Pests

Many gardeners are starting their fall garden and landscape clean-up - which is good and bad. Garden sanitation, if insects or diseases were a problem this year, is an important step to reduce problems next year. But we need to balance pest control with allowing habitat for beneficial insects and pollinators. So, how can that be done? 

When you see small flies or gnats in the kitchen, chances are high they’re fruit flies. These tiny pests can be a problem any time of year, but they are particularly common in late summer and fall. 

Identification & Lifecycle

Almost every gardener has seen grub larvae in the soil while installing new plants or tilling the vegetable garden.  The term "white grub" actually encompasses the larval stage of several scarab beetles, the most common and most damaging, being the June beetle/masked chafer and the Japanese beetle.  Less well-known, are the May/June beetle and green June beetle.  All have a grub larval stage that can cause damage to turfgrass.  The grubs are off white, with six legs located just behind their reddish-brown head and are usually found curled into a "C" shape in the soil.  

Common pests of houseplants include aphids, mealybugs, whiteflies and spider mites, and it only takes a few insects hitchhiking into your home to multiply into an outbreak. Many gardeners prefer not to use standard insecticides, especially in the house. That may be one of the reasons why insecticidal soaps, both pre-mixed and homemade, have been gaining in popularity.

Did you realize some evergreen needles change color in the fall too, just like deciduous trees do? It's true and it often causes alarm in homeowners when their evergreen trees start to drop needles.

Roses remain one of the most popular ornamental plants for home landscapes, but unfortunately there are several pest problems that affect roses and can reduce the beauty of your plants. Two insect pests commonly found on roses, but usually causing only cosmetic damage, are rose sawfly and leaf cutter bees, but diseases such as rose rosette and black spot can serious affect the health of plants.

Most pests reach their maximum population levels around August or September, and their favorite places to escape the heat of the summer sun or the oncoming winter cold are homes. Keeping fall pests out can be a challenge, but being prepared and properly treating infestations can make fall a much more pleasant time for homeowners.

Weeds are usually the most visible lawn and landscape pest, and can be a major problem for homeowners. Weeds are opportunistic, taking advantage of thin areas in your lawn or openings in your landscape beds to grow and thrive. They compete with desirable plants for space, light, water, and nutrients, and detract from the appearance and function of your lawn or landscape.

Squash bugs are a common pest of cucurbits, with a preference first for winter squash and pumpkins, followed by gourds, summer squash and melons, and occassionally cucumbers. Among squash, winter varieties such as hubbards and marrows, are most severely effected.

Now is a good time to scout your vegetable garden for adults, nymphs and eggs, and take steps to control them.

Garden professionals often talk about sanitation as a way to manage insect and disease problems in a garden or landscape. But what exactly is garden sanitation and how does it help with pest problems?