Call me dramatic, but there’s no other pest that strikes fear into my heart like a wriggling, wiggling mass of tent caterpillars.It’s not because of the damage they do to plants, but because their nest
06.06.2023 - 19:56 / gardenerspath.com / Sylvia Dekker
How to Identify and Control Beet Armyworms Spodoptera exiguaDespite its common name – beet armyworm – pointing to one specific crop, no garden is safe from this pest. It will chow down on everything from corn to tomatoes to flowers.
If only our kids loved as many different types of vegetables as the immature larvae of this hungry moth!
Able to skeletonize leaves, burrow into plant crowns, and kill seedlings and young plants, Spodoptera exiguais a daunting foe.
We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission.
Luckily, there are some steps you can take if they invade your lush garden plot. Everything you need to know about these chewing pests is laid out for you below.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
What Are Beet Armyworms?Beet armyworms originated in southeast Asia and were first discovered in North America in Oregon in 1876.
They are in the Noctuidae family, along with other types of cutworms and armyworms.
They rarely overwinter in regions where frost kills their host plants, so they must reinvade these areas annually. Thus, beet armyworms are often more significant pests in southern states and in greenhouses.
Their host range is wide, including a variety of vegetable, field, and flower crops.
Asparagus, beets, cabbage, chrysanthemums, corn, onions, peas, peppers, tomatoes, and turnips are just a few of their favorites. They like weeds too, such as lamb’s-quarter, mullein, pigweed, and purslane.
Both the adults and larvae feed on the plants, but the larvae are the main concern. Young larvae feed in groups and can skeletonize leaves. They often create light webbing between the foliage, sticking leaves together as well.
More mature larvae prefer the growing tips of foliage
Call me dramatic, but there’s no other pest that strikes fear into my heart like a wriggling, wiggling mass of tent caterpillars.It’s not because of the damage they do to plants, but because their nest
Us gardeners tend not to like sharing our fruits and vegetables, especially not with wriggling maggots, and least of all when we find them in one of our favorite types of produce: apples.Unfortunately, flies like Rhagoletis pomonella don’t ask be
Chrysanthemums are tough plants that are known for being maintenance-free, and it’s hard to even imagine them dying from some disease.So when they start to look a bit sad and wilty, it’s easy to ass
Garlic is a stinky, pungent bulb. For this reason, it’s logical to assume that most pests will leave it alone.It’s even used as a pest deter
It takes some work and patience to grow a perfect crop of straight, beautifully orange, smooth skinned, crisp and delicious carrots.The soil needs to be crumbly and deep, they need wat
There are a lot of reasons to love bleeding hearts, but being relatively uninteresting to pests is one of the best.Maybe they taste bad or something? I’ll have to
Swiss chard is exceptionally beautiful on top of being delicious, which makes it doubly frustrating when the leaves turn up with unsightly holes or yellowing leaves.When pests attack, you need to take s
Bot rot, also known as white rot, is caused by the fungus Botryosphaeria dothidea. Infection can result in a complex of diseases – two types of fruit rot and cankers on the limbs and twigs.This pathogen infects not only apples and crabapples but also a number
Have you ever headed out into your garden and found damage that looks like someone took a teeny-tiny scythe and lopped the stems of your seedlings off at the ground?Okay, that actually sounds kind of
Caraway, Carum carvi, is an aromatic herb best known for bearing the fruit, or seed, that flavors classic rye bread. Caraway is also easy to grow and is a great addition to the kitchen garden.We link to vendors to help you find relevant product
One minute you’ve got a happy, healthy succulent and the next you notice a clump of white fluff or some small, odd looking insects wedged in a crevice of your precious plant. They seem to appear from out of nowhere.When a sudden infestation of mealybugs occurred o
The last thing you want to find when it’s time to pull your carrots is that a bunch of grubs beat you to the anticipated carrot crunching.Those sweet, crisp roots were supposed to feed you and your fam