Aphids
One of the most common and problematic of all insects in the garden are aphids. These pesky critters come in a variety of sizes (from poppy seed - watermelon seed size), and a rainbow of different colors such as green, black, white, orange and blood red. Aphids usually attack the tender new growth and flower buds on plants.
When aphids attack the foliage, it may discolor the leaves or cause them to curl, sometimes concealing the aphids and giving them protection from insect sprays. We recommend Monterey Take Down spray for the control of aphids on edible crops. Take down is an environmentally friendly insect spray containing pyrethrins (derived form chrysanthemums) and canola oil and can be used up to the day of harvest.
To control aphids on non edible plants and trees we recommend using Bayer Advanced Garden 2 in 1 Systemic care. This product is a fertilizer which delivers a dose of Disolfoton insecticide to the root system of the plant where it is taken up into the plant. When the aphids suck on the juices of the plant, they ingest the insecticide, killing them. This chemical will last up to six weeks in the system of your plants.
Cutworms
Have your vegetables or newly planted flowers recently been mowed down to the ground level?
Chances are you may have an infestation of cutworms. They feed on succulent tissues of newly planted vegetables and annuals as well as emerging seedlings and grass lawns.
Cutworms are normally 1-2 inches in length and look like a tan brown caterpillar. They feed at night and hide in the soil or underneath foliage during the day. They chew or "cut off" the plant on the stem, at or below ground level. Cutworms do not eat much of the plant, but take a few bites on the stem causing the plant to flip over and die. A single cutworm can destroy several plants in one night.
Cutworms can be controlled by applying any insect bait containing Sevin (Carbaryl) to the soil around the base of plants. We recommend using a meal as opposed to granules. In lawns we recommend the use of Bayer ADVANCED LAWN POWER FORCE granules containing Cyfluthrin.
Earwigs
Have you recently discovered holes being chewed in your flowers, vegetables or leaves of certain plants, but can't see any shiny slug or snail trails? Your plants probably are being attacked by an infestation of earwigs (pincher bugs). Earwigs are narrow brown beetle-like insects about a half to one inch long with a pair of pinchers on one end. They hide during the day under bark, rocks, decks or leaf debris. They come out at night to feed and do their damage.
Besides the lack of a shiny trail, the other way to identify an attack by earwigs instead of slugs or snails is that earwigs chew holes from the outside of a leaf, while slugs and snails "rasp" the surface of leaves, eventually creating holes in the middle of leaves. To control earwigs, first clean up all leaf debris around infested plants. Then apply an insect bait containing Sevin (Carbaryl) or go organic and use Sluggo Plus!
Scales
Scale insects are a common garden problem that many home gardeners encounter. Scales are closely related to aphids and mealybugs, yet they differ by having a hard, waxy shell that protects them. Scales attach themselves to branches and leaves of plants, sucking their juices, thus weakening the plant.
The most effective sprays to control scales are a horticultural oil such as Bonide All Seasons Spray Oil, Take Down Insecticide or Sevin (Carbaryl). If you are not sure of properly identifying scale, bring a piece of your infected plant to the nursery and one of our staff of garden experts will be happy to assist you.
Spider Mites
Spider Mites are small spider-like pests that attack a variety of plants in the garden. Spider mites puncture the underside of leaves and suck out nutrients and food producing chlorophyll. Leaves first become speckled with tiny yellow specks and then may be covered with silky webbing. If left untreated, the leaves usually become a yellow-bronze color, shrivel and eventually die and drop off.
There are several different insecticides that may be used to control spider mites. These will vary depending on the plant. On edible plants (providing temperatures are below 80 degrees) we recommend using a horticultural oil such as Bonide ALL SEASONS SPRAY OIL. On non-edible plants the use of Isotox is recommended. Natural control may be achieved if one continuously sprays off the underside of the infected plants on a daily basis until mites no longer appear. This can take quite some time however, and may not always be effective.
Being that mites are so minute, you may have trouble diagnosing them. The best method is to shake a small branch of foliage from the infected plant over a sheet of plain white paper. If you look closely the mites that resemble tiny specs of dust will move visibly on the paper. To find out if you have spider mites, and which product is appropriate, bring in a leaf sample and one of our garden experts will give you a diagnosis and prescribe the right remedy for you.
Thrips
Thrips are one of the more obscure garden insects you'll find, mainly because they are hard to see and find on your plants. Thrips are almost microscopic in size and resemble a black or brown gnat the width of a sharpened pencil line less than 1/20 of an inch long. If you are able to find them on your plants, they will generally be buried deep inside un-opened flower buds.
Although thrips love citrus and other flowering plants, they seem to delight in attacking roses the most. Thrips do their damage by sucking plant juices from the soft flower and leaf tissue causing deformation as the plant or flower develops. On roses, they enter the bud when the green outer coating is just starting to peel away. They are only able to suck on the tips of the tightly bundled rose petals. Once the buds begin to open, the damaged tips are exposed to the sun where they turn brown on the edges.
Since thrips usually bury themselves deep within the foliage and flowers of most plants, they are harder to control than most other bugs. We recommend the use of systemic spray such as Isotox, when damage becomes visible. One can also help prevent thrips with an application of Bayer 2 in 1 Systemic Rose and Flower Care. On edible crops the use of Monterey Takedown spray is fairly effective.
Whitefly
Have you ever brushed by a plant only to be blinded by a sea of small white flying insects? Then you have experienced a whitefly infestation. Whiteflies usually infest the underside of a plant's leaves to feed. You may notice two of the three stages on your plant. The winged adult stage that flurries in the air, and the crawling pupae or nymph stage which suck juices from the leaves while exuding a sticky substance (called honeydew).
rtho Systemic Insect Spraysotoxus! The adults usually just lay eggs.
To control these pesky insects, one must break the adult-egg-nymph life cycle and spray 3 times 7-10 days apart. On edible crops we recommend using Monterey Take Down spray which contains canola oil and natural pyrethrins. It may be used up to the day of harvest. On non-edible plants we recommend using a systemic spray such as Ortho Systemic Insect Spray.
White Grubs
White grubs are the larvae (the young) of certain beetles known for their devastating damage to lawns, ground cover and shrubs. Because grubs live underground, unsuspecting homeowners won't know grubs are present until the damage is done. In lawns, the grubs eat away at grass roots until the lawn becomes soft and spongy and turns brown in patches.
Entire sections of lawn can be pulled up by hand, or rolled back like a rug because of the severed roots, revealing the white grubs below. In shrubs, plants slowly show signs of stress, with individual branches dying one by one. Eventually the plant falls over, or can be lifted out of the ground with hardly any root system left.
Instead of waiting for the damage to appear, homeowners can now take preventative action; by apply Bayer ADVANCED SEASON-LONG GRUB CONTROL granules our liquid spray from May through mid-August. Just one application provides season-long control. This product contains Merit - the most effective season-long grub control on the market. So get a grip on grubs. Show them who is boss, and introduce them to these two fine Bayer products. Your garden doesn't have to suffer anymore.
