Top 5 Pests That Will Ruin Your Winter Garden and How You Can Stop Them

All gardens have pests. Some will be beneficial for your garden, and some will wreak havoc. The key is to know which of these pests will be bad for your garden and, once identified, know how to deal with the species to prevent devastation to your garden.

Here are the top five pests you may want to know about:

#1 Slugs

Slugs will appear during wet season—they love moisture. If you plant a lot of vegetables, root crops, and fruits, you may have slugs in your garden. These slippery pests are “lethal” because they can remove the plant’s ability to photosynthesize. And they will consume their way through plants faster.

How do you stop these pests that will ruin your garden? Take some amount of crushed eggshells or coffee grounds and place these around your plants. These will act as barriers, protecting your vegetables, root crops, and fruits from slugs.

#2 Cutworms

They like to wreak havoc at night, feeding on young plants. Cutworms generally go for broccoli, kale, cabbage, beets, and cauliflower. These shiny-headed pests, which are 1- to 2-inch-long caterpillars, will clip off seedling stems and young plants just below the surface of the soil.

To prevent their destruction, you can try the slug-repelling crushed eggshells or coffee grounds. You can also put cardboard collars around the stems of transplants. You should definitely prepare your garden before planting, by removing weeds and plant debris; this leaves developing larvae with nothing to feed on. If the problem persists, contact a pest control company for help.

#3 Aphids

They don’t just eat vegetables and fruits. These pests will also feed on ornamental plants. They can stunt the growth of your plants as well as transmit plant diseases.

You can keep aphids out of your garden by getting help from a few good pests, like ladybugs and lacewings. The beneficial pests act as predators, keeping aphid populations off your yard. So you’ll want to add plants that attract these natural predators. If you’d rather not use these pests, but are looking for an eco-friendly pest solution, you can contact your local pest control company to see what types of green pest control products they offer.

#4 Tomato Hornworms

If the leaves and stems of your tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and potatoes are all chewed up, you may have tomato hornworms in your garden. Ladybugs also eat tomato hornworms, so you can use these beneficial pests. You can also just pick them off your plants as they are large enough to be seen.

#5 Earwigs

These pests consume dill and carrot tops. But they can also be beneficial to your garden especially when you have a compost pile, because they eat dead leaves and other organic debris. If earwigs have made their way from the garden to inside your home, we recommend contacting your local pest control provider for a solution.

Source: https://www.dailypress.com/2011/11/07/bugs-five-pests-to-watch-for-this-winter-in-your-home-and-yard/