli or cauliflower plants? If so, this was the Harlequin bug, and it is a major pest of Brassica crops in the southern United States. It is…

You planted out these beautiful broccoli plants, and seemingly almost overnight one day the plants are almost completely gone. The leaves have been stripped back to just the stems. What happened? What do you do? Your plants were likely eaten by cabbage worms. Now saying cabbage worms is a bit inaccurate. These caterpillars feed on…