The Conversation
Tending to a garden allows a homeowner to grow fresh produce to eat, magnificent trees that can shade their yard, and flower beds that can enhance the curb appeal of their home. Gardening is also a great source of exercise and fresh air, especially if these gardeners are self-employed, full-time homemakers, or retired. Nurturing a garden can also teach the gardener about the intricacies of nature: the life cycles of fruit-bearing plants, common household pests, and soil types that promote growth.
While most gardeners will gather pest control knowledge along the way, other beginners will need to conduct some research to fully understand what bug species are good for their gardens and what pests need to be exterminated by the experts. For effective pest control in Las Vegas, review this list below, so you can keep a watchful eye out for these garden invaders.
Beneficial bugs
Bees
Bees are invaluable when it comes to pollinating flowers. While honeybees are widely-known for their pollinating abilities, honeybees aren’t the only bee species that should be welcomed into your garden. Bumblebees also do their fair share of pollination, as do mason bees.
The best way to attract bees to a garden is to grow native plants while avoiding hybrids whenever possible. Plant flowers of different colors and shapes for visual interest. When you nurture a variety of flower species, you can arrange beautiful bouquets for your loved ones on special occasions. To discourage pests in your garden that can wreak havoc on your hydrangeas and daffodils, incorporate natural remedies like Diachatmoeous Earth or handpicking.
Butterflies
Much like bees, butterflies benefit gardens by pollinating fruit-bearing plants and nearby flowers. Some people dedicate a significant percentage of their gardening efforts to attracting butterflies. Butterflies not only thrive on the nectar that flowering plants provide, but these eye-catching insects also lay their eggs on the plants featured in your garden. When these eggs hatch, caterpillars will feed on the leaves of nearby plant life.
Braconid wasps
If a gardener spots a caterpillar that’s dotted with markings resembling kernels of rice, they’ve likely stumbled upon a caterpillar that’s been parasitized by a braconid wasp. These braconid wasps are tiny but astonishingly valuable.
To parasitize a caterpillar, a female braconid wasp will use her ovipositor to lay eggs inside caterpillars. The wasp larvae will hatch inside the caterpillar’s body, and when it’s time to pupate, they’ll eat their way out of the caterpillar and, eventually, spin cocoons. Once this process is completed, a caterpillar is rendered useless.
Another tiny species of wasp known as the aphidius wasp will conduct the same process on aphids, exclusively. A gardener can tell caterpillars have been parasitized by these wasps by the presence of aphid mummies on their plants.
Spiders
Although spiders strike fear into the hearts of many homeowners, when it comes to pest control, a gardener couldn’t ask for a better friend in their garden. All spiders are dangerous predators and highly venomous.
The green lynx spider is a green, mean, fighting machine that can mitigate even the most severe infestations in your garden. To spot a green lynx, look for a bright green spider dotted with red spots on their back and a red patch between their eyes. They’ll eat any pest they can trap. Unlike other spider species, the green lynx don’t spin webs. Instead, they’ll await their prey patiently, perched on a plant of their choosing. This species of spider can also leap on prey with great accuracy, increasing the rate of pest eradication in your garden.
Minute pirate
Minute pirates are tiny bugs known for their black bodies and the black and white chevron pattern on the backs. These pests prey upon aphids, spider mites, smaller species of caterpillars, and the eggs of various other pests. Though these minute pirates are only about 1/8 inch long, they’re so valuable to gardeners that they’re sold commercially. In fact, they’re so efficient that the average garden will only need one minute pirate per plant to keep your garden fairly pest-free.
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The Pests
Unless the gardener lays traps everywhere and drenches their garden in pesticides, pests are inevitable. Here are five of the most deadly pets known to inflict damage to your beloved flower beds and vegetable gardens:
The tomato hornworm
This monstrous caterpillar is characterized by the horn on its back and the angled, green and white stripes running along its body. Ironically, these pests are fairly good pollinators. However, even a few tomato hornworms can devastate an entire tomato crop overnight.
Slugs
Snails are essentially shell-less snails. These pests range from 1/4 inch to eight inches in length. Snails are nocturnal creatures that terrorize your garden in cool and damp weather conditions. These pests are especially active on rainy days and often flock to green, leafy vegetables.
Japanese beetles
These insects wreak havoc both as a larva and as fully-matured adults. As a larva, Japanese beetles are fat white grubs that live deep in the earth and attack the roots of plants. As adults, they’re a metallic green with copper-colored accents. Once a Japanese beetle has fully matured, they’ll munch on a wide variety of leaves—negatively impacting the aesthetic appeal of your garden.
Rabbits
At first glance, rabbits are adorable, harmless creatures, until they’re terrorizing your garden. The rabbit believes that the garden is nurtured for their benefit, so they’re ready to indulge in the vegetables growing in your garden. Though they prefer to dine at twilight, rabbits eat at any hour of the day and take chunks out of just about fruit or vegetable-bearing plants.
Black pepper has been known to deter them. Just sprinkle the pepper around your garden, and enjoy its pest-fighting benefits.
Moles
A gardener can tell they have moles because they leave tunnels in the earth. Though the mole is hunting worms, grubs, and slugs, its burrowing disturbs seeds and transplants. While their destruction is unintentional, sometimes, a mole will help itself to a carrot or potato along the way.
Final thoughts
The difference between an expert gardener and a beginner is their pest knowledge. By studying the pest species that can benefit your garden and ward off pests at no cost, you’ll be able to draft a pest control strategy that will lend the greatest success.