PESTS
Most gardeners have had to fight
off a pest infestation in their garden
at one time or another. The good
news is there is a wide range of pest
control options that allow you to deal
with common plant pests without
unleashing harmful chemicals and
potentially exposing you, your family
and your environment to harm.
Mother Nature has already figured
out how to deal with many of the
pests that are bad for our gardens,
we just need to let her be our guide.
Read on to learn more about some
of the most common plant pests out
there and how you can effectively
deal with them the natural way.
Aphids
Aphids, which are sometimes referred
to as plant lice, damage plants by
sucking out the sap from their leaves.
Although they are large enough to
be seen without magnification, their
presence can go undetected until
after significant damage has been
done. There are many different kinds
of aphids, but their modus operandi
is generally the same.
Damage from aphids generally
appears as a puckered or blister-like
appearance on leaves, which can lead
to leaf distortion or stunted growth.
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Maximum Yield USA | June 2016
To add insult to injury, aphid frass
(insect excrement), more commonly
known as honeydew, attracts ants.
Honeydew is a sweet substance made
primarily of the sap aphids have consumed. Plants that have been contaminated with honeydew can develop a
disease known as sooty mold, which
creates a tar-like appearance on plant
leaves that inhibits photosynthesis.
Aphids are prolific reproducers.
Female aphids are born pregnant and
can start laying their young within a
week of their own birth. Due to their
rapid population growth, multiple
strategies often have to be employed to
effectively control them.
Many different beneficial insects
will either feed upon or parasitize
aphids, or do both. One of the most
effective biological controls that can
be unleashed upon an aphid army is
the common lady beetle, Hippodamia
convergens. Lady beetles are carnivores that will seek out aphids and
consume plenty of them every day.
Lady beetle larvae will consume aphids
and other pests in greater numbers
than their adult counterparts.
Aphidoletes aphidimyza and Aphidius
colemani are two parasitic wasps that
seek out aphids in which to inject their
eggs. Their eggs develop inside the
aphids and feed on them from within.
"
Aphids, which
are sometimes
referred to
as plant lice,
damage plants
by sucking out
the sap from
their leaves."