Watch Out- That Bug!

Watch Out For That Bug!

By Barbara Fix, Researcher & Writer for Lipscomb Enterprises Inc.

To a defenseless vegetable plant, some garden bugs can be the thing of nightmares. It’s important to know how to spot signs of trouble in your garden before an infestation has had the chance to become a long-term problem.

So what are some of the worst offenders?

Aphids feed on nearly all garden plants and transmit disease and viruses. They cluster on unopened flower buds and the underside of leaves and are found on the stems of plants. Be on the lookout for leaves that take on a wilted appearance—especially with regards to the leaves of tomatoes and watermelon plants. Aphids are prolific, so you’ll want to check your garden regularly for this pest, or they can take over a garden. Aphid’s come in all sizes, shapes and colors.

Cabbage Loopers are common and feed on many plants, most notably cabbage, collards, cauliflower and broccoli. As caterpillars, they are smooth and green with white stripes. The adult moths are brown with silver or white figure eights on the wings. They are attracted to older leaves. To double check plants for the Cabbage Looper, turn over the leaves of older plants and if found, pick them off.

Cutworm are caterpillars that are gray, black and or brown in color that tuck into a tight curl when disturbed. They live in the soil and come out at night. They’ll chew on any plant but can do untold damage to tomatoes, cutting tomato transplants off at the soil surface. .

Earwigs can cause serious damage to flowers, vegetables, fruits and other plants. Keep an eye out for them in your garden and look for leaves that have a ragged appearance with small, irregular holes.

Grasshoppers are veracious eaters and will happily decimate the foliage of a garden in no time if left alone. They are partial to corn, beans, peppers, peas, broccoli and squash. They are the biggest threat to a garden when they are travelling in swarms. Organic bait containing Nosema locustae can be used to kill grasshoppers.

Leaf-footed Bug are identified by the wide spot on each hind leg that resembles a small leaf. They suck the sap from plants. Fruit crops are their favorite, but they will also feast on vegetable plants. When young, they are small and red or orange in color with black legs. The only known organic control for the Leaf Footed Bug is hand picking.

Leaf Hopper attack mostly leafy vegetables like potatoes, spinach, lettuce and sometimes carrot tops. Signs that your garden has the Leaf Hopper are yellowing stunted growth and twisted leaves of the lettuce plant. The potato leafhopper will destroy the tissues of the leaves where food is produced and transported to other parts of the plant.

Spotted Cucumber Beetle looks a lot like a green ladybug and are very detrimental to the garden. They carry the virus Bacterial Wilt that can attack vinning vegetables, and once infected, there is no cure.

Stripped Blister Beetle, also called Army Beetle, comes in swarms and can lay waste to any type of vegetable, but particularly tomatoes, squash, beans, melons, and peppers. Conversely, their larva are beneficial to the garden, as they feed upon grasshopper eggs. An organic method to kill the Stripped Blister Beetle is to sprinkle flour on them, which gums the wings and legs and eventually kills them.

Tomato Hornworms are large green caterpillars which when adults, are the Five-Spotted Hawk Moth. They will ravenously eat the foliage of tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and potatoes, and are capable of stripping the tomato of its foliage nearly overnight. The best treatment for tomato hornworms is to watch for them and destroy them when found.