Insect pests are incredibly frustrating for gardeners. Spending countless days and weeks nurturing your flowers, plants and crops, only to have them destroyed by ravenous minibeasts is extremely deflating and the lengths we go to deter them are often exhausting.
Keeping rabbits away from crops, squirrels away from bird feeders and cats away from flower beds may be a challenge, but it’s much more manageable with the use of fencing and nets. Insects however are much more equipped to avoid these obstacles and also harder to spot before the damage is done. We’ve listed some of the top pests found in our gardens and how to get rid of them.
Problematic Garden Insects – Vine Weevils
Potted plants are often the victim of these irritating bugs, or more specifically, their offspring. While the adults do eat the leaves, this doesn’t necessarily kill the plant, however, their grubs will feast on the roots of the plant, killing it off very quickly. Remain vigilant when checking and defending your plants from vine weevils and pick off any you see. If you notice a particularly frequent appearance of these critters, there may be a risk that they’ve already laid eggs in the soil, so consider using some vine weevil killer. However, you might be lucky and only need to trap the adults which you can do using sticky barriers around the rim of your pots.
Problematic Garden Insects – Wasps
This may seem like an odd one to include here, as wasps are actually really good for your garden in that they assist in pollination of your plants, as well as eat pests like caterpillars. However, your garden isn’t just for your plants to enjoy. Really, the space is for you, your family and your guests. During the summertime, many of us love sitting out in our garden, catching some sun and eating great food in peace and quiet. This all gets thrown into disarray once the hungry, late-summer wasps appear, searching for anything sweet they can get their mandibles on. If you’re noticing a significant amount, you may have a nearby wasps nest, and it may be worth hiring Bristol Pest Control to remove the nest and stop the problem quickly.
Problematic Garden Insects – Slugs And Snails
When it comes to taking care of your vegetables and flower borders, slugs and snails can constantly bombard them and decimate their leaves, reducing their ability to harness sunlight and grow effectively. Creating a layer of unpleasant barriers for these slimy pests can be all that’s needed to stop them getting to your prized veggies, such as copper tape which reacts with their slime giving them a slight jolt, upturned eggshells which are too sharp for them to slide over, and also sand, which is rough and uneven, causing them to back off. You could also add beer traps around your garden, attracting them inside and making them unable to escape, allowing you to dispose of them elsewhere.
Problematic Garden Insects – Woolly Aphids
These are quite easy to spot as they develop a white, waxy coat that covers their body and tent to clump together in groups. If you see these white patches of insects on your fruit trees, they’re eating the sap from inside and can seriously harm your trees. Signs of this damage include twisted, yellowing leaves, hindered growth, and branch dieback. While they have natural predators like the ladybird, you may need some extra help to get rid of them, such as using insecticidal soap to wash down your trees with.