Common Garden Plant Pests and How to Identify Them

Garden pests—insects, mollusks, birds, and mammals—damage plants by chewing, sucking, or boring. Many are named for their preferred host: corn earworm, carrot weevil, cabbage looper, tomato hornworm, squash vine borer, Colorado potato beetle. Others like blister beetles, aphids, wireworms, and ants attack a wide range of plants.

Mollusks

Snails and slugs feed on cabbage, lettuce, and other tender leaves.

Birds

Crows, starlings, blackbirds, and chickens eat seeds and seedlings. Ducks and geese trample plants and leave droppings.

Mammals

Rodents (mice, rats) tunnel and eat mature vegetables. Rabbits, squirrels, groundhogs, chipmunks, and opossums browse crops. Deer and coyotes can devastate larger gardens. Even cats and dogs damage plants by walking or rolling on them.

Early identification and targeted control are key to protecting your harvest.

Explore organic pest control methods at our garden pests resource.