What are the Different Types of Garden Pests?

While the term "garden pest" may bring insects to mind for many people, it actually has a broader meaning that includes all insects and animals that interfere with the growth and health of plants. Diseases are considered to be a separate category from pests. There are five important categories of garden pests, but the particular garden pests that you may find will vary with your location. Insects and other many-legged creatures: This group probably contains the largest number of different kinds of pests. Some are named for the crop they primarily damage, such as the Colorado potato beetle, the tomato hornworm, and the cabbage butterfly. Also prevalent (depending on where you live) are ants, aphids, borers, bugs, caterpillars and worms - such as gypsy moths and cutworms - centipedes, earwigs, grasshoppers, grubs and maggots, Japanese beetles, and weevils. Mollusks: Snails and slugs, which resemble shell-less snails, are garden pests that chiefly attack members of the cabbage family ...  more

While the term "garden pest" may bring insects to mind for many people, it actually has a broader meaning that includes all insects and animals that interfere with the growth and health of plants. Diseases are considered to be a separate category from pests. There are five important categories of garden pests, but the particular garden pests that you may find will vary with your location. Insects and other many-legged creatures: This group probably contains the largest number of different kinds of pests. Some are named for the crop they primarily damage, such as the Colorado potato beetle, the tomato hornworm, and the cabbage butterfly. Also prevalent, depending on where you live, are ants, aphids, borers, bugs, caterpillars and worms - such as gypsy moths and cutworms - centipedes, earwigs, grasshoppers, grubs and maggots, Japanese beetles, and weevils. Mollusks: Snails and slugs, which resemble shell-less snails, are garden pests that chiefly attack members of the cabbage family ...  more