June brings warm weather and blooming gardens, but it also welcomes unwanted visitors that can destroy your hard work. Common garden pests become more active during this month, targeting everything from your prized tomatoes to beautiful flower beds.
Knowing what to look for and how to fight back can save your garden from serious damage. Get ready to protect your plants with these simple, effective solutions.
1. Aphids
Tiny green, black, or white insects cluster on plant stems and leaves like unwelcome party guests. Aphids multiply incredibly fast and suck plant juices, causing leaves to curl and yellow.
Spray them off with a strong stream of water from your garden hose. You can also use insecticidal soap or introduce ladybugs, which love eating aphids for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Check your plants daily since these pests spread quickly throughout your garden.
2. Japanese Beetles
Shiny, metallic green beetles with copper-colored wings arrive in June like uninvited dinner guests. Japanese beetles devour roses, fruit trees, and many ornamental plants with remarkable appetite.
Hand-pick them early in the morning when they move slowly due to cool temperatures. Drop collected beetles into soapy water to eliminate them effectively.
Avoid beetle traps in your garden since they actually attract more beetles to your property than they catch.
3. Squash Bugs
Brown, shield-shaped insects attack squash, pumpkins, and cucumber plants with devastating efficiency. Squash bugs inject toxins while feeding, causing plants to wilt and eventually die completely.
Look for bronze-colored eggs on leaf undersides and scrape them off immediately. Place boards near affected plants overnight, then flip them in the morning to find and destroy hiding bugs.
Companion planting with nasturtiums and marigolds helps repel these destructive garden invaders naturally.
4. Cutworms
Gray or brown caterpillars hide in soil during the day and emerge at night like sneaky thieves. Cutworms cut young plant stems right at ground level, toppling seedlings you worked hard to grow.
Create protective collars around young plants using cardboard tubes or aluminum foil. Push collars one inch into soil and extend two inches above ground.
Sprinkle diatomaceous earth around vulnerable plants to create a barrier that damages their soft bodies when they crawl across it.
5. Flea Beetles
Tiny black beetles jump like fleas when disturbed, earning their distinctive name. Flea beetles create small, round holes in leaves that look like someone used a hole punch on your plants.
Cover vulnerable crops with row covers until plants grow large enough to withstand damage. Yellow sticky traps placed near affected plants catch many jumping beetles effectively.
Beneficial nematodes applied to soil help control flea beetle larvae living underground. Keep garden areas free of weeds where these pests often hide.
6. Thrips
Microscopic yellow or brown insects create silvery streaks on leaves while feeding. Thrips are so small you might need a magnifying glass to spot these nearly invisible troublemakers.
Blue sticky traps work better than yellow ones for catching thrips since they prefer blue colors. Spray affected plants with insecticidal soap early in the morning or late evening.
Encourage beneficial insects like minute pirate bugs and lacewings, which hunt thrips naturally. Remove damaged leaves promptly to prevent further spread throughout your garden.
7. Spider Mites
Microscopic red or yellow spiders create fine webs on plant leaves during hot, dry weather. Spider mites cause leaves to look stippled, yellow, and eventually drop off completely.
Increase humidity around plants by misting regularly since spider mites hate moisture. Spray undersides of leaves with water to dislodge mites and destroy their webs.
Predatory mites available from garden centers provide biological control without harmful chemicals. Avoid using broad-spectrum insecticides that kill beneficial insects protecting your plants naturally.
8. Cabbage Worms
Velvety green caterpillars with yellow stripes munch holes in cabbage, broccoli, and other cruciferous vegetables. Cabbage worms blend perfectly with green leaves, making them difficult to spot until damage appears.
Hand-pick visible worms and drop them into soapy water for immediate elimination. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) spray kills caterpillars safely without harming beneficial insects or humans.
Row covers prevent adult white butterflies from laying eggs on your plants. Plant aromatic herbs like thyme and rosemary nearby to naturally repel these common pests.
9. Earwigs
Brown insects with scary-looking pincers on their rear ends hide under mulch and plant debris during daylight hours. Earwigs chew irregular holes in leaves and flowers, particularly targeting soft, tender growth.
Trap earwigs using rolled-up newspapers or cardboard tubes placed near affected plants. Check traps each morning and shake captured earwigs into soapy water.
Reduce mulch thickness around plants and eliminate hiding places like wood piles. Diatomaceous earth sprinkled around plants creates an effective barrier against these nocturnal feeders.
10. Slugs and Snails
Slimy creatures leave silver trails while munching large, irregular holes in leaves and flowers. Slugs and snails prefer moist conditions and feed primarily during nighttime hours when you cannot see them.
Create beer traps using shallow dishes filled with beer to attract and drown these pests. Sprinkle crushed eggshells or coffee grounds around plants to create rough barriers they avoid.
Hand-pick slugs and snails during early morning hours when they remain active. Copper strips around plant beds create electrical barriers that repel these soft-bodied invaders effectively.
11. Whiteflies
Tiny white flying insects cluster on leaf undersides and fly up in clouds when plants are disturbed. Whiteflies suck plant juices and secrete sticky honeydew that attracts black sooty mold growth.
Yellow sticky traps placed near affected plants catch adult whiteflies effectively. Vacuum flying whiteflies early in the morning when they move slowly due to cooler temperatures.
Insecticidal soap spray applied to leaf undersides kills both adults and larvae. Encourage beneficial insects like ladybugs and lacewings that feed on whitefly eggs and young larvae naturally.
12. Tomato Hornworms
Massive green caterpillars with white stripes and horn-like projections can strip tomato plants bare within days. Tomato hornworms grow up to four inches long and blend perfectly with green foliage.
Look for dark green or black droppings on leaves below where hornworms feed. Hand-pick these large caterpillars and relocate them far from your garden or drop them into soapy water.
Bacillus thuringiensis spray provides effective biological control without harming beneficial insects. Plant basil, marigolds, and borage nearby to naturally repel adult sphinx moths that lay hornworm eggs.
13. Colorado Potato Beetles
Yellow beetles with black stripes and their orange larvae devour potato, tomato, and eggplant leaves with incredible appetite. Colorado potato beetles can completely defoliate plants if left unchecked during peak feeding season.
Hand-pick adult beetles and crush orange egg masses found on leaf undersides. Drop collected beetles into soapy water for immediate elimination of these persistent pests.
Row covers protect young plants until they grow large enough to withstand some damage. Beneficial nematodes applied to soil help control beetle larvae living underground between generations.
14. Scale Insects
Small, brown or white bumps attach firmly to plant stems and leaves like tiny shields. Scale insects suck plant juices and weaken plants while hiding under protective waxy coverings.
Scrape off visible scales using your fingernail or a soft brush dipped in soapy water. Rubbing alcohol applied with cotton swabs kills individual scales effectively on small infestations.
Horticultural oil spray smothers scales by blocking their breathing pores. Encourage beneficial insects like ladybugs and parasitic wasps that naturally control scale populations in your garden ecosystem.
15. Leafhoppers
Small, wedge-shaped green insects jump quickly when disturbed and create white stippling on leaves. Leafhoppers inject toxins while feeding, causing leaves to curl, yellow, and eventually drop off plants.
Yellow sticky traps placed near affected plants catch many jumping leafhoppers. Spray plants with insecticidal soap early in the morning when leafhoppers remain less active.
Remove weeds around garden edges where leafhoppers often hide and reproduce. Encourage beneficial insects like spiders and predatory bugs that hunt leafhoppers naturally throughout the growing season.
16. Root Maggots
Small white maggots feed on plant roots underground, causing plants to wilt and grow poorly despite adequate watering. Root maggots particularly target cabbage family plants, onions, and root vegetables.
Place floating row covers over susceptible crops to prevent adult flies from laying eggs in soil. Apply beneficial nematodes to soil, which seek out and destroy root maggot larvae naturally.
Crop rotation helps break the life cycle of root maggots by removing their preferred host plants. Avoid planting susceptible crops in the same location year after year to reduce pest pressure.