Use natural organic methods to control vegetable garden insect pests. There are tried and true garden insect controls that have been around for thousands of years. “Prevention is better than a cure” is an old adage that is true in the garden as it is in most areas of life. Today these techniques are commonly […] More
Beet armyworm caterpillars are green with yellow undersides and dark green and yellow stripes. Fall armyworms are shiny brown with black heads and yellow stripes down their backs with a V-shaped white mark on the head. Armyworms are active at night and on overcast days. They get their name from their habit of marching in […] More
Spider mites are nearly microscopic creatures about 1/50 inch long. They are reddish-brown or pale in color with eight legs, much like a spider. The spider mite is not an insect; it is an arachnid, the class of invertebrate animals that includes spiders. Good Products for Pest and Disease Control at Amazon: Mites are the […] More
Whiteflies look like very tiny white moths. Like their close relatives aphids, they suck juices from tender plant leaves. Whiteflies congregate in large numbers on the undersides of leaves and fly up in a cloud when disturbed. Whiteflies are found year-round in warm climates; in colder climates, they are seen in the summer. They thrive […] More
Adult tarnished plant bugs are oval and small, just ¼ inch big. They are brown mottled with yellow, bronze, or reddish marks and each forewing is black-tipped with a yellow triangle. Tarnished plant bug nymphs are yellow-green and wingless, somewhat similar to adults in appearance. Tarnished plant bug eggs are yellow and long and curved. […] More
Adult and young squash bugs suck the juices from leaves causing leaves to wilt, dry up, and turn brown. Squash bugs commonly attack plants in the cucumber and squash family. Adult female squash bugs lay eggs from spring through midsummer on the stems and undersides of leaves. The orange-yellow to bronze eggs are elliptical and […] More
Adult Mexican bean beetles are oval yellowish-brown to copper-colored beetles with 16 black spots on their wing covers. They are ¼-inch long and look something like a ladybug. Bean beetle larvae are fat yellowish or orange humpbacked grubs with long branching spines 5/16-inch long. Mexican bean beetle larvae and adults feed on snap beans, lima […] More
Slugs and snails are soft-bodied wormlike animals, members of the mollusk zoological group. Snails have coiled shells. Slugs have no shells. Slugs and snails chew irregular holes with smooth edges in leaves, stems, and ripening fruits of vegetables and other succulent plants. Control slugs and snails by handpicking, traps, and barriers. Good Products for Pest […] More
The cucumber beetle is an oblong greenish-yellow beetle with black spots or stripes on its wing covers. The cucumber beetle is about ¼ inch long. Cucumber beetles feed mainly on members of the cucurbit family—cucumbers, melons, and squashes—and also asparagus, early beans, corn, eggplant, peas, potatoes, and tomatoes. They attack seedlings feeding on young shoots […] More
Cabbage loopers are 1½ inches long caterpillars with two pale white stripes down the back, one on each side. Loopers have legs at the front and back and several more in the middle and so they move with a peculiar humpback or looping crawl. Loopers are the offspring of gray night-flying moths with 1½ to 2-inch wingspans; […] More
The corn earworm—which is also known as the tomato fruitworm and the cotton bollworm—is a caterpillar that eats the fruit and leaves of corn, tomatoes, beans, peppers, squash, lettuce, peas, potatoes, and other crops. Corn earworms also chew tomato fruits from the blossom end, eat into bean pods and nibble lettuce. Earworms also attack okra […] More
May is the month to get your summer vegetable garden growing in earnest. Warm-season crops can be sown in the garden or transplants set out. The soil in most vegetable gardens in the Northern Hemisphere should now be warm enough for summer crops. If you live where nights can get chilly, keep row covers at […] More
Stephen Albert