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Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time. If only theseseemingly harmless tiny little creatures locked their feet on foliage in the mountains somewhere far from civilization, then we wouldn’t mind. Indeed, insects come in all shapes and sizes, all unique and, to a large extent, largely adorable. But for some reason, insects gracing your yard are bad luck. Try a month of vacation. Left to their own devices, these little monsters will make short work of your much-loved garden.
Then again, the identification of a problem is half the solution to that problem. So we’ve identified some of the most cunning insects that could worm their way in and cause your garden tons of trouble. Certainly, your garden may be free of these pests for now. But it might not be for long. Don’t underestimate the resilience of these pests. Once they’ve taken a foothold, taking an inch back could be an uphill climb for you.
Ants
In a way, ants can be beneficial to you. Many of the other pests in your garden fear ants. The swarming army ransacks egg nests and feeds on other creature’s eggs. Plus, they are territorial and would make short work of termites and other bugs.
That’s the good part, but as in many things in life, too many ants in the yard puts your garden in danger. For one,ants farmaphids, scale insects, and mealybugs much like humans farm cows. Aphids, as a source of honeydew, are precious to ants.
The thing is, ants are destructive. They build colonies just about anywhere. When they nest under plants, the roots of the plant could be deprived of water, compromising it in the process. Worse, not only are ant bites painful (especially fire ants), but they build their nests in woods, sabotaging your precious abode in the process.
The trick to controlling ants is by killing their queen, a tall order for the uninitiated. You can try pouring hot water into the anthill, assuming you’ve located it. Artificial sweeteners can also go a long way to discourage them.
But if the problem persists, callingprofessional insect exterminatorscould prove to be a wise decision. Not only do experts finish the job at half the time, but you can also rest assured that the problem is effectively under control. That’s because these pros carry an ample amount of experience and the best tools to get the job done. In short, you save time, effort, and thereby money.
Aphids
Aphids seem like head lice, only brighter in color. It’s true. And like lice and tick, aphids are vampires too. Only in the case of your garden, they suck the sap of plants, literally killing them in the process. You’ll know a plant is under attack from an army of aphids. Its foliage gets distorted while its leaves drop. It’s like life has been sucked out of it.
The presence of honeydew excreted breeds mold growth, another dangerous complication to the plant. Worse, aphids could spread plant diseases.
To get them under control, you need to wash an affected plant with a spray of strong water. If you want, you can put in your garden the natural predator of aphids. We’re talking aboutlady beetles and lacewings.
You can also use hot pepper, or for that matter, garlic repellent sprays to drive them away.
Caterpillars
Well, you may love butterflies. They’re uber adorable. But caterpillars are a different story. First up, they burrow into fruits. Imagine eating an apple with one. Next, this ever-hungry six-legged creature feeds on leaves making your garden a salad of sorts.
A good way to rein this pest is to use your mandibles. Handpick them. Alternatively, you can try floating row covers.
Cabbage Maggot
One of the sneakiest pest in the line-up. Why? Simply because these worms target a plant’s roots. In the process, these maggots kill plants just like that. What’s worse is their entryways allow pathogenic organisms to sabotage a plant further.
Good thing this pest stick to cabbages only, most notably to the Chinese variety in the Northern Hemisphere.
To treat this one,you can use parasitic nematodes to protect your plant-these prey on these maggots. Also, you would need to burn the roots of affected plants.
These are just some of the most common pests that could haunt your garden with wanton abandon. Limiting them can mean great effort on your part. But it’s all worth it. A beautiful garden is a joy to last a lifetime and beyond.
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