Slugs
& Snails
The
most common garden slugs are grey or brown and only 4cm long but you
may come across others in your garden. Only the black slug does little
damage and can be ignored. Slugs can devastate young plants and
vegetables so be on the look-out. There is a wide choice of ways of
dealing with slugs such as: place comfrey leaves around the base of the
plants most likely to be attacked (the slugs much prefer the comfrey
leaves so will leave your prized plants alone); put some grit around
plants -slugs wont want to crawl over these; use nematodes - these are
naturally occurring organisms which will attack the slugs, which you
buy
and apply with a watering can; set beer traps; or if you fancy yourself
as a bit of a hunter go out at dusk with a torch and pick the blighters
off. Snails are treated the same way.
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Viburnum
Beetles
The
Viburnum Beetle has overtaken slugs and snails as the most common
garden pest according to the RHS. It eats the foliage of a variety of
viburnums. The adult beetles cause problems in late summer but its the
grubs that cause mass devastation in Spring. Leaves are left with a
lacy effect from the damage done or
brown dried up edges.
Keep a close eye out for
the larvae from the start of Spring and remove these as soon as they
appear.
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Lily
Beetles
The
lily beetle arrived in the UK in 1939 and was not seen outside the SE
counties until the 1980s but is now much more regularly seen around the
UK and has become the nemesis of lily growers. The adult beetle is 8mm
long with bright red bodies and black head and legs. Eggs are
orange-red and are found on the underside of lily and fritillary
leaves. Larvae can be found feeding on foliage from May til
September. Both the larvae and adults feed on the plants and
whilst it's normally the foliage that is attacked, in bad infestations
flowers, stems and seeds can be affected. Unfortunately the only
non-pesticide control is to hand pick the beetles off. There are
natural enemies in the form of parasitic wasps but these don't appear
to be wide-spread enough in the UK to make sufficient impact.
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Aphids
Aphids
are amongst the most common of garden pests and come in many forms such
as greenfly and blackfly. They love making their presence on some of
our most prized plants such as roses, trees and vegetables. Aphids suck
the sap of plants, particularly young plants, and distort their leaves.
They are unlikely to kill a plant but they will certainly weaken it and
you won't have a healthy specimen. Aphids can be dealt with by
companion planting - plants such as marigolds are perfect. If you have
space, keep a clump of nettles as these encourage the nettle aphid,
which
in turn ensures a constant supply of the aphids' enemies in your garden
such as as birds, lacewings, ladybirds and hoverflies which
will
soon eradicate an infestation. Or, simply rub the aphids off the plant
stem with your fingers.
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Leatherjackets
The
leatherjacket is the larval stage of the crane fly (daddy long legs).
It feeds on the roots of grass, causing yelllowing but can also attack
potatoes, strawberries, lettuce and cabbages. Try covering a
well
watered patch of grass with tarpaulin overnight. The leatherjackets
will rise to the surface and can be swept off in the morning or left
for the birds. There is also a nematode which can be used to be tackle
these pests.
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Cabbage
Moths & Butterflies
The
small cabbage butterfly is the most common of this type of pest and
typically causes the most damage! It is the caterpillar that does the
most damage so keep your eyes peeled for these. They cause damage all
the way from April to October due to the several generations that occur
so there is little let up and they will attack cabbage,
cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale and kohlrabi. The best solution is
to keep a close eye on your crops and remove any small caterpillars
while they are still on the outer leaves. Alternatively buy
purpose-made netting to keep the pests out.
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Vine
Weevils
Vine
weevils are creamy-white larvae which are about 1.5cm long with brown
heads. They are rarely seen out in the open and are more of an issue in
soil in greenhouses. They are also often found in containers and they
are becoming more and more of an issue. They attack pretty much any
part of a plant and will cause it to wither and die. There is a
nematode which can attack vine weevils and keep them in check. Or
alternatively remove the top 20cm of soil and replace with fresh new
top soil.
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course, these are just a few of the many potential pests that may
appear in your garden. At
Vialii, we would always encourage that pests,
like weeds, should always be tackled in an organic way. Spraying
chemicals will not only affect the pest but all other animals who enter
the garden, many being beneficial insects and wildlife. If you can
create a good balance in your garden then our friends such as
ladybirds, frogs and hedgehogs will all help do the work for us and
create a strong eco-system.
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