Plant pests can be considered as a nuisance both for plant owners and gardeners alike. These pests can wreak havoc to plants and trees in a specified area. In some cases, these plant pests can even harm humans and pets. Insects, rodents, termites, flies and the like are common examples of plant pests. A pest is classified as a plant pest if the action it performs is detrimental to the well-being of a plant. In order to combat these plant pests, you need to know everything about them. There are some useful information below.
In order to know the right action to take against these plant pests, you need to identify first what you are up against. Its necessary to determine if you are dealing with diurnal pests or nocturnal pests. Diurnal pests are those who thrive and attack during the day. Nocturnal ones are those that thrive and attack during the night. Once you identify what type of pest is invading your plants and your garden, youll be able to employ specific tactics in order to ward them off or eliminate them in one fell swoop. Just keep in mind that in severe cases of plant pest infestations, its recommended to seek professional help.
In handling diurnal pests, you can opt to go for the traditional use of water and soap. By mixing a small amount of laundry soap in a water container, you can either manually splash it on the pests or use a spray bottle to do so. The latter method is more recommended though, since you will be using a minimal amount of soap and water. These materials are effective against Aphids, or the tiny and persistent pests that can infest different kinds of plants in a short amount of time. Its just time consuming, especially if the number of the pests are in the hundreds.
In handling nocturnal pests, the key is in the making of traps. Its very difficult to hunt these pests during the night, hence making traps with the right bait will lure them towards their demise. The most commonly used trap is the traditional sticky or glue trap. You just need to place these sticky traps near the affected plants during dusk. Youll be surprised in the morning as youll find tens or even hundreds of pests caught in this simple trap. The best part here is that sticky traps cost cheap, just like using soap and water.
Another important fact to know about plant pests is that they are also classified into chewing pests and sucking pests. The former is comprised of pests that chew on the leaves, stem and bark of the plant. The latter ones love to suck away the plant juices via the stem of the victim plant. Typical examples of chewing pests include snails, slugs, caterpillars, grasshoppers and beetles. Examples of sucking pests, on the other hand, include whiteflies, aphids, scale insects and the like. Scientists often refer to the latter as similar to mites while the former are like caterpillars.
If you want to learn how to prevent these pests from eating your plants away, read here