Sasha CampbellAs a farmer, the last thing you want to see in your garden is harmful insects and related pests crawling and wiggling to cause damage.
Some insects are okay to have around. However, others are a nuisance and can be downright harmful to humans, plants, and livestock [1].
Below is a list of 25 common pests on plants you’ll want to get rid of. We’ll also look at the damage caused and how to naturally get rid of these garden pests.
1. Caterpillars
Caterpillars are among the insects that eat farmers’ crops.
It can be challenging to remove them as they often hide well because of their camouflage and protective colors.
Caterpillars chew on leaves and stems, especially peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, potatoes, and tobacco.
Gardeners generally refer to those found on tomato plants as hornworms because they have a “horn-like” projection on their rear end.
2. Leaf-Footed Bugs
The leaf-footed bug is named for the leaf-like flare on its hind legs.
They adore tomatoes and pomegranates. Therefore, more damage is expected to those plants. Read: How to Get Rid of Leaf-footed Bugs Naturally.
Leaf-footed bugs (Leptoglossus) don’t harm humans but have a foul odor when crushed.
Generally, you will see apparent signs of damage on leaves and fruit. The larvae will suck the juice from the leaves after hatching.
3. Cabbage Maggots
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These crop pests kill plants by eating their way through the roots. Cabbage root maggots can be challenging to control.
Crops that cabbage maggots feed on include cabbages, radishes, kale, Brussels sprouts, beets, cauliflower, and broccoli.
4. Grubs
Grubs are the larvae of various voracious garden beetles, such as Japanese beetles, chafers, and June beetles. You usually find these pests (the grubs) in damp soil.
Grub worms eat the roots of plants, causing droopy leaves, dying plants, and gray lawns.
5. Cutworms
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Among the pests that destroy plants, cutworms are most active at night and are found chiefly on seedlings and new transplants.
These fat, black, or gray worms mostly chew through ground-level stems. Yes, they are bad garden worms.
A cutworm is about 1 inch long and generally appears in May and June.
6. Aphids (Greenflies)
These vegetable garden pests appear in different colors and are often referred to as greenflies or green bugs that fly. Black aphids, red aphids, white aphids, brown aphids, yellow aphids, green aphids, gray aphids, or even pink aphids!
They aren’t picky and like to hang out in large packs. Worse still, you can find them everywhere, so no farm is safe from their wrath.
The thing they crave the most is sap. These destructive crop insects will suck plants dry in days, causing the leaves to wilt. Aphids may also stunt plant growth.
However, they can be dealt with, so the very second you see them, start researching the most effective ways to get rid of aphids (greenflies) without harming beneficial insects.
7. Kissing Bugs
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Kissing bugs feed on the blood of humans and other warm-blooded animals. They have a cone-shaped head and red, yellow, or orange stripes around the body.
Kissing bugs can cause disease in humans and animals. Like mosquitoes, they bite and suck the blood of their victims. Plus, they also like to eat sweet cherry tomatoes [2].
8. Scale Insects
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The male scale insect looks slightly different from the female.
Females appear as soft or hard bumps on plants and lack wings. The males, on the other hand, have wings and resemble tiny gnats.
Scale insects cause damage by sucking sap from plants. You may notice plants with yellow shades, and then the leaves drop.
If scales are not controlled swiftly, the plant will eventually die. These critters appear primarily on trees, greenhouse plants, and ornamental shrubs.
9. Earwigs
Are earwigs harmful to plants? Earwigs, on the whole, are beneficial pests. However, when there are too many of them, they can become aggressive and destructive.
While the damage is minimal, these common garden pests typically go after flowers, fruits, and leaves.
10. Sawflies
Sawflies are relatives of wasps. The female uses her saw-like ovipositor to create holes in the leaves where she lays her eggs. Different species of sawflies target different plants.
Both adults and larvae can cause damage to foliage.
11. Slugs and Snails
Slugs and snails are not insects but common garden pests. They are most active in damp and/or shady gardens.
You can spot them in well-mulched areas or under rocks. They are most active at night and chew large holes in plants while feeding.
They typically eat rotting vegetation and plants like hostas, cabbage, lettuce, and basil.
12. Ants
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Ants are typically helpful in a garden but can become pests when they disturb the soil around plant roots. They also protect aphids and mealybugs from predators, thus creating the potential for more plant damage.
Driver ants are common in Nigeria and other parts of Africa. Although they’re not very common, an army or a large group of them can kill a human.
13. Stink Bugs
Known for releasing foul odors, plant-feeding stink bugs are present throughout the seasons and will feed on plant juices.
Damage caused by stink bugs generally leads to early decay and spoilage.
Damage to leafy garden crops will show as yellow or white blotches. Moreover, tomato and fruit skins will show cloudy spots in the areas where the pests feed.
Adults are not always green. They might also be brown or grayish.
14. Grasshoppers
Grasshoppers can consume 16 times their weight in a day, causing extensive damage to plants.
These harmful farm insects are voracious feeders that chew on a live plant’s leaves, flowers, and stems. They are green or brown to reddish-yellow and are about 1 ½ inches long.
15. Tarnished Plant Bugs
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Another bug that might be eating your plants is the tarnished plant bug (TPB), Lygus lineolaris. These greenish-brown bugs feed on plant sap.
They can damage plants like strawberries, cotton, tomatoes, and celery. Damages include catfacing and aborted fruit buds.
16. Thrips
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Thrips are all-rounders, as they suck the juice from leaves, flowers, and fruits. If you notice that your plants have silvery speckling, streaks, or small white patches, these critters may be present.
Moreover, they feed in large groups; you will likely find them in greenhouses and indoor and outdoor gardens.
They will target carrots, onions, beans, garlic, squash, and flowering plants. Thus, getting rid of thrips is vital for healthy crops and plants.
17. Whiteflies
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Commonly found in mass groups on the undersides of leaves, whiteflies suck the sap from plants in outdoor gardens.
The damage caused by these insects can be tremendous. They cause leaves to shrivel and turn yellow, eventually falling off.
Whiteflies also secrete honeydew, which causes black, sooty mold. Infestation is usually found on squash, citrus trees, potatoes, peppers, okra, tomatoes, and the cabbage family of plants.
18. Leafrollers
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Leafroller insects are the caterpillars (larvae) of certain moths. You will see rolled leaves that contain caterpillars after the adult moth visits.
They tend to target woody plants and fruit trees. Large infestations can defoliate trees and damage fruit.
19. Mexican Bean Beetles
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These little guys look like friendly ladybugs, but don’t be fooled—they’re clever copycats.
Mexican bean beetles eat various plants, including lima beans, snap beans, soybeans, alfalfa, and cowpeas.
These annoying little critters like to chew on the underside of leaves, creating a skeletonized appearance. Leaves may also curl and fall off.
20. Squash Bugs
Squash bugs! Just what you were planning to do, right? Well, maybe. These bugs are any gourd’s worst nightmare outside their amusingly appropriate name.
They love the wide, shady, sheltering undersides of the broad leaves of pumpkins, squash, and gourds.
Their eggs are small, smooth, yellowish-brown pebbles. You might find them in clusters on the undersides of your gourd’s leaves. Check out the natural ways to get rid of squash bugs.
21. Blister Beetles
This beetle is a vivid nightmare for any farmer trying to keep his hay in good shape. The blister beetle has a taste for the stuff and will stop at nothing to munch on it endlessly.
Worse, blister beetles operate in swarms and contain a poisonous substance that can be dangerous to whatever may swallow them.
Hay contaminated with the toxin, which is released automatically if the beetles are injured or killed, can be fed to horses and make them ill.
Blister beetles’ coloring is usually bright and varied, with shades of gray, brown, and yellow stripes running down their backs.
22. Harlequin Bugs
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Harlequin bugs are red, orange, deep blue, or black stink bugs that target cruciferous plants, such as cabbage and broccoli.
They can also attack tomatoes, squash, okra, and other plants. The affected plants will have cloudy, discolored puncture marks.
23. Beet Armyworms
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These armyworms feed on scallions, cucumbers, cabbages, corn, grass, grains, and other crops.
The only time beet armyworms settle down and take a break is when it’s time to bundle up in a cocoon. They’re dubbed armyworms because they tend to move in groups.
24. Boxelder Bugs
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These well-known bugs have red spots on their black bodies. Their wings also stand out.
Are boxelder bugs harmful? Not really; however, they can become a nuisance when they appear all over your home. And unless you tackle them early, you will face their tedious annoyance every year.
Regarding crops, you only have to worry if you have fruit trees on your property. Damage can result in minor deformities in both leaves and fruit.
25. Flea Beetles
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Flea beetles are tiny but resilient and persistent pests. When disturbed, they look and act like fleas, jumping high into the air and vanishing just as quickly.
Flea beetles can also spread disease among your plants. They are vectors of Stewart’s bacterial wilt [3]. Once spotted, it is strongly recommended that they be eradicated as swiftly as possible.
These leaf-eating insects munch on vegetables. They like potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes, corn, and peppers.
26. Fruit Flies
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Fruit flies are tiny flies that you have likely seen before. They love overripe and rotting fruits and vegetables.
These creatures lay their eggs under the skin of fruits. Later, the eggs hatch into maggots that feed on these fermenting fruits and vegetables.
Bananas, tomatoes, mangoes, and grapes are some of their favorites. Fruit flies may also be seen around compost.
27. Black Vine Weevils
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While in the larval stage, these pests target ornamental plants and fruits. Their favorites are cranberry, strawberry, rhododendron, blueberry, blackberry, and hemlock.
You will also freak out if they ever enter your greenhouse since they like container plants. The black vine weevil isn’t one of the most destructive garden insects for nothing.
28. Colorado Potato Beetles (Potato Bugs)
Are potato bugs dangerous? Also called potato beetles, Colorado potato beetles are a potato farmer’s worst nightmare.
They spread out across many territories and cause devastating damage to potato plants as adults.
They’re also easy to recognize with their reddish-orange bodies. Unfortunately, they can be found far outside Colorado, so don’t get your hopes up based on the name alone.
29. Cucumber Beetles
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These yellow bugs with black stripes on each wing are instantly recognizable. However, there are two common types of cucumber beetles: striped and spotted.
The striped cucumber beetle is more common than the spotted cucumber beetle, which has spots instead of stripes. Both can cause severe damage to plants.
The larvae feed on corn and cucurbit roots, while the adults feed on the blossoms and leaves of flowering plants. As such, they can be a force to be reckoned with in your garden.
30. Japanese Beetles
Japanese beetles are insects that eat flowers and feed on the leaves and fruits of various plants.
They go after asparagus, fruit trees, shrubs, corn, soybeans, roses, and other ornamentals and vegetables.
They usually feed in small groups, making them easy to spot.
31. Pill Bugs (Rollie Pollies)
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Pillbugs are terrestrial crustaceans. They love moist areas under fallen leaves, plant debris, or mulch.
Rollie pollies may also feed on plant roots. However, they prefer already-dead plant or animal materials.
32. Lace Bugs
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Lace bugs have a lacy-looking membrane covering their wings and upper bodies. They cause damage by sucking fluids from plants. The bugs generally feed on the underside of leaves.
33. Leaf Miners
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Winding, twisting white lines on leaves are a dead giveaway for leaf miners.
Thankfully, they aren’t as much of a threat as they are a pest since their damage is ultimately minor. They typically target garlic, beans, green onions, cabbage, peppers, and more.
One of the best ways to deal with leaf miners is to squeeze the leaves, eliminating traces of whatever may still be inside.
34. Mealybugs
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Mealybugs can be a hassle since they can even come indoors and attack plants being kept on the windowsill.
Again, they’re tiny sap-suckers found worldwide. When viewed up close, these bad garden bugs look like sticky cornmeal.
Mealybugs are best gotten rid of by other pest controllers, such as ladybird beetles.
35. Spider Mites
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Spider mites are arachnids. These plant pests suck fluids from plant cells, weakening the plants.
The small yellow or brown spots on the leaves they’ve attacked tell you where they’ve been. Your plants may also start to look lifeless.
Takeaway
Insects can be a farmer’s best friend and worst enemy.
Some, like butterflies, ladybugs, and praying mantises, are helpful. Yes, some insects are beneficial as pollinators and natural predators, and they’re everywhere—in your garden box, too.
However, as the list above shows, some are pests that can damage the plants in your garden.
The key to keeping an organic garden alive is to watch out for pests. They are looking for an easy meal, and your farm may seem like an easy target.
As a result, pay close attention to the pests in your garden and look for natural ways to deal with them. See our article on natural and homemade pesticides for vegetable gardens.
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