Vegetable Gardening in Mississippi
Insects
The average home vegetable garden may contain more than a dozen different types of vegetable crops, and each of these crops may be attacked by several different species of insects. Being able to manage and control these insect pests is one of the keys to successful vegetable gardening.
Insect pests can damage vegetables in several different ways. Pests like tomato fruitworms, cowpea curculios, stink bugs, and pickleworms cause direct damage by feeding on the fruit. Pests like tobacco hornworms, which feed primarily on the leaves, or aphids, which suck sap from the plant, cause indirect damage. Even though the fruit is not damaged directly, the plant’s ability to produce fruit can be reduced if it loses enough leaf area or sap. Pests like thrips and bean leaf beetles also can cause damage by transmitting plant diseases. In addition to the direct damage they cause, pests like corn earworms and cowpea curculios also contaminate food.
Even though there are many different species of insect and mite pests that can occur in home vegetable gardens, they do not usually all occur at one time, so you probably will not have to “spend the summer spraying bugs” in order to have a successful garden. There are many methods besides insecticide sprays that can manage insect populations and keep them from reaching levels where insecticide sprays are necessary. Many of these methods are passive, requiring relatively little effort from the gardener, and many are things that you will do anyway if you want to grow a vigorous, productive crop.
For more detailed information on insect management and control, see Extension Publication 2347 - Insect Pests of the Home Vegetable Garden (PDF) or Insecticides - Identification and Control of Insects - (PDF) from Extension Publication 1091.
Other Insect Information
Vegetables:
Insects
Shows photos of most common garden insect pest and many frequently
asked questions.