Get Rid of Garden Pests NOW!

By: Matthew Hersee

There’s nothing better than having a garden that you’ve toiled in come to life. Bringing a little patch of life into your yard, onto your porch, or into your home is something to be admired! Unfortunately, people aren’t the only ones that admire a good garden. There are plenty of pests out there looking for a free meal that are ready to jump into your beautiful garden and make it their personal buffet, so make sure you get the proper pest control. Lucky for you, our pest control company knows all about common garden pests here in New England and have ways to get rid of them with the help of a skunk control service.

Insects: Stopping The Creepy Crawlies

Some pretty common insects show up in New England, and the wonderful folks over at the Massachusetts Master Gardener Association Have compiled a fantastic resource which we will put below. Please be sure to click the link above to view on their site as well! These guys know their stuff!

Pest	Vegetables	Identification	Control
Tomato Hornworm	Tomato, eggplant, pepper, potato	Large green caterpillar with white chevrons on the side. Leaves chewed starting at the top of the plant.	Handpick, but leave any caterpillars that have white rice-like things stuck to their backs; these are parasitic wasps’ eggs. Rototilling soil after harvest destroys pupae.
Imported Cabbage Worm	Cabbage, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, parsley	Pretty white butterflies in early summer, small green caterpillars with faint yellow marking. Holes in leaves	Control weeds around the garden, especially mustard family. Remove cabbage plants in fall and destroy or bury to defeat over-wintering pupae. Use floating row covers; leave them on till harvest. Handpick larvae.
Cucumber Beetle	Cucumber, muskmelon, watermelon, pumpkin, squash	Long beetle, either yellow with 3 black stripes, or yellow-green with 12 black spots. Holes in leaves, wilted plants (these bugs can spread bacterial wilt)	Use floating row covers until plants flower. Handpick larvae.
Mexican Bean Beetle	Beans	Roundish coppery brown beetle with black spots. Bright yellow, spiny oval larvae that feed on the underside of leaves. Bean leaves chewed	Plant bush beans instead of pole beans so you can use floating row covers; remove row covers for harvest (bush beans don’t require pollinators to set fruit). Handpick adults and larvae.
Squash Bug	Summer squash, winter squash, pumpkins	Brown “stink bug” shaped adults, light gray tear-drop shaped nymphs. Yellow spots on leaves or fruit, wilting vines but stem looks sound.	Handpick adults, nymphs, and eggs (laid on the underside of the leaves). Use floating row covers till plants bloom. Place a shingle on the ground near plants; insects will collect under it at night and can be picked in the morning.
Squash Vine Borer	Summer squash, winter squash, pumpkins	Large holes near the base of the stem with yellowish-green frass. Plants may be withered.	Use floating row covers till plants flower. Put out yellow buckets of water in mid-June through July; the adult moths are attracted to yellow and may drown. Cut open stem and dig borer out; bury slit stem in the soil to encourage re-rooting.

Again, please check these guys out for more info!

Products to beat the creepy crawlies

Bonide Bacillus Thuringienses

Can be used on fruits, vegetables and ornamentals to control worms and caterpillars. Won’t harm beneficial insects. Approved for organic gardening. Contains 15% bacillus thuringensis.

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Bonide Diatomaceous Earth

Full strength DE for indoor/outdoor insect control in homes, barns, stables, vegetable and flower gardens.

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Bonide Deadbug Brew

Captain Jack’s dead bug brew kills bagworms, borers, beetles, caterpillars, thrips, codling moth, gypsy moth, loopers, leaf miners, spider mites, tent caterpillars and more. Use on fruits, vegetables, berries, citrus, grapes, nuts, and ornamentals. Approved for use in organic gardening

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Rodents: Furry Invaders

Mice, rats, and squirrels, oh my! These guys must have pretty good taste because it’s hard to keep them away from all these delicious fruits and veggies we’re trying to grow! Let’s take a look at how to handle these little guys, preferably without resorting to killing them. They’re just hungry and mad that they don’t have thumbs to carry their wallet around, they’d pay us if they could! Just make sure you take care of them properly by calling the pest control company so neither you or the rodent gets hurt.

Mice (And Voles)

These guys are distantly related, look similar, and are both fond of eating your plants. They love vegetation, including bulbs and tubers. They live in high grass and have a propensity for tunneling.

They can be dealt with non-lethally with barriers (runners above and below ground) and with repellents. Having a dog or cat around will also help to deter them, but nature may take its course, and the little guys will potentially be in danger of being hunted. Contact Phoenix AZ Pest Control as soon as possible in case you have a pest problem in your property.

Chipmunks & Squirrels

Chipmunks burrow, Squirrels live high in trees, and both love to grocery shop your garden. These guys love fruits, nuts, and seeds (chipmunks will even eat roots and bulbs) as well as uprooting your new plantings.

The buried mesh strategy works well here, as well as caging new plantings and using repellents. These guys are easy enough to trap and release by baiting them in with seeds, peanut butter, or nuts. Just be sure to release them somewhere far away from your garden!

Rabbits

Oh boy, are rabbits ever a problem for the New England gardener. Their proclivity for quickly reproducing and an insatiable appetite fueled by a high metabolism makes them a nightmare for gardeners nationwide. They may be cute, but they can decimate a garden if left unchecked! These guys love to feed on vegetables and flowers, and are known to gobble up leaves as well.

Your best bet is to cage them out with chicken wire or use hardware cloth cages. Cheekily enough, you can use inflatable snakes to scare them away as well. Bait and release works here as well. Put a few vegetables and fruits in a cage, capture, and release far away from your garden!

Products to Get Rid of Rodents

Go Away Deer and Rabbit Repellent

An ideal repellent specifically for deer and rabbits. Protects gardens and valuable landscaping. One application can last up to 2 months. Effective in all seasons. Made with natural ingredients including white pepper, putrescent egg solids, garlic and cloves. Does not harm plants or animals.

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Bonide Ready-to-Spray Animal Repellent

Naturally drive rats, chipmunks, squirrels, and other rodents from premises, around homes, barns, stables, patios, garages, trash cans, woodpiles. Biodegradable and people and pet safe.

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RepelsAll Ready-to-Use Animal Repellent

Formulated with natural ingredients. Repels three ways; sense of touch, taste, and smell. Protects plants and property, including structures, for up to 2 months per application. People and pet safe when used as directed.

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Wrap Up

Pests are a fact of life for any garden, but we try to make dealing with them as easy as can be. If you have any more questions, just ask us over at koopmanplants.com or visit one of our many locations and ask our expert employees. Good luck with your gardens!