Getting Rid of Pests in Your Vegetable Garden

Pesky insects and bugs are a problem for most vegetable gardeners. The majority of bugs are more of a nuisance than willfully destructive. But if you find a garden pest devouring your harvest, you're not going to be too happy.

The tomato hornworm is one of the most unsightly pests you'll find in the garden. It is a fat, white and green worm with a big horn that resembles a stinger. It can be plucked from the plant using gloved hands and submerged in soapy water to kill it. Alternatively, you could spray the tomato hornworm with stomach poison insecticide, neem oil, or Bacillus thuringiensis.

Thrips overrun numerous plants and create uneven white markings on the plant's leaves. You can wash the bugs off by using a hose, and then apply contact poison to the plant.

Snails and slugs will devour the leaves on your plants, and they always leave a slimy trail as evidence. You could purchase bait to get rid of them, but if you put a shallow dish containing beer in the garden, they will be attracted to it and drown.

If you notice fat white worms in the soil, you're probably looking at grubs. Grubs will cause your plants to droop, and may stunt their growth. They can be held in check by adding milky spore to the soil. Grubs eventually grow into beetles, which you can rid of with stomach poison insecticide.

Cutworms typically cut down the stem near the bottom of the plant. Putting a paper collar around the plants is really the only way to keep them away.

Corn earworms will infiltrate a cob of corn while it's still on the stalk and consume the kernels. Likewise, a tomato fruitworm consumes the insides of tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. Choose an insecticide targeted to the elimination of earworms.

You'll find borers in thick stemmed vine plants like squash and pumpkin. The only way to eliminate them is to cut them out of the plant. If the borer is discovered near the base, you will have to remove the entire plant and destroy it. Try using insecticide to discourage them.

Another annoying pest is the beetle, which likes to eat the leaves on your plants. You have to get rid of them because they can do a tremendous amount of damage to your garden. You can either spray them with insecticide or just pick them off the plants.

Aphids are a common sight in any vegetable garden. Usually you'll spot them as a group of small bugs in a variety of colors. Insecticide soap or neem oil gets rid of aphids.