These Are The Early Summer Pests Every Vegetable Gardener Should Know

You’re doing all the hard work of planting, weeding, and watering, so you don’t want pests ruining your harvest. But early summer is prime time for these unwelcome visitors to do their damage. “Inspecting your plants regularly will help you catch problems early,” says Rafia Khan, PhD, assistant professor and extension entomologist at Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center. “The sooner you catch these pests, the better. You generally will have better results with managing them before pest populations get out of control.”

You often may not see the pests themselves, but rather the damage they cause. Look at the upper and lower surfaces of leaves, stems, and overall plant health. If a plant just doesn’t look good, examine it closely. You may see holes chewed, sudden wilting of the plant, an accumulation of sticky residue, skeletonized leaves, or frass, the waste products of caterpillars, which are all signs you have a pest problem, says Khan.

Getting a proper identification of what’s eating your vegetables is important so you don’t waste time and money on ineffective techniques. If you aren’t sure what you’re dealing with, your university cooperative extension service (find yours here) can help you get a proper ID, says Khan.

Ahead, here are some of the most common vegetable garden pests in early summer:

Aphids

Aphids attack a range of vegetables, including peppers, tomatoes, leafy greens, cabbage, kale, and basil. Because they reproduce quickly and have multiple generations per season, populations can explode seemingly overnight. Aphids inject their mouthparts into the plant tissue to feed on the sap, says Khan.

Signs: Large numbers of tiny, 1.5 to 2.5 mm-long soft-bodied oval or pear-shaped bugs; deformed or discolored leaves or stunted plant growth; or sooty mold, a type of black fungus that affects the plant’s ability to photosynthesize

Thrips

Several different types of thrips feed on a variety of plants, including beans, tomatoes, onions or garlic. “Thrips are tiny, elongate insects that are typically yellow,” says Matt Bertone, PhD, director of the Plant and Disease Insect Clinic at North Carolina State University. “They can cause direct damage by feeding on plant tissue, or they can transmit plant viruses.”

Signs: White or silvery patches of discolored tissue, or scarring of leaves or distorted growth from where they have fed, and black dots, which are fecal spots

Squash Vine Borer

These pests attack a wide range of plants including squashes, zucchini, and pumpkins. Even worse, they kill nearly every plant they infest. You may see the adult moth, which has a bright orange abdomen, flitting about during the day. Or you may notice the borer itself, which resembles a creamy white grub with a brown head and is found inside stems. There are two generations of this pest in the Southeast, so you may battle them throughout the growing season, says Khan.

Signs: Holes chewed in the stems, causing the plant to wilt suddenly and die, or frass, the sawdust-like waste product found near holes in the stems

Hornworms

Tomato hornworm and tobacco hornworm are two different species that both damage tomatoes. The full-grown caterpillar does most of the damage, consuming the leaves and fruit, says Khan.

Signs: Bright green caterpillars with diagonal stripes; they range in size from ¼ to 3 inches in length, depending on their life stage; or frass, or droppings

Flea Beetles

Flea beetles are tiny, shiny, oval-shaped, brown, black or bronze beetles that jump like a flea when disturbed. They often chew small holes in the leaves of many plants, like cabbage and eggplant, says Bertone.

Signs: Tiny shot-hole patterns chewed in plant leaves or the tiny jumping beetles themselves

Squash Bugs

As you may have guessed, squash bugs love squashes, zucchini and pumpkins. In large enough numbers, they can reduce the harvest and kill the plants. Squash bugs look like skinny stinkbugs, but you’ll likely notice plant damage before the bugs themselves. The adults and nymphal stages can feed on the leaves, vine and fruit, taking sap and interfering with the plant tissue’s ability to transport water, says Khan.

Signs: Stippling, or white dots on foliage, followed by yellowing leaves; sunken, rotting areas on fruit, especially on pumpkins

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