Gardens and farms are two of the most common sources of income in the suburbs. Because of the growing demand for commodities, it’s important to care for your plants and crops to generate more supply and earn more income. However, pest infestations make this impossible. Pests with chewing mouthparts can eat portions of our plants such as the leaves, flowers, stems, and roots. This usually causes the plants to discolor, twist, or curl. It’s important to diagnose the problem effectively to understand what actions are necessary to eliminate, if not prevent the issue.
To give insights about these pests, here are the five most notorious plants that can skeletonize crops and plants.
- Japanese Beetles
It’s difficult to miss the works of the Japanese beetle. It is by far one of the worst pests to deal with especially in extreme populations. These creatures can literally skeletonize your plants, specifically ornamental plants and flowers. Which is why it’s important to keep their population at bay. These creatures are common in late June until the early fall. During these months, it’s important to keep an eye out for these pests to prevent extensive damage.
- Snails and Slugs
These creatures are common in the garden. Most of them rely on decaying materials such as fungi. However, some of them have strong mouthparts that can feed on leaves. They also feed on fruits and plant succulents. Snails and slugs are common during night time. This is why we do not usually see them during the day. They are also common during the cloudy and foggy weather. It’s like these pests know when humans do not check their gardens often. It makes them almost undetectable to people. Which is why we need to be observant towards our surroundings. Rain or shine, we need to manage our gardens to monitor these pests and eradicate them.
- Sowbugs and Pillbugs
These two are isopods. Many believe that these creatures are insects but they’re actually closer to crabs and shrimps. They have a head which is as obvious as their antennae and a trunk with 11 pairs of legs attached to it. These creatures hide during the day and emerge at night to feed on decaying materials. In small numbers, there’s no harm in having sowbugs and pillbugs in the garden. The danger comes when they populate and start to feed on leaves and stems.
- Millipedes
These creatures are often confused with their cousins, the centipedes. To compare and contrast, millipedes have antennae and elongated trunks with more than twenty or more segments, each has two pairs of legs connected to them. They are slow-moving insects that prey on ornamental plants. Centipedes, on the other hand, have only one pair of legs per segment. Plus, these creatures crawl faster than millipedes.
- Spidermites
Spidermites have various species and a few of them attack bedding plants and perennials. They feed on the undersides of leaves and can remain undetected for the rest of their lives. One sign you need to watch out for is the yellow pigments on the upper surface of leaves. You can also see fine webs early in the morning which can coat the plant when infestations are severe. Spidermites are common during the summer. So, you have to upscale your methods for pest management to keep them from damaging your plants.
These are only some of the most common insects that prey on crops and garden plants. Now that you know what they are, it’s important to research more and identify strategies to eliminate them. If infestations get out of hand, you can always call professional exterminators to do the job for you. This way, they can help you eliminate and prevent garden pests using safe and environmentally friendly methods.