From the article: 12 Worst Vegetable Garden Pests
In my garden, the most damaging insect pests seem to be hornworms and squash vine borers. Nothing makes me madder than finding a whole row of tomato plants stripped of all their leaves overnight by some fat tomato hornworm. Except maybe a withered squash vine, destroyed by an undetected squash vine borer. Which insects are the worst pest in your garden? Name Your Worst Pest
Worst Pest Bugger
- My worst pest by far is the spider mite! These little buggers won't stop eating my hazel!
- —Guest Ganja Man
Locusts!
- There are huge yellow and black grasshoppers (that I have been told are locusts) eating everything in sight! Some are as big as 3 inches long! Yuck!
- —Guest Lois
Currant Sawfly
- Currant sawfly! This animal strips red and white currants and gooseberries almost overnight! Where I live these have two generations in the growing season.
- —Guest Shelley
Squash Bugs
- Being new to the gardening scene, I believed my friends and family when they told me the bug laying eggs on my squash plant was just a harmless stink bug. Now I am over run with these squash bugs and I have no idea how to get rid of them without chemicals. Someone help!!! EDITOR'S NOTE: You can find tips for dealing with squash bugs in this article: http://insects.about.com/od/insectpests/ig/12-Worst-Veggie-Garden-Pests/Squash-Bug.htm
- —Guest SQUASH BUG
Slugs
- We had slugs. So we got ducks. Now the ducks have eaten all the slugs, plus a goodly amount of our seedlings. Editor's Note: While slugs are not arthropods, I would agree that they can be real pests in the garden!
- —Guest Julie
Cut worms!
- Cut worms are like mini-lumberjacks. I transplant lettuce seedlings, for example, and the cut worms come out at night and chop them down. In the morning I see a row of felled baby lettuce plants. They also destroyed my beans and peas. I had to make paper collars for all my baby plants. That stopped the cut worms, but then my plants got stem rot. Grrr!
- —Guest Susan H
Squash bug!
- But I now know how to control them. Sweet basil, hand picking, unbleached flour, French or African Marigolds, and keeping a clean garden all helps eliminate these devastating creatures that can rob you of your garden. I have seen them on my tomatoes and watermelon as well as my squash and cucumber plants. They will destroy them if not acted upon immediately!! Does anyone know what kind of beneficial insects are helpful here?
- —Guest Tricia
Squash Vine Borer
- Each year my pumpkin and squash (other than butternut are severely affected by the vine borer. Any suggestions other than slitting the vine after the borer is inside the vine? Editor's Note: Here are some other ways to control squash vine borer: http://insects.about.com/od/insectpests/ig/12-Worst-Veggie-Garden-Pests/Squash-Vine-Borer.htm.
- —Guest Fraank Griffin
The insects won!
- I'm not good at IPM, so I gave up on veggie gardens. In my landscape garden it would be spider mites. They cost me a lot of money in Alberta Spruce. I wish plants had to come with a hang tag with warnings about how hard they are to take care of!
- —Guest Sallie
