Organic Pest Remedies
From Ambrosia Beetle to Cutworm
One of the biggest pains to having a beautiful garden is fighting off those bad bugs. I keep picturing the day when I have totally eradicated all harmful insects and my gardens are glowing with beauty. Then my wife wakes me up.
We have to do the best we can with what we have. I highly recommend organic pest remedies for ambrosia beetles, cutworms, and other pests. Below is a list of harmful insects, from A to C, that are in one area or another of North America, along with organic control methods.
There are different ways to rid your garden temporarily of these pests.
I say temporarily because we all have neighbors who don't fight garden pests like we do.
The first and best way to protect your plants is to attract beneficial insects to the garden.
We can also buy some species of insects, and grow plants that attract beneficial insects.
There are many birds species that love to eat pest insects. If we provide a place for them to live, we'll soon have strong allies, including bats.
Working in a small garden, we can pick bugs off our plants, or make a natural spray containing garlic, onions, and peppers, which works great on most plants, including flowers.
These articles will also help you keep pests and diseases under control.
What To Look for: Pest Management Practices
Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
Pests A-C | Pests D-G | Pests H-N | Pests O-S | Pests T-Z
Organic Pest Remedies A-C
Ambrosia Beetle
The adults drill into the limbs and smaller trunks of peach, pecan, plum, cherry, persimmon, oak, elm, sweet gum, magnolia, fig, Bradford pear and crape myrtle, but others may also be assaulted.
There are no predators known yet.
Organic control: maintain trees healthy and compost invaded wood at the earliest spotting.
You can also cut down the infested tree and let it rot, or drench the trunk with plant oil spray or orange oil.
Aphids
Aphids suck out plant sap, causing distorted plants. These pests are found all over North America.
Control by water blasting hose. Use garlic-pepper tea as a spray, or beneficial insects.
Release ladybugs, green lacewings, predatory midges, and parasitic wasps.
Armyworms
Armyworms are also known as true armyworms.
They attack small grains in early season.
Use Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis), soapy water, native wasps, or lacewings to control worms.
Asian Longhorned Beetle
Also known as the Starry Sky or Sky Beetle.
The main sign of this beetle infestation is the round, 1/2 inch exit holes and frass, a sawdust-like material made from tree slivers, insect waste and oozing sap.
The tree species preferred are hardwoods, including several maple species (Norway, sugar, silver, and red maple), box elder, horse chestnut, buckeye, elm, London plane, birch and willow.
For control, contact local forestry officials at once so that they can takes steps to contain the outbreak by cutting down and ridding of the trees, or better yet contact the USDA at Beetle Busters
Asparagus Beetle
Asparagus is the asparagus beetle's only food plant.
The larvae and adult are found from spring to late summer.
There are two beetles in this category and they are asparagus and spotted asparagus beetles.
Bagworms
Photo courtesy of
Gerald J. Lenhard,
Louisiana State University,
Bugwood.org
(The image is of a male adult, bag, and pupal case)
This is a caterpillar stage of a moth that attaches itself to deciduous trees and evergreens, disguised as cones.
Control by hand-picking, Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis), spraying with soapy water, releasing green lacewings or trichogramma wasps.
Bed Bugs
Bed bugs feed mainly on humans, mice, rabbits, guinea pigs, horses, cattle and poultry.
Treat by thorough, frequent and non-toxic cleaning.
Organic Control: Treat with diatomaceous earth.
Click here to learn about getting rid of bed bugs yourself.
Black Widow Spider
The black widow spider can be both beneficial and a pest. The name black widow spider may refer to:
- Western black widow or Latrodectus hesperus
- Southern black widow or Latrodectus mactans
- Northern black widow or Latrodectus variolus
- European black widow or Latrodectus tredecimguttatus
- Redback spider or black widow, Latrodectus hasselti
- Katipo or black widow, Latrodectus katipo
- False black widow, of the genus Steatoda, often mistaken for widow spiders
Feeds on mostly very small insects, bites to humans are a concern.
Nature provides control with mud daubers and predatory insects.
Suggested control by using dust with natural diatomaceous earth and orange oil sprays to kill them.
Boll Weevil
Feeds on cotton buds and flowers.
Quail and fire ants are natural enemies.
Use weevil-resistant strains of cotton.
Boxelder Bug
Photo courtesy of
Whitney Cranshaw,
Colorado State University,
Bugwood.org
aka Maple Bug, garage beetle
Their size is about one half inch
Birds and lizards are natural controllers
Feed on boxelder, ash and maple trees
Spray with a mixture of 2 tbsp of soap per gallon of water.
Brown Recluse Spider
Also known as Violin Spider, Fiddleback Spider, brown fiddler
They help control several pest insects, but their bite can cause a serious wound and in rare cases the loss of a limb.
Nature controls with other spiders, wasps and lizards.
Organic control by spraying problem areas with orange oil products, use diatomaceous earth indoors and outdoors and boric acid products.
Most bites are minor with no necrosis.
Cabbage Looper
Will attack many different vegetables, not only cabbage family.
Control by hand picking, native wasps, till ground before adults emerge in spring.
Cabbage Maggot
Cabbage maggots bore into roots of cruciferous plants.
Sign of infestation is wilting at mid-day.
Control by destroying affected plants, beneficial nematodes, spray with garlic-pepper, or diatomaceous earth around plant.
Carpenter Ants
Photo courtesy of
Joseph Berger, Bugwood.org
Carpenter ants are eavy eaters of wood structures.
Prefer moist wood like where leaks happen around sinks, bathtubs, roof leaks, poorly sealed windows, and hollow porch posts.
Control with boric acid, treating wood or dusting indoors.
Chiggers
Photo courtesy of
Susan Ellis, Bugwood.org
Carried by animals, and they feed on invertebrates, their eggs, and organic matter.
5 lb/1000 sq ft. of sulfur will control the chiggers.
Chinch Bugs
Control by using diatomaceous earth or Nosema locustae protozoa by broadcasting on the infected area.
Cicadas
They are not locusts
Predators are the cicada killer wasp and birds.
Click Beetle
Photo courtesy of
Frank Peairs,
Colorado State University,Bugwood.org
The larvae, called wireworms, eat small grain seed and seedling roots.
They bore into large roots, stems, tubers, beans, beets, carrots, corn, lettuce, onions, peas, and potatoes.
The adults of many don't feed; some will eat plant foliage.
Nature controls them with spiders, toads, snakes, birds and beneficial nematodes.
Improve the soil and ensure that it's well drained.
The adult produces a large click which will cause the adult to jump high in the air, probably a defensive attribute.
Cockroach
Common names are cockroach, roach, water bug and palmetto bug.
Cockroaches are primarily nocturnal and will run away when revealed to light.
Nature's controls are gecko lizards, scorpions and beneficial nematodes. Some species are killed by temperatures below freezing.
Organic controls are boric acid products, baits made with baking soda, soap, and sugar or molasses.
Codling Moths
Codling moths attack apple, pear, and other fruit.
The caterpillars bore through to the fruit center to eat the seeds.
Can be controlled with sticky tree bands checked daily. May need to use dormant oil.
Colorado Potato Beetle
Photo courtesy of
Whitney Cranshaw,
Colorado State University,
Bugwood.org
Can also affect eggplant and tomatoes.
Control by hand-picking, garlic-pepper tea and diatomaceous earth (DE) mixed.
Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) can be used.
Corn Earworm
They start with fresh corn silk and eat their way into corn kernels. They also eat other vegetables and fruits.
Control with native wasps, apply 20 drops of mineral oil onto silk about 3-5 days after silk appears.
Try beneficial nematodes on corn stalks.
Crickets
Photo courtesy of
Joseph Berger, Bugwood.org
Diatomaceous earth can be dusted in areas infested with crickets at 2 tbp/1000 sq ft.
Cucumber Beetles
Photo courtesy of
Susan Ellis, Bugwood.org
Squash family and other vegetables are their victims.
They feed on leaves and blossoms of plants while larvae feed on roots.
Mulch with lots of straw, apply beneficial nematodes, and destroy infected plants.
Cutworms
These worms will attack most vegetable crops at night and cut through stems or eat entire seedling.
Diatomaceous earth, bone meal, or colloidal phosphate ring around each plant.
Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) needs to be applied at dusk.
Aluminum foil can be wrapped around plant stems.
Pests A-C | Pests D-G | Pests H-N | Pests O-S | Pests T-Z
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