Most people look forward to summer. The warm sunshine provides the ideal temperature for long afternoons spent tending to your flourishing garden. The heat and humidity of summer however can also bring about pesky pests.

All of the work you have done in your garden can be severely put to the test as summer time comes near. The heat and humidity of summer brings about a large increase in pesky insects.

Insects can cause a lot of damage in your garden to your plants during the hot summer months. This is because insects thrive on the hot summer heat and humidity that often accompanies this weather. If you do not monitor the insect population in your garden and attempt to have control over them, they can easily destroy your entire garden.

The insects arrive in large groups to feed on your garden plant leaves, stems, and roots, as well as on vegetables. There are numerous insects that you will need to keep an eye out for during the heat and humidity of summer. The most common insects you will find in your garden include leaf miners, armyworms, spider mites and aphids.

Your tomato and cucumber plants will be most affected by leaf miners. These insects are known as leaf miners because they tunnel between the two tissue layers of the leaf while they feed. While doing this, they leave tunnel-like pathways through the surface of the leaf. These insects are hard to control because chemicals in the leaf layers offer them protection. The best way to defend your plants from leaf miners is to continually monitor your plants and take away any damaged leaves you come across.

Chewing insects known as armyworms can attack a variety of plants in your garden. These insects feed on the leaves of the plants, leaving behind holes, chewed margins or actually consuming the entire leaf.

 Army worms only feed in the daytime. Therefore, the best way to control these insects is to pick them off one at a time when you see them feeding. You could also opt to use an insecticidal dust to eliminate this insect from your garden.

Another pest found in your garden is the spider might which is a close relative of the spider. These pests have eight legs, are very tiny and journey from leaf to leaf. They gather on the underside of the leaves and can be difficult to spot.

They are sucking insects and eat by using their needle like mouth to stab the leaves and sucking out the juice from inside. This will cause the leaves to fall off or wither up.

You can control spider mites with an insecticidal solution made of soap. Make certain that you saturate the underside of the leaves thoroughly to ensure you kill the spider mites.

Another sucking insect that gathers on the underside of plant leaves like the spider mite is the aphid. You will notice yellow patches on the surface of leaves being damaged by aphids. You may also notices the leaves beginning to curl. Honeydew is the sticky matter that aphids excrete. On leaves where there is this honeydew, a black fungus will begin to grow.  You can control aphids in your garden with an insecticidal solution made of soap.

During the hot, humid summer months patrol your garden on a regular basis to cut back on the damage from insects. Inspect your plants carefully to see if they have any signs of damage. You can control insects in your garden easier if you eliminate them when they first appear rather than waiting until they have set up residence.

Related posts:

1. Persnickety Pests: Ten Creepy Crawly Enemies of Roses
2. Step by Step Guide to Diagnosing Pesky Pests in your Garden
3. Common Orchid Pests
4. Orchids – Common Orchid Pests
5. Organic Methods to Get Rid of Spider Mites

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