Garden Pest Control – Types of Garden Pests

To the one who thinks, sleeps and eats (oops, sorry) plants, gardening is the best piece of job, but even the most enthusiastic person can’t help but raise his arms in despair when it comes to maintain one infested with pests. This happens because of inadequate info on garden pest control measures; despite umpteen trials, the garden turns into an entomologist’s paradise! However, applying appropriate garden pest control methods have been found to hold results to the maximum!

The simple reason behind is the pest control methods are different for different species of plants; it takes just one wrong step (or spray?) to paint your entire world into brown. Therefore, don’t haste; before embarking upon the different pest control measures, we need to know appropriately the most common garden pests. Else, your quest for freedom may well eradicate all those that are highly needed.

Let’s start with insects, the most common among the garden pests and belonging to the phylum Arthropoda. It’s their six legs with several joints that make them stand out from the rest; another sign that defines them are the three main divisions in their body: the head, the thorax and the abdomen, upon which, the wings (if any) rest. Spiracles (pores) and tracheae (air tubes) form their respiratory system and an exoskeleton (an outer hardened shell) gives them their shape. Moths, flies, beetles and the likes come under this category.

Next are mites from the arachnid (spider) family; four pairs of legs (except woodlice) are the defining factors for them. There are also the ones with tubular bodies with two pairs of legs attached to each segment resembling caterpillars; these are the millipedes.

Among the invisible ones, bacteria and virus is the most common and there are many that are detrimental to plant life. These are the harmful, unicellular pests.

The fungus groups are devoid of chlorophyll and hence must extract their life force from others and causing rotting in plants. However, they are less problematic to get rid of if compared to the mammals and the birds.

Among the mammals, the extremities are the rodents and the bears; they require specially trained forces for complete eradication. But as for the birds, it’s the crows and the blue jays that are considered menaces. And the list stretches to gulls, pigeons, magpies, robins, starlings and sparrows.

This was just an outline of the most common garden pests and when they don’t appear as real threats; however, when they are present by hordes, you need to call for professional exterminators instead of trying to get rid of them with your own efforts.