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Index : Pests
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- 19. Cool Season Gardens Attract Insects - Top
- It's a great time to plant cool season vegetables. Temperatures are lowering, providing ideal growing conditions for fall gardening. But just as you appreciate the delicacy of succulent leafy vegetables, so too do garden insect pests.
It doesn't take long for caterpillars, cutworms, and aphids to make a quick meal out of your hard work. That's why it's important to inspect your garden on a daily basis. Look for early signs of insect damage and then examine closer to find out what pest is causing it.
Here are some of the local insect enemies that you might encounter on your vegetables: caterpillars, cutworms, beetles, and grasshoppers may chew leaves, stems, flowers, roots, and fruit.
Aphids, whiteflies, mealybugs, and thrips have beak-like mouthparts which pierce and suck out plant juices. Spider mites are not insects but they also suck juices from plants. Slugs and snails aren't insect either, but they may devour foliage at night. Leaf miners are the larvae of small flies, beetles, or moths. They tunnel between the upper and lower leaf surface forming a wiggly maze or mine' within the leaf. Certain moth and beetle larvae bore right down the stalks or into the vegetables themselves.
If damage does begin to occur, first determine which insects are causing the problem. If you can't tell, bring the critters and leaves their attacking in to the Extension Plant Clinic for free identification.
When you've determined what the pest is, don't just spray with chemicals. Try a non-chemical approach to control. Knock off and kill larger grasshoppers and caterpillars. Pick off damaged leaves containing leafminers. Wash off smaller soft-bodied insects (aphids, whiteflies, mealybugs) with a strong spray from your garden hose. A soap spray works great too! Just mix 1/4 teaspoon of liquid dish washing detergent in a gallon of water. Spray both the upper and lower surface of leaves.
Biological controls, such as the release of lady bugs, may control the aphids and mites attacking your vegetables until the ladybugs disperse. If plants are healthy, leave the aphids alone. Natural populations of ladybugs will soon detect the aphids, and swoop down to make a meal of your unwanted pests.
"Dipel", also sold as "Thuricide", is a biological control for caterpillars. It is a form of a bacterial disease that is sprayed or dusted onto plants and infects caterpillars feeding on those plants. It is not harmful to humans, wildlife or other types of insects.
If all else fails, selectively spray or dust with a well chosen product. Follow these guidelines when selecting insecticides:
Identify the pest and look for a pesticide that is labeled for the pest and the plant you intend to spray. If possible, select a product with a label marked "Caution". These products are safer to use than those marked "Warning" or "Danger".
Follow all directions on the label. Mix in the proportion indicated and apply as the label directs. Even if it is a product you've used before, read the label again. Application and mixing instructions often change.
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Written by John Begeman, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the University of Arizona, 520-626-5161.
Material originally appeared in Arizona Daily Star gardening column, on September 29, 1996
- Updated: September 29, 1996
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