5 Common Garden Pests

Termite control is not the only thing you should be concerned about when it comes to house maintenance. If you are an avid gardener, then you also have to watch out for pests that can wreck your well-cared for plants. You can’t have those creatures munching away on the leaves and boring holes in them, right? Here is a list of the most common pests that are most likely lurking in your garden right now:

Snails and slugs

Snails and slugs are considered to be among the most annoying garden pests anyone could encounter. These creatures are active in the night and they love to eat the leaves on the plants. The damage on the plants can either be unsightly, and it could even kill the plant.

Caterpillars

Many gardeners have a love-hate relationship with caterpillars. These little critters transform into beautiful butterflies, which always look great in a garden. However, as caterpillars, they have to consume the leaves of your plants. In fact, some species are so greedy they can strip your plants of its leaves in a few days. This can cause your plant to die—and your heart to break after the hard-work you poured in caring for your plant.

Aphids

These tiny, pear-shaped insects love to suck the plant sap, causing a great deal of damage to the plant. Aphids, or plant lice, are often noticed feeding in clusters on new plant growth. The honeydew they excrete while eating attracts ants and encourages black, sooty mold to grow on the plants.

Flea bugs

These are small, dark-colored beetles that jump like fleas when they are disturbed. The adults chew numerous small, round holes on leaves while the larvae feed on the plant’s roots. They prefer to feast on young plants.

Grasshoppers

Grasshoppers are known to be voracious eaters, consuming about one-half of their body weight per day. Adults and nymphs cause damage by chewing on the leaves and stems of the plants and if there is a severe infestation, they can defoliate an entire field. They are unpredictable and can eat anything. There are even species (we know them as locusts) that gather in large numbers and migrate to find food, which can spell doom for farmers.

There are a lot of ways to deal with these pests. Some invite the natural predators of these pests into their garden like toads, lady bugs, decollate snails and even the garter snake. These creatures will happily eat the slugs, snails, aphids, and bugs without causing much casualty in your plants. If you are up for it, you can set up baits especially for slugs and snails. It is proven that these crawling critters are attracted to beer and if you set up a shallow pan of beer, it is guaranteed that they will go to the pan and drown themselves in it.

You can also handpick these pests out but that will take a lot of time and patience. Don’t reach for that pesticide just yet since it contains chemicals that can harm your plant as well. A better option is to contact Sentricon Philippines and they will do an excellent job of removing the pests from your garden for good.