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Chewing PestsDon't let pests make a meal of your garden. |
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Transcript: Chewing Pests
If you have a garden, you’ve probably had to deal with plant pests. One of the common categories of pests are those with chewy mouth parts. They literally eat away sections of leaves, fruit, and other parts of your plants.There are a number of common chewing pests that we deal with. One are the snails and slugs. They’re kind of easy to identify because, number one, they’re slow-moving and you often find them on the plants, but at least they leave a slimy trail behind so even when they’re not there, you can identify them.
Another common chewing pest are grasshoppers, typically a problem in the summer and especially late summer when they’re running out of other things to feed on. They’re active during the day and easy to catch in the act.
Beetles and caterpillars also have chewing mouth parts. They can be a little more difficult to detect because some are nocturnal. If you don’t see them during the day, try going out at night with a flashlight to see if you can catch them in the act. They often will eat through the centers of leaves or in the case with caterpillars, especially, even around the edges of leaves leaving only the veins left intact.
If you think you have this type of pest feeding on your plants, take a sample of either the pest or the plant itself to your county Extension agent. They can help you identify the pest and then prescribe the proper control. It’s important to only use things that are labeled for that plant or that pest. Something that works on caterpillars, may not work on beetles, and vice versa.
With your common sense tip on dealing with chewing pests in the garden, I’m Skip Richter.
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Last Updated:
July 6, 2006