Unwelcome Guests: Beginner’s Guide to Common Garden Pests

Gardening can be one of the most relaxing and rewarding hobbies, but it can also be quite frustrating when garden pests start to take over your plants.

Outdoor garden pests can be a nightmare, causing damage to your plants and diminishing your yields.

Identifying the most common garden pests in your area and learning how to prevent and control them is key to a successful garden.

Read on below – we discuss some of the most common garden pests for outdoor gardens and how to get rid of them.

Aphids

Aphids, also known as plant lice, are tiny, soft-bodied insects that come in various colors, including green, black, and red.

They are one of the most common garden pests found on the undersides of leaves and stems, and they feed by piercing the plant and sucking out its sap.

Even more, aphids reproduce quickly and can cause damage by stunting plant growth and transmitting diseases.

Aphid Quick-Info Table

Signs	Plants Affected	How to Get Rid of Them	How to Prevent Them
Indicators of an aphid infestation include a sticky residue on leaves and stems, distorted leaves, and small, pear-shaped insects clustered on the plant.	They are attracted to plants with tender new growth, such as roses, tomatoes, and peppers.	You can use a strong jet of water to knock them off the plant. Alternatively, you can use insecticidal soap, which is a natural insecticide made from plant oils.	For preventative measures as well as severe infestations, use a commercial pesticide.

One of the most common pests I have dealt with is aphids, which can quickly infest plants and stunt their growth.

To manage them, I typically use a combination of insecticidal soap and neem oil or introduce ladybugs and lacewings to my garden.

Whiteflies

Whiteflies are small, winged insects that love to feed on plant sap in your garden.

They are usually found on the undersides of leaves and can cause damage by sucking out plant fluids and transmitting diseases.

Named for their white, powdery wings, whiteflies are commonly found in warm, humid environments.

Whitefly Quick-Info Table

Signs	Plants Affected	How to Get Rid of Them	How to Prevent Them
Indicators of a whitefly infestation include a sticky residue on leaves, yellowing leaves, and tiny white insects flying around the plant.	These tiny insects are similar to aphids and can be found on the underside of leaves. They suck sap from the plant, causing leaves to yellow and drop off.	You can use the same methods as for aphids, such as using a strong jet of water or insecticidal soap. You can also use yellow sticky traps to catch the adults.	For prevention as well as severe infestations, use a commercial pesticide.

Whiteflies are another frustrating pest that I have encountered.

These tiny, white insects can quickly multiply like crazy…. and cause major damage to plants.

To control their population, I often use a combination of sticky traps and insecticidal soap.

Slugs and Snails

Slugs and snails are mollusks that feed on plants by using their rasping mouthparts to scrape away plant tissue.

They can be identified by their slimy, soft bodies and the presence of a single, muscular foot.

Mostly active in damp, humid conditions, slugs and snails cause significant damage to plants by eating entire leaves and stems.

Slug and Snail Quick-Info Table

Signs	Plants Affected	How to Get Rid of Them	How to Prevent Them
Indicators include irregularly shaped holes in leaves, slime trails on the ground, and visible slugs or snails on the plant.	They are usually active at night and feed on leaves, stems, and flowers.	you can use a few different methods. One effective method is to handpick them off the plants at night. You can also use copper strips or barriers around your plants to deter them.	Another effective method is to use bait, such as beer traps or a solution made from yeast, sugar, and water.

Slugs and snails are notorious for eating holes in leaves and destroying seedlings, and they are particularly prevalent in damp environments.

To combat them, I rely physical barriers such as copper tape or eggshells around my plants. I also use diatomaceous earth.

Japanese Beetles

Japanese beetles are metallic green and bronze-colored beetles that are about half an inch long. They have distinctive white tufts of hair on either side of their abdomen.

Japanese beetles feed on plant leaves and flowers, skeletonizing them by eating the tissue between the veins.

That said, this pest is most commonly found in the eastern and central regions of the United States.

Japanese Beetles Quick-Info Table

Signs	Plants Affected	How to Get Rid of Them	How to Prevent Them
Indicators of an infestation are Skeletonized leaves and damaged flowers.	Roses, fruit trees, grapevines, and other ornamental plants.	Handpicking, insecticides, or pheromone traps.	Remove overripe fruit, don’t plant highly attractive plants, and use physical barriers like netting.

One of the most destructive pests I have encountered in my garden over the years is the Japanese Beetle.

I normally use a combination of manual removal and insecticidal soap to manage them.

Squash Bugs

Squash bugs are brownish-gray insects that are about half an inch long.

They are commonly found on squash and pumpkin plants, but they can also infest other plants in the cucurbit family.

Even more, squash bugs feed on plant sap and can cause wilting and death of the plant if left unchecked.

Squash Bugs Quick-Info Table

Signs	Plants Affected	How to Get Rid of Them	How to Prevent Them
Indicators of an infestation include wilting leaves and small holes in leaves.	Squash, pumpkin, and cucumber plants.	Handpicking, insecticides, or beneficial insects like predatory stink bugs.	Rotate crops, keep garden beds clean, and use floating row covers to prevent adult squash bugs from laying eggs.

Squash bugs can be a challenge to manage if left unchecked for too long.

I typically use companion planting and row covers to prevent their spread before they have a chance to become a problem.

Tomato Hornworms

Tomato hornworms are large, green caterpillars with white stripes and a horn-like protrusion on their back end.

They are commonly found on tomato plants, as well as on other plants in the nightshade family.

Tomato hornworms feed on plant foliage and can cause significant damage if left unchecked.

Tomato Hornworms Quick-Info Table

Signs	Plants Affected	How to Get Rid of Them	How to Prevent Them
Indicators of an infestation include defoliation of tomato plants and large green caterpillars with white stripes.	Tomato plants and other members of the nightshade family.	Handpicking, insecticides, or beneficial insects like parasitic wasps.	Indicators of an infestation include the defoliation of tomato plants and large green caterpillars with white stripes.

Tomato hornworms can quickly defoliate a tomato plant, which is why I use Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) to manage their population early-on in the gardening season.

Thrips

Thrips are small, slender insects belonging to the Thripidae family.

These tiny little pests are usually less than 1/25 inch long and are black, brown, or yellow.

Further, they are most common in warm, dry climates and are often found on vegetable plants and flowers.

Thrips Quick-Info Table

Signs	Plants Affected	How to Get Rid of Them	How to Prevent Them
They can cause leaves to appear speckled or discolored, and flowers may have a distorted shape.	Thrips are known to attack a wide range of plants, including vegetables, fruit trees, and ornamental plants	Sticky traps can help capture thrips, and insecticidal soap or neem oil can be used to kill them. Pruning heavily infested parts of plants can also help.	Natural remedies like lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and water spray. Regular trimming and removing dead or dying parts (leaves, stems, branches) also helps to prevent thrips.

Thrips can be a tricky pest to deal with, period – that’s why prevention is your best by to with them, by far.

That said, I have the most success using neem oil to get rid of thrips or prevent infestations.

Leaf Miners

Leaf miners are the larvae of various insects, including moths, flies, and beetles.

They tunnel through the leaves, creating white or brown trails.

Leaf miners are often found on a variety of plants, including vegetables, flowers, and fruit trees.

Leaf Miners Quick-Info Table

Signs	Plants Affected	How to Get Rid of Them	How to Prevent Them
Leaf miners create tunnels or trails in the leaves of plants. The tunnels can be seen as thin, squiggly lines on the leaves.	Leaf miners can attack a variety of plants, including vegetables, ornamental plants, and trees.	Pruning heavily infested leaves and removing them from the garden can help prevent the spread of leaf miners.	Applying beneficial nematodes or using insecticides such as spinosad can also be effective.

Leaf miners often damage a variety of plants and trees in my yard and garden.

I most often use a combination of manual removal and neem oil to manage them.

Cutworms

Cutworms are the larvae of various moths and are found in almost every region. This fact makes them one of the most common garden pests of all.

They are usually gray or brown and are about 1 to 2 inches long in length.

Cutworms feed on the stems of young plants and can cause significant damage to crops.

Cutworms Quick-Info Table

Signs	Plants Affected	How to Get Rid of Them	How to Prevent Them
Cutworms are larvae that can be found in the soil near the base of plants. They feed on young plants and can cut them off at the stem.	Cutworms can attack a variety of plants, including vegetables, ornamental plants, and trees.	Applying beneficial nematodes or using insecticides such as Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) can be effective in controlling cutworms.	Placing a collar made of cardboard or other material around the base of plants can also help prevent cutworm damage.

In my garden each year, cutworms are devastating to many of my pants, especially seedlings.

That’s why I use physical barriers like collars to protect my plants.

Colorado Potato Beetles

Potato bugs, also known as Colorado potato beetles, are yellow and black-striped (or dotted) beetles that feed on potato plants.

They are among the most common garden pests in North America.

These bugs can also be found on tomato plants, eggplant, and other nightshade plants.

Potato Bugs Quick-Info Table

Signs	Plants Affected	How to Get Rid of Them	How to Prevent Them
Colorado potato beetles are easy to spot with their yellow-orange bodies and black stripes or dots. They can defoliate plants, leaving them bare.	They primarily attack potato plants. But, they can also be found on other members of the nightshade family, such as tomatoes and eggplants.	Handpicking the beetles and their eggs and dropping them into a container of soapy water can help control their population.	Neem oil and spinosad can also be used to prevent and/or kill Colorado potato beetles.

Potato bugs are another challenging pest that I’ve seen a lot of over the years – these little buggers have a way of coming back over and over.

I find a combination of manual removal and insecticidal soap the most successful way for me to manage potato bug populations for the longest duration of time.

Squash Vine Borers

Squash vine borers are the larvae of a moth that feed on squash plants, including zucchini and pumpkin.

They bore into the stem of the plant and can cause significant damage.

Squash Vine Borers Quick-Info Table

Signs	Plants Affected	How to Get Rid of Them	How to Prevent Them
Squash vine borers are larvae that can be found in the stems of squash and other cucurbit plants. Infested plants may wilt and eventually die.	They primarily attack squash and pumpkin plants. But, they can also be found on other cucurbit plants such as cucumber and watermelon.	If caught early, removing the larvae from the stems can save an infested plant. Beneficial nematodes and spinosad can also be effective in controlling squash vine borers.	Planting resistant varieties and using row covers can also help prevent infestation.

Squash vine borers quickly kill all the squash plants in your garden if you don’t deal with them quickly and thoroughly.

In most gardening seasons, I use row covers and crop rotation to prevent vine borers from becoming an infestation.

Spider Mites

Spider mites are tiny, spider-like pests that feed on the underside of leaves – and they are super hard to spot.

They are one of the most common garden pests in warm, dry climates and cause significant damage to numerous types of crops.

Spider Mites Quick-Info Table

Signs	Plants Affected	How to Get Rid of Them	How to Prevent Them
Spider mites are tiny pests that can be hard to see with the naked eye. They feed on the underside of leaves and can cause yellowing, mottling, and wilting of the leaves.	These tiny insects are attracted to any healthy green garden plants – particularly ones that have strong aromas.	To control them, wash the leaves with a strong stream of water, use insecticidal soap, or neem oil.	Most common organic pest control methods help prevent spider mites. We suggest sprinkling cinnamon on your plants once bi-weekly.

Spider mites are very hard to see, so their webbing is the tell-tale sign of their presence that I look for.

When I first notice spider mites in my yard or garden, I immediately begin to manually remove them and spray my plants with neem oil to manage their population.

Armyworms

Armyworms are the larvae of various moths and exist in almost every region, making them extremely common garden pests.

They are usually green or brown and can be up to 2 inches long in overall length.

Armyworms feed on the leaves of plants and can cause significant damage to crops.

Armyworms Quick-Info Table

Signs	Plants Affected	How to Get Rid of Them	How to Prevent Them
Armyworms are the larvae of moths and can cause significant damage to plants. They feed on the leaves and can cause complete defoliation if left untreated.	These pests are attracted to a wide variety of garden vegetables, including corn, peppers, peas, onions, carrots, celery, lettuce and more.	To control them, use Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) or spinosad.	Natural insecticides and foliar sprays help to prevent armyworms in the garden.

Armyworms rapidly defoliate plants, so I rely on a combination of manually removing them and spraying with Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) to kill and prevent them.

A word to the wise: if you notice one armyworm, there are tons of them somewhere nearby!

Stink Bugs

Stink bugs are shield-shaped insects that can be brown or green.

They are another of the most common garden pests found on fruit trees and vegetable plants.

Even more, they typically cause significant damage to crops once they show up for the party.

Stink Bug Quick-Info Table

Signs	Plants Affected	How to Get Rid of Them	How to Prevent Them
They can be identified by their odor when crushed.	They feed on the fruits and leaves of plants and can cause deformities and discoloration.	To control them, use insecticidal soap, neem oil, or kaolin clay.	Regular misting with natural insecticide often prevents stink bugs completely.

Stink bugs tend to damage a variety of plants in our gardens if we aren’t paying attention.

I use a combination of insecticidal soap, as well as removing them by hand, to get rid of stink bugs and avoid infestations.

6 Tips for Common Garden Pest Prevention

1. Keep your garden clean: Regularly remove plant debris, fallen fruits, and vegetables from your garden. Decaying matter attracts pests, and they make homes in those areas.

2. Use companion planting: Some plants act as natural pest repellents, and planting them alongside your vegetables can help deter pests. For example, marigolds can help repel nematodes and other soil-borne pests.

3. Choose pest-resistant plant varieties: Selecting varieties that are resistant to pests helps minimize infestations. Check with your local nursery or garden center for recommendations.

4. Rotate crops: Pests can become established in soil over time. So, rotating your crops can help reduce their numbers. This is especially important for plants that are prone to soil-borne pests, like tomatoes.

5. Use physical barriers: Covering your plants with netting or row covers can help keep pests at bay. This is particularly useful for keeping out flying insects like aphids and whiteflies.

6. Maintain soil health: Healthy soil can help plants better resist pests and disease. Add compost or other organic matter to your soil to improve its health.

By following these tips, you prevent most of the common garden pests from infesting your garden and keep your plants healthy and thriving.

About Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a holistic approach to pest control that emphasizes prevention, monitoring, and control methods that are least harmful to the environment and human health. Rather than relying solely on chemical pesticides, IPM combines multiple strategies to manage pest problems effectively while minimizing risks to non-target organisms.

Some of the key elements of an effective IPM program include regular monitoring of pest populations, proper identification of pests and their life cycles, setting thresholds for pest control interventions, and implementing cultural, mechanical, and biological controls before resorting to chemical pesticides.

• Cultural controls involve modifying the environment to make it less hospitable to pests, such as practicing good sanitation, selecting resistant plant varieties, and rotating crops.

• Mechanical controls use physical barriers, traps, and other devices to prevent or reduce pest damage, such as netting or row covers to protect crops from insect pests.

• Biological controls use natural enemies of pests, such as predators, parasites, and pathogens, to control pest populations. For example, introducing beneficial insects like ladybugs, lacewings, or parasitic wasps can help control aphids and other soft-bodied insects.

Further, when chemical pesticides are necessary, IPM advocates using the least toxic product that will effectively control the pest and applying it at the right time and in the right amount to minimize exposure to non-target organisms.

By adopting an integrated approach to pest management, gardeners can effectively control pests while minimizing harm to the environment and promoting healthy, sustainable gardens.

Final Thoughts About Common Garden Pests

There are many different pests that can damage your outdoor garden, and it can be challenging to keep them under control.

However, by identifying the most common pests in your area and taking preventative measures, you can keep your garden healthy and thriving.

Therefore, remember to practice good garden hygiene in your garden, such as removing dead and decaying plant matter, and avoid over-fertilizing your plants, as this can attract pests.

Even more, with the right knowledge and a little effort, you will enjoy a bountiful and beautiful pest-free outdoor garden!

Suggested Reading: 24 Easy DIY Organic Pest Control Methods