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| | The most visual of all garden problems - after obvious animal damage - are plant pests. Plant pests are distinct from Plant Diseases in that they are actually living 'creatures'. Normally - but not always - having legs or wings to help them move round.
Aphids - Greenfly and Black fly etc - are the most common visible garden pests. Anyone with a garden would have encountered an aphid on some plant or other. Roses are suckers for greenfly (excuse the pun) and Nasturtiums make a good feast for blackfly aphids - as do the young growth of broad beans in the vegetable plot!
Most plant pests can be destroyed with an application or so of a pesticide. Greenfly Killer and Bug Guns are two typical pesticides that can be used on a wide range of garden pests.
Other garden pests and insects include a wide range of sap suckers -
such as the aphids, and those that like to chew leaves - and stems -
such as slugs, sawflies and caterpillars. Some are happier chomping away
on flower petals. Earwigs are one of the culprits that do this.
We will exclude dogs, cats and deer from this section on plant pests, as they tend to do physical damage or disgusting mess. Basically any other types of garden problem that cannot be treated with a pesticide!
So, basically, if it has wings, legs, or other method of moving about such as with the slithering of slugs, then it is possibly a pest and not a disease. Though, many garden pests are carriers of diseases, even though their main purpose in life is eating or sucking.
DO bear in mind, that many insects and living creatures in the garden are beneficial - such as the Ladybird in the image.
Unlike plant diseases, plant pests are normally easy to recognise. Most will have seen greenfly aphids, blackfly, whitefly, slugs, earwigs and the like. They are often at home in our garden, and if not in too great numbers, will do no lasting harm.
Not ALL insects and creepy crawlies are pests. Many insects in the garden are predators - quite happy to keep out plant pests down to reasonable numbers. Alas, many are killed off by the over-zealous use of plants sprays. If only they would ban the Ready to Use plant insect sprays, much of the problem would be solved. As it is, it is so easy to pop into the shed and get a ready mixed insecticide and then spray until the gun is empty.
Don't forget that it is not always contact with the plant pest that kills it. Most insecticides leave a residue or are taken in by the plant - thus leaving a long lasting trail of death for all insects – good and bad - that fall foul!
Pests -Listed Alphabetically >>>>>
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