Harmful Insects for Container Gardening

The most common harmful insects for container gardening are snails, slugs, caterpillars, beetles, and bed bugs. These pesky insects can wreak havoc on your plants and even your health. Many people try to get rid of the pests that they find in their yards but many times it doesn’t work. It is better to prevent an attack than to react once it happens. Here are a few suggestions for how to control these pesky critters:

1. Snails and Slugs

These pests are often seen around pools, docks, and along walkways. They can be quite a nuisance as they can irritate your skin. They can also be a carrier organism for viruses such as Cryptosporidium. There are products available to kill snails and slugs. There are natural methods that you can use as well that do not involve toxic chemicals.

2. Parasitic Mites

These sores usually appear on a plant as a white or red bump. These are parasitic plant mites that can infect other plants with their eggs. Caution should be taken in picking them off of the plant as they tend to get easily transmitted from one plant to another. This is also the same type of plant virus that can infect tomato plants.

3. Ladybirds

There are certain types of ladybirds that are known as “vigorous flyers”. These pests are small enough to be carried indoors and feed on plant juices. They make their nests near flowers and plant surfaces, where they feed on the sugary water and then go back into the wild. They have tiny wings which makes them easy to be mistaken for other pests. There are natural ways to deter them such as keeping plants high off the ground and sealing cracks between garden walls and house walls.

4. Crickets and Snails

These insects are another problem for gardens. These are the fastest and strongest “home made” bug killers known. They can eat through or under many plants in just a few hours. Their favorite foods are sugar-laden juices from citrus fruits and leaves. They can be found throughout the United States but are more prevalent around the spring and summer months.

5. Thrips

Also known as “the thief of buds” these pests can infest a whole garden very quickly. They resemble small white ants but are actually bumblebees. They will search out healthy plants in your garden and then sting the plant killing the roots. This stinging is not just painful but it also destroys the plant tissue. Once the plant is destroyed the infestation moves on to another plant.

6. Aphids

These are small insects with soft bodied bodies that feed on plant sap. They are usually found in moist soil near the base of a tree. They cause a dull woody type of growth pattern on the plant and leave an edible white powdery substance on the tree after they have consumed the sap.

7. Spiders

Also known as “the cave dweller” these pests are found throughout North America. They are small and are found in dark areas of the plant canopy. They attach themselves to a plant and suck plant sap or excrete the sap from nearby plants in their feces.

8. Flycatchers

Also known as “flight makers” this insect eats a good portion of its own weight in food every day. They prefer sunny areas that are away from trees. The best time to see them is at dusk. They excrete a bright reddish fly paper from the body. The fly paper is the excretions of the flycatcher, which contains bacteria, enzymes and other nutrients that are ready to nourish other insects.

9. Botflies

aphids, flies and spiders are not the only insects that can attack a plant. Botflies are another problem as their larvae can do substantial damage to a plant. They feed on a plant by piercing it with their mouth and sucking plant juices. There are many different types of botfly but typically it is a whitefly. Their eggs are called cinera and are released when a plant is cut open or damaged.

10. Conclusion

If you have any problems with any of the garden pests the best thing to do is contact a professional pest control company. They will be able to advise you on the most effective way to control the problem in the garden. They will work quickly and efficiently taking care of the problem in a safe and effective way. If you let them handle the problem then they will only come back a few more times for your next garden visit.