Insects-Vegetable Gardens

The average home vegetable garden contains more than a dozen different vegetables, and each is attacked by several different insect pests. Insects can damage vegetables in several ways. Some pests, such as cutworms and squash vine borers, attack and kill entire plants. Other pests, like tomato fruitworms, stink bugs, and cowpea curculios, go directly for the fruit. Pests such as aphids and whiteflies cause indirect damage by sucking sap from the leaves, and many insect pests transmit plant diseases.

See Publication 2347, Insect Pests of the Home Vegetable Garden, for information on the identification, management, and control of the most common insect pests in Mississippi gardens. This publication also contains information on the best insecticides for home vegetable gardens and tips on how to apply insecticides. Publication 2347 also contains information on organic insect control. For more detailed information on non-insecticidal management methods see Organic Insect Control for Commercial Vegetable Production. Although this publication is written for commercial producers, many of the non-insecticidal management methods discussed also apply to home gardens.

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Publications

Publication Number: P2347

Insect Pests of the Home Vegetable Garden

News

A man in a hat stands next to a bush covered in tomatoes growing inside a wire frame.

Start small, stay alert for first-time garden success

May 1, 2020 - Filed Under: Coronavirus, Lawn and Garden, Insects-Vegetable Gardens, Vegetable Gardens

More would-be gardeners than ever before are planting with hopes of a summer crop of vegetables, but getting to that harvest means handling the inevitable insect pests, weeds, disease and fertilizer needs.

Fall and Winter Gardens Keep Produce Coming

August 14, 2018 - Filed Under: Insects-Vegetable Gardens, Plant Diseases, Vegetable Gardens

Your summer vegetable garden is likely winding down, but you still have time for another round of fresh vegetables, including tomatoes, peppers, squash and cucumbers. (File photo by MSU Extension Service)