Module 15: Taking Care Of Pests

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There is no vegetable garden that will not have pests. They’re just insects looking to get food but end up destroying plants if too many.

What Are Pests?

Pests are insects, bugs, worms, animals, and birds that will feed on your vegetable plants and destroy them in the process.

They are a natural part of any vegetable garden. And I would say you don’t need to do anything if there are just a few pests as natural predators will take care of them.

The problem happens if the pests increase in population and start destroying your vegetable plants. That’s when you’ll need to take action to protect your plants from them.

I would also say find out about the insect first. Often, we panic and think all insects are pests. There are many insects that are neutral or beneficial to your plants. We don’t want to go about harming them.

Here’s how to identify if the insect is actually a pest or not.

Common Vegetable Pests

There are probably millions of pests all over the world and it would be impossible to list each and every one. But here are a few common pests you’ll find on your vegetable plants. These are examples of insect pests but you can have animals like rodents, rabbits, squirrels, dogs, cats, deer, etc. that may harm the plants.

Pest	Signs and Symptoms	Treatment
Aphids	Curling leaves, distorted growth, sticky residue	Spray with insecticidal soap or neem oil
Whiteflies	Yellowing leaves, tiny white insects in clusters	Use yellow sticky traps or apply insecticidal soap
Caterpillars	Holes in leaves, chewed foliage	Handpick or use biological insecticides
Spider Mites	Yellow stippling on leaves, fine webbing	Spray with water or miticidal soap
Thrips	Silver speckling on leaves, distorted flowers	Apply insecticidal soap or neem oil
Flea Beetles	Small holes in leaves, jumping insects	Use row covers or apply insecticidal dust
Squash Bugs	Wilting leaves, brown spots, presence of bugs	Handpick or apply insecticidal soap
Cucumber Beetles	Biting damage to leaves, feeding on flowers	Use row covers or apply insecticides
Slugs	Irregular holes in leaves, slime trails	Handpick or use slug baits
Snails	Irregular holes in leaves, slime trails	Handpick or use snail baits
Leafhoppers	Yellowing leaves, hop-like movement	Apply insecticidal soap or neem oil
Tomato Fruitworms	Holes in fruit, frass (excrement) near damaged areas	Handpick or use biological insecticides
Colorado Potato Beetles	Stripped foliage, orange eggs on undersides of leaves	Handpick adults and larvae or apply insecticides
Onion Maggots	Wilting plants, maggots in bulbs or stems	Apply insecticidal nematodes or remove infested plants
Scale Insects	Sticky leaves, tiny immobile insects on stems	Apply horticultural oil or insecticidal soap
Mealybugs	White, cottony masses on leaves and stems	Apply insecticidal soap or neem oil
Nematodes	Stunted growth, root galls, discoloration	Crop rotation, solarization, or nematicides
Stink Bugs	Pungent odor, sucking damage to fruits and seeds	Handpick or use insecticides
Leaf Miners	Serpentine tunnels on leaves, leaf discoloration	Remove affected leaves or apply insecticides
Japanese Beetles	Skeletonized leaves, metallic green beetles	Handpick or use insecticides

Here’s more information on pests that will attack vegetable plants in your garden.

How To Identify Pests

Check for signs and symptoms of the pests

Pests on the vegetable plants will show signs and symptoms that help us identify it. For example, aphids infested my pepper plants last growing season.

The signs I found were lots of ants on the plant collecting sticky honeydew. One symptom was the leaves turning yellow as the aphids were sucking the sap from them.

You can find some signs and symptoms for pests in the table above.

Take a picture of the pest to share

Now you may have already identified the pest in the 1st step or not. Regardless, it’s good to take clear pictures and get opinions from other gardeners.

Sometimes we may think it’s a particular pest to find out later that we were mistaken and the problem still exists.. So it’s good to get help from other people who may already have faced the problem, know exactly what it is, and how to go about fixing it.

When taking pictures, capture different angles of the pest and its symptoms. This will help with identification and allow for a more accurate diagnosis. Taking multiple pictures will ensure that you have a backup in case one picture is blurry or unclear.

Use forums or apps to identify the pest

Now that you’ve taken clear pictures, it’s time to share this on gardening forums or use gardening apps. The gardening forums have other gardeners and experts who can help identify the pest and how to get rid of it. The gardening apps may either use image recognition or send the image to an expert to identify the pest.

You can use the free forums and apps to discover the problem, though you can pay for options if you really need them.

I like to post pictures on gardening forums because they contain people having a ton of experience with similar problems. So the guidance becomes quite good on identifying and fixing the pest problem.

When posting pictures on forums or using apps to identify pests, it’s important to provide as much information as possible. This can include the type of vegetable plant the pest is attacking, the location of the plant, and any other relevant details.

The more information you can provide, the easier it will be for others to help you identify the pest and come up with a plan of action to deal with it.

Gardening Forums

Gardening Apps

How To Prevent Pests

Companion planting: Planting certain species together can help repel pests. For example, marigolds can deter nematodes, while planting basil alongside tomatoes can deter aphids.

Crop rotation: Rotate your crops each season to prevent the buildup of pests that target specific plants. This disrupts the life cycle of pests and reduces their population.

Use of beneficial insects: Introduce beneficial insects like ladybugs, lacewings, and predatory mites to your garden. They can help control pests by preying on them. Grow native plants along with the vegetables as they attract such beneficial insects.

Row covers: Covering your plants with row covers can protect them from pests like aphids, caterpillars, and beetles. Make sure to remove the covers when plants need pollination.

Regular maintenance: Keep your garden clean and tidy by removing dead plants, fallen leaves, and debris. This eliminates hiding places for pests and reduces the likelihood of infestations.

Natural repellents: Utilize natural repellents like garlic spray, neem oil, or diatomaceous earth to deter pests. These substances are less harmful to beneficial insects and the environment compared to chemical pesticides.

Handpicking: Regularly inspect your plants for signs of pest infestation and manually remove pests when possible. This method is particularly effective for larger pests like caterpillars and beetles.

Attract birds and frogs: Encourage natural predators like birds and frogs to visit your garden by providing bird feeders, bird baths, and small ponds. They can help control pests by feeding on them.

How To Get Rid Of Pests

Check the table above where I’ve mentioned the common vegetable plant pests and the treatment you can use to get rid of them.

The first thing to do is isolate this container plant from the others so the pests don’t attack the other plants. Keep it as far away from the other plants as possible.

You can easily find solutions to get rid of the pest by searching online or asking for help from experts and gardening communities. Once you’ve identified the pest, it’s important to act quickly to prevent further damage to your vegetable plants.

Here is a list of gardening forums and websites that will help you find solutions.

I prefer to use organic methods to get rid of pests. This includes hand plucking, using natural predators such as ladybugs and lacewings. Or organic sprays made from ingredients such as neem oil, garlic, and hot pepper to repel pests.

If the infestation is severe, you may need to resort to chemical pesticides. However, it’s important to use these with caution and only as a last resort. Always read the labels carefully and follow the instructions to ensure that you’re using the product safely. It’s also important to avoid spraying pesticides on windy days or near water sources to prevent contamination.

Sometimes, the infestation and damage will be too severe and the plant won’t survive. It’s best to dispose of the plant in this case.

Action Steps

Monitor your vegetable plants every day for pest problems.
If you see pest damage, take pictures of the pest and damage.
Isolate the container plant so pests don’t attack other plants.
Identify the pest with the help of gardening forums.
Use the effective organic treatment for the particular pest.