Getting Rid of Pests in Your Vegetable Garden

Pesky insects and bugs are a problem for most vegetable gardeners. The majority of bugs are more of a nuisance than willfully destructive. But if you find a garden pest devouring your harvest, you're not going to be too happy.

The tomato hornworm is one of the most unsightly pests you'll find in the garden. It is a fat, white and green worm with a big horn that resembles a stinger. It can be plucked from the plant using gloved hands and submerged in soapy water to kill it. Alternatively, you could spray the tomato hornworm with stomach poison insecticide, neem oil, or Bacillus thuringiensis.

Thrips overrun numerous plants and create uneven white markings on the plant's leaves. You can wash the bugs off by using a hose, and then apply contact poison to the plant.

You know when snails and slugs have been there because they leave behind a slimy trail and eat the leaves on the plants. You can buy bait to attract and kill them, but you can achieve the same thing with a shallow dish of beer; they'll be drawn to it and drown.

If you notice fat white worms in the soil, you're probably looking at grubs. When grubs attack your plants they start to droop and their growth will be stunted. You can usually eliminate them with some milky spore added to the earth. Grubs later become beetles, which can be wiped out using stomach poison insecticide.

Cutworms typically cut down the stem near the bottom of the plant. Putting a paper collar around the plants is really the only way to keep them away.

Corn earworms will infiltrate a cob of corn while it's still on the stalk and consume the kernels. Similarly, the tomato fruitworm will chow down on the interior of eggplants, peppers and tomatoes. Choose an insecticide targeted to the elimination of earworms.

You'll find borers in thick stemmed vine plants like squash and pumpkin. You have to cut them out of the plant in order to get rid of them. If the borer is discovered near the base, you will have to remove the entire plant and destroy it. Try using insecticide to discourage them.

Another annoying pest is the beetle, which likes to eat the leaves on your plants. They are able to do an astonishing amount of harm to a vegetable garden, therefore it's essential to eliminate them. You can either spray them with insecticide or just pick them off the plants.

Aphids are frequently found in a vegetable garden. Typically, you'll come across bunches of tiny, soft bugs in assorted colors. Insecticide soap or neem oil gets rid of aphids.