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Gardening","slug":"general-gardening","categoryId":33925}],"description":"Whether you have container gardens or in-ground gardens, battling destructive insects is inevitable. When insect eggs hatch, they become larva, immature insects, which is often the most plant-destructive period of an insect’s life. Adult insects usually have wings and are at their most mobile life stage.\nThe following list includes the worst offenders of the insect world:\n\n Aphids: These tiny (up to 1/8 inch), pear-shaped pests come in many colors, including black, green, and red. They pierce holes in plant tissue and suck the juices. Aphids can proliferate quickly on weakened plants and tend to congregate on the newest leaves and buds.\n \n Bagworm: Adults lay eggs in bags in the fall. After hatching in late spring, bagworm caterpillars feed on the leaves and twigs of many trees and shrubs. \n \n Bean leaf beetles: Adult beetles chew large holes in bean leaves and the larvae attack the roots. \n \n Black Turfgrass Ataenius (Ataenius spretulus): These 1/4-inch-long black beetles lay eggs in turf grass in the spring. The eggs hatch into small white grubs, which feed on grass roots until midsummer. \n \n Borers: Some beetle and moth larvae or grubs tunnel into the wood, canes, and stems of various trees and shrubs weakening the plant, and causing wilting and twig or cane death.\n \n Cabbage loopers: The 1-inch-long gray adult moths lay eggs on cabbages and similar types of crops in late spring to early summer.\n \n Chinch bug: Both the immature nymphs and the black-and-white, 1/6-inch-long winged adult bugs cause significant damage to lawns and grain crops by sucking the juice from grasses.\n \n Colorado potato beetle: The yellow and black-striped adults emerge and lay orange eggs on the underside of potato-family leaves. The reddish grubs devour the plant leaves, mature, and lay a second generation of eggs.\n \n Cucumber beetles: Striped and spotted cucumber beetle species cause significant damage by chewing large holes in leaves and vegetables, and eating their roots. They can also carry viral and bacterial wilt diseases, and spread them throughout your garden.\n \n Cutworms and armyworms: The 1- to 2-inch-long cutworm caterpillars chew through the stems of young plants at night, kill them, and then spend the day curled in the soil nearby. Armyworms also feed at night, stripping the leaves from crops.\n \n Gypsy moth: The adult moths lay masses of eggs that produce 2-inch-long caterpillars that are gray with brown hairs and distinctive red and blue spots. This pest spreads across the country as caterpillars and egg clusters hitchhike on cars and trucks.\n \n Imported cabbage moth: The white moths have a distinctive black dot on each wing. The fuzzy green caterpillars feed on leaves and developing flower buds, leaving piles of green excrement.\n \n Japanese beetles: Found mostly east of the Mississippi River, the fat, white, C-shaped, 3/4-inch-long larvae live in the soil, where they consume grass roots from early spring to early summer. The adults — 1/2-inch-long, metallic blue-green beetles with coppery backs — emerge from the soil in midsummer and attack plants with gusto, stripping leaves, buds, and flowers.\n \n Lace bugs: These 1/8-inch-long insects suck the sap out of the underside of foliage, giving the leaves a whitish or yellow blotchy appearance. Look under the leaves for their brown, sticky droppings.\n \n Leaf miners: The larvae of tiny sawflies, moths, beetles, and flies tunnel through the leaves of trees, shrubs, flowers, and vegetable plants, leaving discolored patches on the foliage.\n \n Leafhoppers: These small, wedge-shaped adults jump from plant to plant sucking plant juices, distorting plant growth, and spreading plant diseases.\n \n Root maggots: Small flies of several species lay eggs in the soil near host plants or on the base of the plant. When the maggots hatch, they burrow into the roots, killing or stunting the plant.\n \n Snails and slugs: These pests proliferate in damp areas, hiding and breeding under rocks, mulch, and other garden debris.\n \n Spruce budworm: These caterpillars cause significant damage to spruce and fir forests throughout North America.\n \n Squash bugs: These brown, green, or gray, 1/2-inch-long bugs and their nymphs attack the leaves of squash and pumpkins. They become a problem when their population swells in late summer.\n \n Tarnished plant bug: Very destructive plant bugs pierce plant tissues and suck the sap. The brownish, flattened oval bugs also spread plant diseases.\n\n \n Thrips: These tiny, slender-bodied flying insects damage all soft parts of ornamental and vegetable plants, including leaves, flowers, and roots. Infested flowers and young fruits look distorted. Leaves have silvery or white discolored patches on them, sometimes speckled with black.\n \n Whiteflies: Resembling small, white moths, these insects suck plant sap and spread plant diseases. Infested plants may release clouds of them when disturbed.\n \n","item_vector":null},"titleHighlight":null,"descriptionHighlights":null,"headers":null},{"objectType":"article","id":193672,"data":{"title":"Fighting Garden Pests the Organic Way","slug":"fighting-garden-pests-the-organic-way","update_time":"2016-03-26T21:41:54+00:00","object_type":"article","image":null,"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Home, Auto, & Hobbies","slug":"home-auto-hobbies","categoryId":33809},{"name":"Garden & Green Living","slug":"garden-green-living","categoryId":33916},{"name":"Gardening","slug":"gardening","categoryId":33917},{"name":"Organic Gardening","slug":"organic","categoryId":33922}],"description":"To manage garden pests without using harmful insecticides you have to know what to look for. Here's a short list of insects that can damage your garden vegetables and flowers and the organic gardening measures for controlling them:\n\n Aphids: These pear-shaped pests pierce holes in plant tissue and suck the juices. Blast them off with a hose; control them with lacewings, ladybugs, or sticky yellow traps.\nAphids tend to congregate on the newest leaves and buds.\n \n Bean leaf beetles: Adult beetles chew holes in bean leaves, and the larvae attack the roots. Control by covering plants with row-cover fabric. \nBean leaf beetle adults chew leaves; the larvae attack plant roots.\n \n Colorado potato beetles: The adults lay orange eggs on the undersides of eggplant, tomato, and tomatillo leaves. Handpick adults, and crush egg clusters.\nControl Colorado potato beetles by encouraging spiders, lady beetles, predatory stinkbugs, and tachinid flies.\n \n Cucumber beetles: Cucumber beetles chew holes in the leaves, roots, and fruit of squash, corn, beans, and peas. Control by covering plants with row covers until they flower. \n \n Cutworms: Cutworm caterpillars chew through the stems of young plants at night and spend the day curled in the soil. Control by picking the caterpillars from the soil and spraying Bt. Wrap the plant stems with strips of newspaper that extend below the soil surface.\n \n Imported cabbage moths: These white moths flutter around cole crops. The caterpillars feed on leaves and flower buds, leaving piles of green excrement. Control by handpicking and crushing eggs and caterpillars.\n \n Lace bugs: These insects suck foliage sap, giving the leaves a whitish or yellow blotchy appearance. Look under the leaves for their sticky brown droppings. Hose off insects or spray with horticultural spray oil. \n \n Nematodes: These microscopic, wormlike creatures live in the soil and attack plant roots. Control by rotating vegetable crops. \n \n Root maggots: Small flies of several species lay eggs in the soil near onions, leeks, cole crops, radishes, and carrots. The maggots hatch and burrow into the roots, killing the plant. Control by covering crops with row covers.\n \n Snails and slugs: Control by placing boards in the garden. Lift the traps and sprinkle slugs with a 50/50 mix of ammonia and water. \n \n Spider mites: These tiny arachnids suck plant sap causing leaf discoloration. To control, wash plants with a strong blast of water.\n \n Tarnished plant bugs: Plant bugs pierce the tissues of vegetable, flower, and fruit plants, and suck the sap. Knock insects off plants into soapy water in cool morning or evening hours.\nTarnished plant bugs cause swelling, dead spots, bud drop, and distorted growth.\n \n Thrips: Infested flowers and young fruits look distorted. Leaves have silvery or white discolored patches on them, sometimes speckled with black. Release lacewings, or spray with horticultural oil.\n \n Whiteflies: Infested plants may release clouds of whiteflies when disturbed. Control whiteflies with insecticidal soap or light horticultural oil.\n \n","item_vector":null},"titleHighlight":null,"descriptionHighlights":null,"headers":null},{"objectType":"article","id":193629,"data":{"title":"Beneficial Insects in the Garden","slug":"beneficial-insects-in-the-garden","update_time":"2016-03-26T21:41:35+00:00","object_type":"article","image":null,"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Home, Auto, & Hobbies","slug":"home-auto-hobbies","categoryId":33809},{"name":"Garden & Green Living","slug":"garden-green-living","categoryId":33916},{"name":"Gardening","slug":"gardening","categoryId":33917},{"name":"Organic Gardening","slug":"organic","categoryId":33922}],"description":"Not all garden insects and bugs are bad. In fact, gardens rely on beneficial insects to keep the general insect population in balance. Beneficial insects are the ones that prey on or parasitize insect pests (the bad guys). You can buy many of these beneficial insects from mail-order catalogs to increase your local populations.\nThe average square yard of garden contains over a thousand insects. For the most part, that's a good thing. Some pollinate plants, some help break down organic matter, and some prey on other more damaging pests. Most of the insects in your gardens help — not hurt — your plants. Only a small fraction cause much damage.\nFamiliarize yourself with these good guys so you can encourage their presence in the garden and avoid killing them:\n\n Big-eyed bug (Geocoris): These bugs dine on aphids, leafhoppers, spider mites, and some small caterpillars. Adults are tan, black, grayish-brown, or gray. They'r about 3/16th of an inch long and have large, reddish-brown eyes.\nFind big-eyed bugs on goldenrod, pigweed, or turfgrass, and relocate them.\n \n Braconid wasps: The slender adults and tiny, cream-colored grubs feed on aphids, cabbageworms, codling moths, and corn borers.\nPurchase braconid wasps from suppliers; and plant parsley-family members to help keep them around.\n \n Centipedes: Centipedes feed on many insect pests. Although some southwestern species inflict a temporarily painful bite, none are dangerous.\n \n Damsel bugs: These slender bugs prey on aphids, caterpillars, leafhoppers, and thrips. Collect them from unsprayed alfalfa fields.\n \n Ground beetles: Ground beetles are large with nasty-looking mandibles. They live in the soil, where they capture and eat harmful insects. They vary in color (black, green, bronze) and in size. Ground beetles bear an unfortunate likeness to cockroaches, but the latter have longer antennae and a different overall shape. Most of the helpful ground beetles are large, dark, and fast moving. The often have nasty-looking mandibles and eyes on or near the fronts of their heads.\n \n Hover flies: Adult hover flies resemble yellow jackets. They are important pollinators, while the brownish or greenish caterpillar-like larvae have an appetite for aphids, beetles, caterpillars, sawflies, and thrips.\n \n Ichneumonid wasps: These wasps help you control many caterpillars and other destructive larvae. The dark-colored adult wasps vary in size from less than 1 inch to 1-1/2 inches. They have long antennae, and their long egg-laying appendages are easily mistaken for stingers.\nIchneumonid wasps need a steady source of nectar-bearing flowers to survive.\"/>Adult Ichneumonid wasps need a steady source of nectar-bearing flowers to survive.\n \n Lacewings: The delicate, green or brown bodies and transparent wings of these 1/2- to 3/4-inch insects are easily recognized in the garden. Adults live on nectar, while the spindle-shaped, alligator-like, yellowish or brownish larvae feed on aphids, scale, thrips, caterpillars, and spider mites.\nTo keep the welcome mat out for the adult lacewings, allow some weeds to flower nearby.\n \n Lady beetles: Also called a lady bug, adults and larvae prey on mealybugs and spider mites.\n \n Minute pirate bugs: These bugs eat thrips, corn earworms, aphids, and spider mites. You can purchase them for release.\n \n Predatory mites: Predatory mites feed on thrips and pest mites.\n \n Rove beetles: These beetles point their abdomens upward as they walk. They live in decaying organic, where they eat root maggot eggs, larvae, and pupae.\n \n Soldier beetles: The adults are slender, flattened, 1/3- to 1/2-inch long. The larvae have the same shape and are covered with hairs. Both adults and larvae consume aphids, caterpillars, corn rootworms, cucumber beetles, and grasshopper eggs. These beetles spend much of their life in undisturbed soil.\nSoldier beetle eat aphids, caterpillars, corn rootworms, cucumber beetles, and grasshopper eggs.\n \n Spiders: All spiders are predators. You can provide good habitat for spiders by mulching with hay and straw.\n \n Spined soldier bugs: Adult spined soldier bugs dine on the larvae of Colorado potato beetles, Mexican bean beetles, sawflies, European corn borers, cabbage loopers, and tent caterpillars. Adults are tan and shield-shaped, with prominent spurs on their shoulders right behind the head.\nYou can purchase adult spined soldier bugs for release in your garden.\n \n Tachinid flies: These large flies feed on tent caterpillars, armyworms, corn borers, cutworms, stinkbugs, and other pests. The adult fly has a bright orange abdomen, and a black head and thorax.\n \n Tiger beetles: Members of this beetle group have long legs. They feed on soil-dwelling larvae.\n \n Trichogramma wasps: These parasitic wasps inject their eggs inside the eggs of more than 200 species of moths, and the developing larvae consume the host. Buy these wasps commercially.\n \n Yellow jackets: These insects help rid your garden of flies, caterpillars, and grasshoppers.\n \n","item_vector":null},"titleHighlight":null,"descriptionHighlights":null,"headers":null},{"objectType":"article","id":181140,"data":{"title":"7 Lawn Pests and What to Do about Them","slug":"7-lawn-pests-and-what-to-do-about-them","update_time":"2016-03-26T18:57:55+00:00","object_type":"article","image":null,"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Home, Auto, & Hobbies","slug":"home-auto-hobbies","categoryId":33809},{"name":"Garden & Green Living","slug":"garden-green-living","categoryId":33916},{"name":"Lawn Care","slug":"lawn-care","categoryId":33927}],"description":"Even if you follow strict lawn maintenance procedures and plant the right type of grass for your climate, you can still run into trouble. Following are seven of the most troublesome and common lawn insect pests with tips on how to identify and control them:\n\n Armyworms and cutworms: Armyworms are most common in cool, moist spring weather. Cutworms prefer new lawns. To see whether you have cutworms, drench the soil with a soapy water solution (2 tablespoons of dish soap in a gallon of water). \nArmyworms and cutworms are both moth larvae. Armyworms are light green to greenish brown caterpillars with three lighter colored stripes down the back and sides. The middle stripe ends up as an inverted Y on the head. They often look greasy. Cutworms are almost always curled into a tight circle when you find them. They are plump, usually brown to black, and sometimes with lighter colored stripes or spots.\n\nBacillus thuringiensis (Bt)is an effective control. Beneficial nematodes and pyrethrin sprays are also effective. You also can reseed with grass varieties that include endophytes. Several traditional insecticides are labeled for control of armyworms and cutworms.\n \n Billbugs: Billbug adults and larvae feed on lawns. You can recognize the 1/4 to 3/4 inch, brown to black adult weevils by their long snouts. Adult billbugs feed on grass stems. The small, white larvae look like a gooey piece of rice with an orangish-brown head. The larvae feed on plant roots. The larvae’s feeding is usually most destructive.\n\nLook for the pest at the edges of dead spots. You also can see a frass (debris that looks similar to sawdust) near where the insects feed. If the dead grass pulls up easily, that’s another good sign you have billbugs.\nAerate the lawn and reseed with endophytic grass varieties. The botanical insecticide rotenone may provide some control. Several traditional insecticides, including diazinon, are labeled for controlling billbugs.\n \n Chinch bugs: Chinch bugs are small, red (young) or black (mature) insects with a white spot or markings on their back. \n\nYou can often see chinch bugs by examining the grass near the soil surface. To be sure, push a bottomless metal can several inches into the ground in an area where the grass is just turning yellow. Fill the can with water, and the billbugs will float to the surface.\nEliminate thatch to improve water and fertilizer penetration and follow good cultural practices. You also may want to replant a chinch bug-resistant variety of St. Augustine grass called ‘Floratam’. Endophytic lawn varieties also resist chinch bugs. Insecticidal soaps effectively control chinch bugs, as do traditional insecticides such as chlorpyrifos and diazinon.\n \n Greenbugs (aphids): Greenbugs, are aphids — small (1/16 inch), egg-shaped, long-legged, almost transparent insects that congregate on grass blades.\n\nGreenbugs suck plant juices, turning the grass blades yellow to burnt orange and finally brown. These pests are particularly troublesome on Kentucky bluegrass lawns in the midwestern United States. Visual examination is the best way to confirm their presence — get down on your knees and look carefully in shaded areas during the hottest part of summer.\nMost of the time, naturally occurring beneficial insects like ladybugs and lacewings keep greenbugs under control. \n \n Sod webworm: Sod webworms are the larvae of a buff-colored, night-flying moth. You may notice the adult moth first. They flutter over the lawn at night, flying in a crazy zigzag pattern. \n\nExamine the lawn at night with a flashlight. To confirm their presence, soak a small section of lawn (about 2 x 2 feet) with soapy water (2 tablespoons of dish soap in a gallon of water). The soap brings the worms to the surface in about 5 to 10 minutes.\nAerate the lawn to reduce thatch and improve water penetration. Bt is the preferred biological control of sod webworms. Predatory nematodes, insecticidal soaps, and pyrethrins are also effective.\n \n White grubs: White grubs are the larvae of various types of scarab (or chafer) beetles. The type of grub that infests your lawn depends on where you live, but the grubs all look pretty much alike and do the same damage. \n\nThe grubs feed on grass roots, causing the lawn to turn brown in large, irregular patches. If dead sections of the grass pull up like a piece of carpet, you probably have grubs. Birds, moles, raccoons, and skunks like to feed on grubs, so if your lawn looks like a zoo, that can be another sign.\nPredatory nematodes effectively control many types of grubs. \n \n","item_vector":null},"titleHighlight":null,"descriptionHighlights":null,"headers":null},{"objectType":"article","id":194185,"data":{"title":"Knowing Which Garden Critters Are Good for Your Plants","slug":"knowing-which-garden-critters-are-good-for-your-plants","update_time":"2016-03-26T21:46:16+00:00","object_type":"article","image":null,"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Home, Auto, & Hobbies","slug":"home-auto-hobbies","categoryId":33809},{"name":"Garden & Green Living","slug":"garden-green-living","categoryId":33916},{"name":"Gardening","slug":"gardening","categoryId":33917},{"name":"Containers","slug":"containers","categoryId":33919}],"description":"The plants in your container garden can benefit when you let certain insects and animals hang around your yard. Invite these beneficial creatures into your landscape to help you control pests:\n\n Lady beetles, green lacewings, tachinid flies: They feed on small, soft-bodied insect pests and their eggs. Plant a variety of flowers, especially umbrella-shaped ones like yarrow and dill.\n \n Dragonflies: They eat mosquitoes, aphids, and other insect pests. They thrive in wetlands, so add a small pond or leave a naturally marshy area in your landscape.\n \n Bees: Honeybees, bumblebees, and other species are important pollinators. Avoid spraying pesticides, especially during the day when bees are out foraging.\n \n Spiders: Most species are beneficial and help keep pests in check. Resist the urge to kill garden spiders when you see them.\n \n Frogs and toads: They eat slugs and other plant pests. Create moist hiding places, such as piles of rocks and old branches, and overturned clay pots.\n \n Bats: They eat countless mosquitoes, making your time in the garden more enjoyable. Put up a few bat boxes to invite them in.\n \n Lizards: They eat pest insects. Include some flat rocks that get morning sun so the reptiles can warm themselves in preparation for a day of insect hunting.\n \n Birds: Many songbirds eat pest insects and their eggs. Invite these feathered friends to your garden with houses, feeders, and birdbaths. Plant shrubs that produce berries.\n \n\nAnd yes, even snakes and wasps have a place in a healthy garden ecosystem.","item_vector":null},"titleHighlight":null,"descriptionHighlights":null,"headers":null}]},"relatedArticlesStatus":"success"},"routeState":{"name":"Article4","path":"/article/home-auto-hobbies/garden-green-living/gardening/general-gardening/insects-that-damage-your-garden-180898/","hash":"","query":{},"params":{"category1":"home-auto-hobbies","category2":"garden-green-living","category3":"gardening","category4":"general-gardening","article":"insects-that-damage-your-garden-180898"},"fullPath":"/article/home-auto-hobbies/garden-green-living/gardening/general-gardening/insects-that-damage-your-garden-180898/","meta":{"routeType":"article","breadcrumbInfo":{"suffix":"Articles","baseRoute":"/category/articles"},"prerenderWithAsyncData":true},"from":{"name":null,"path":"/","hash":"","query":{},"params":{},"fullPath":"/","meta":{}}},"dropsState":{"submitEmailResponse":false,"status":"initial"},"sfmcState":{"status":"initial"},"profileState":{"auth":{},"userOptions":{},"status":"success"}}{"data":{"status":"Internal server error: String cannot be of zero length. 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