Farm & Garden Pests
Treatment & Control
Farm and garden pests can chew, suck, burrow, and tunnel their way through your crops, reducing yields and causing serious financial losses. Whether you’re growing vegetables in a small backyard garden or managing a diversified Crop Circle Garden , an integrated pest management (IPM) strategy is essential.
This guide identifies common farm pests and garden pests, the crops they attack, the damage they cause, and practical ways to control them using natural pest control, organic sprays, physical barriers, and—when necessary— targeted low-toxicity products. Combine these tools with healthy soil and good crop rotation to reduce reliance on broad-spectrum chemicals and protect beneficial insects.
Leaf beetles are small, colorful beetles that feed on the foliage of beans, tomatoes, potatoes, brassicas, and many other crops. Adults and larvae chew shot-hole damage in leaves, which reduces photosynthesis and can stunt plants or kill seedlings.
In vegetable gardens and small farms, the first line of defense is scouting. Check the undersides of leaves for clusters of eggs and young larvae. On a small scale, you can simply handpick beetles and scrape eggs into a container of soapy water. For larger plantings, use lightweight row cover early in the season to exclude adults until plants are well established.
For organic insect control, neem oil and spinosad-based products can help suppress leaf beetles without wiping out beneficial insects when used carefully. Always spray in the evening when bees are less active, and follow label directions. Healthy, vigorous plants grown in balanced soil are less attractive to leaf beetles, so focus on soil health and companion planting with aromatic herbs and flowers to confuse pests and attract predators.
Green shield bugs—also called stink bugs—use piercing-sucking mouthparts to feed on tomatoes, peppers, beans, corn, and fruit. Their feeding causes dimpling, corky spots, and deformed fruit. Heavy infestations can lead to fruit drop and significant yield loss.
On mixed farms and in community gardens, it’s often more effective to disrupt their life cycle than to chase adults. Remove weedy borders where they hide and overwinter. Handpick adults in the early morning when they are sluggish and drop them into soapy water. Prune dense canopies of beans and tomatoes to improve airflow and visibility so you can spot them earlier.
A mild soap-and-water spray can help dislodge nymphs, while natural predators such as birds, praying mantids, parasitic wasps, lacewings, and lady beetles play a key role in controlling stink bug populations. Planting flowering insectary strips around your raised beds provides nectar and shelter for these beneficial insects.
Voles and moles are underground mammals that damage crops from below. Voles are plant eaters and chew on roots, bulbs, bark, and crowns of vegetables and fruit trees. Moles primarily eat insects and worms, but their tunneling can disturb root systems and create air pockets that dry out soil.
In high-value planting areas, such as root crops or beds of potatoes , use hardware cloth baskets or buried barriers around beds to protect roots. Keep grass and weeds mowed short near garden edges—voles prefer tall cover. Trapping is often the most reliable control method for voles; place traps along runways near burrow entrances. For moles, eliminating excessive grubs and soil insects with good crop rotation and avoiding over-irrigation can make your garden less attractive.
Owls, snakes, foxes, and other predators also help keep populations in check. Installing owl boxes and leaving some wild habitat on the edges of your property can encourage natural pest control without poisoning the food chain.
Aphids and spider mites are soft-bodied sap-sucking pests that attack nearly every crop: leafy greens, beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, flowers, fruit trees, and more. They cluster on tender tips and undersides of leaves, causing curling, yellowing, sticky honeydew, and sometimes sooty mold. Heavy feeding can stunt or even kill young plants.
Start with a strong blast of water from a hose to knock aphids and mites off the plant. For persistent infestations, apply insecticidal soap or neem oil, making sure to thoroughly coat the undersides of leaves. Avoid spraying during hot midday sun to prevent leaf burn.
Encourage ladybugs, lacewings, hoverflies, and predatory mites by planting diverse flowers around your spiral gardens . Maintain plant vigor with proper watering and balanced fertility—overuse of nitrogen-rich fertilizers can create lush, aphid-attracting growth and invite disease. For more on keeping plants healthy and resilient, see Farm and Garden Plant Diseases .
Weevils are small beetles with long snouts that attack strawberries, beans, grains, stored seeds, and other crops. Adults notch leaf edges, while larvae often feed inside stems, roots, or seeds, silently reducing yields. In fruit and berry plantings, a heavy weevil infestation can leave plants weak and unproductive.
Cultural control begins with sanitation. Remove fallen fruit, plant debris, and weedy hosts around fields and gardens. Shake plants early in the morning over a sheet and crush or collect the weevils. In smaller plantings, handpicking into soapy water works surprisingly well.
Organic growers often use spinosad-based sprays or beneficial nematodes in the soil to target larvae. Always rotate crops and avoid planting susceptible crops in the same place year after year. In diversified systems like bean spirals, interplanting herbs and flowers can confuse weevils and support beneficial predators.
The cabbage white butterfly may look harmless, but its green caterpillars can skeletonize leaves of cabbage, broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts, and other brassicas. Damage appears as ragged holes, frass (caterpillar droppings), and weakened plants that struggle to form heads.
One of the best organic controls is physical exclusion. Cover brassica beds with insect netting or row cover as soon as plants are transplanted. Check leaves regularly and handpick any caterpillars you find, especially along center veins and outer leaves.
For biological control, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) targeted to caterpillars can be sprayed on leaves and is most effective on young larvae. Use it sparingly and only where needed to preserve other beneficial caterpillars and pollinators. Strong, evenly watered plants in rich soil are more tolerant of minor feeding.
The bright red lily beetle is a serious pest of ornamental and edible lilies, daylilies, and related plants. Both adults and larvae chew leaves, buds, and flowers, leaving nothing but stems. Larvae often disguise themselves in their own frass, making them harder to spot.
Handpicking lily beetles early in the season is one of the most effective controls. Tap plants over a tray or cloth and crush the beetles before they escape. Remove and destroy any eggs on the undersides of leaves, as well as larvae coated in frass.
In mixed ornamental–edible landscapes, neem oil sprays can deter feeding when applied consistently. Avoid spraying open flowers to protect pollinators. Planting lilies away from weedy borders and cleaning up plant debris at the end of the season reduces overwintering sites.
Larger animals—pigeons, rabbits, deer, and even groundhogs—can devastate leafy greens, seedlings, young fruit trees, and field crops overnight. Pigeons peck at tender seedlings; rabbits cut plants off at ground level; and deer browse on leaves, buds, and shoots, often stripping beds bare.
For high-value beds and spiral garden layouts , physical barriers are the most reliable defense. Use bird netting over brassicas and berries, sturdy fencing (at least 30–36 inches) against rabbits, and taller deer fencing or double-perimeter fences where deer pressure is high. Motion-activated sprinklers and reflective tape can provide short-term deterrence.
Natural repellents such as garlic, hot pepper, and egg-based sprays can help protect plants but must be reapplied regularly. Encouraging predators—owls, hawks, foxes—by preserving some wild habitat and installing perches or nest boxes helps maintain a balanced ecosystem around your farm or garden.
Slugs and snails love cool, moist conditions and feast on lettuce, brassicas, strawberries, young squash, and other tender plants. They chew large holes in leaves, clip off seedlings, and leave shiny slime trails behind. In no-till, heavily mulched gardens, slug pressure can be high if not managed proactively.
Organic slug control starts with habitat management. Water early in the day so beds are drier by nightfall, avoid overmulching right next to stems, and remove boards or debris where slugs hide. Beer traps, shallow dishes of yeast-and-water mixtures, and iron-phosphate slug baits can all help reduce populations.
Copper tape around raised beds and containers provides a physical barrier that slugs dislike crossing. Predators such as ground beetles, toads, ducks, and some birds can also play a major role in slug control when given habitat and safe refuge.
Grasshoppers chew chunks out of leaves, flowers, and even soft stems, often during hot, dry weather. Outbreaks are most common in areas with weedy, unmanaged borders or fallow fields where they can lay eggs and develop undisturbed.
Reduce grasshopper pressure by mowing surrounding weeds, lightly tilling egg-laying sites in late fall or early spring, and planting trap crops like tall grasses or sunflowers on the outside of your production area. Lightweight row cover or insect netting can protect high-value crops such as lettuce, carrots, and young transplants.
Some growers use nosema baits (a biological control) in large-scale settings, but home gardens usually rely on exclusion and habitat management. Maintaining vigorous crops with adequate water and fertility helps plants recover from moderate feeding.
Leafhoppers are small, wedge-shaped, fast-moving insects that suck sap from leaves of beans, potatoes, grasses, and many other crops. Their feeding can cause stippling, leaf curl, yellowing, and “hopperburn.” Some species also vector plant diseases.
Encourage lacewings, spiders, lady beetles, and predatory bugs by maintaining a diverse planting of flowers and herbs among your vegetable crops. Drip irrigation and good airflow help reduce plant stress, making crops less susceptible to damage.
When populations spike, organic growers often rely on insecticidal soap or neem oil applied to the undersides of leaves. As with other sprays, use them sparingly, target only infested areas, and avoid times when pollinators are active.
Colorado potato beetles are infamous pests of potatoes, eggplant, and sometimes tomatoes. Adults have yellow-and-black striped backs; larvae are plump, reddish, and voracious. Both life stages can quickly defoliate plants, drastically reducing tuber yield and compromising potato production .
Rotate potatoes and other solanaceous crops to new ground each year and avoid planting next to last year’s potato patch. Mulch heavily and use row cover early in the season to exclude adult beetles. In smaller plantings, handpicking adults, larvae, and egg masses is often enough to keep populations under control.
When pressure is high, organic growers may use spinosad sprays targeted directly at larvae. Avoid repeated applications to reduce resistance. Healthy, water-efficient systems like Crop Circle potato growers combine deep, consistent watering with high organic matter soils, making plants more resilient.
Cutworms are moth larvae that hide in the soil by day and emerge at night to chew through the stems of seedlings at or just below soil level. A single cutworm can topple a row of young transplants in one evening, making them a dreaded pest in spring beds.
To prevent cutworm damage, place collars (made from cardboard or plastic) around transplants, pressing them an inch or two into the soil. Keep weeds and plant debris cleared before planting so moths are less likely to lay eggs there. Tilling or hand-cultivating shallowly before planting can expose larvae to birds and other predators.
Natural predators—ground beetles, birds, and beneficial nematodes—are powerful allies. Avoid broad-spectrum soil insecticides that kill these helpers. Over time, healthy, biologically active soils and diverse crop rotations greatly reduce chronic cutworm problems.
Rather than relying on a single spray or product, effective farm and garden pest control layers multiple strategies:
Pests in farms and gardens will always be part of the ecosystem, but with a solid integrated pest management plan, you can protect yields, reduce chemical use, and grow healthier crops. By understanding which pests you’re dealing with, using targeted remedies, and designing resilient growing systems, you can turn your farm or garden into a thriving, balanced landscape.
Turn your 1 acre into a high-yield, profitable farm.
Crop Circle Farms specializes in designing and building fully engineered, low-impact farm systems that use 90% less water, 85% less fertilizer, and deliver two to three times the yield of traditional farming.
Whether you have a vacant lot, an empty field, a resort, school, island community, or small family farm, we’ll build it from the ground up for you. Our team handles everything from farm layout and installation to irrigation, root systems, training, and first planting.
Contact Us to explore a custom Crop Circle Farm design for your property.
Help us expand our mission to revolutionize agriculture globally. We are seeking partners to implement Crop Circle Farms to feed people in need. Together, we can build scalable food production systems that save water, reduce costs, and feed thousands of people. Contact Growing To Give
Start by identifying the pest correctly before you spray anything. Look at the type of damage (chewing, sucking, tunneling, slime trails), check the undersides of leaves, and scout at different times of day. Many issues can be reduced with simple steps like handpicking, pruning damaged leaves, or using row cover, without jumping straight to broad-spectrum pesticides.
In many small farms and backyard gardens, natural and organic pest controls are sufficient when combined with good cultural practices. Handpicking, insecticidal soap, neem oil, companion planting , beneficial insects, and physical barriers (netting, collars, copper tape) can dramatically reduce pest pressure. For severe, recurring infestations, you may need a more formal integrated pest management (IPM) plan that includes targeted, low-toxicity products and crop rotation.
Reserve synthetic or stronger organic pesticides for situations where: plants have high value, pest pressure is extreme, and other methods have failed. Always choose the least toxic, most targeted product, follow label directions, and spot-treat only where needed. Avoid spraying open flowers or spraying when bees and other pollinators are active. In many cases, improving soil health and rotation (see plant diseases & soil health ) reduces the need for frequent spraying.
Always follow the label, but in general, neem oil and insecticidal soap are used every 5–7 days as needed, not on a fixed schedule all season. Spray in the evening or early morning, coat the undersides of leaves (where aphids, mites, and leafhoppers hide), and avoid hot midday sun to prevent leaf burn. Stop once populations are under control—over-spraying can still stress plants and harm some beneficial insects.
Young seedlings are vulnerable to slugs, snails, and cutworms. Use plant collars around transplants, water in the morning so beds dry before night, and avoid thick mulch touching stems. For slugs, try beer traps, iron phosphate baits, and copper tape around raised beds. For cutworms, shallow cultivation before planting exposes larvae to birds, and collars plus clean, weed-free beds provide strong protection.
Yes. Crop Circle Gardens and raised circular beds are designed for good airflow, efficient drip irrigation, and easy access, all of which help reduce disease and pest problems. Grouping crops by water needs, rotating beans and other legumes, and keeping foliage dry with drip irrigation lowers issues with slugs, fungal diseases, and sap-sucking insects. Spiral layouts also make scouting and handpicking pests much easier.
Focus on selective, targeted controls. Spot-spray neem or insecticidal soap only where pests are present, and spray in the evening when bees aren’t flying. Plant flowering strips around your beds and rotate crops like beans , tomatoes , and potatoes through different parts of your garden. Avoid blanket applications of broad-spectrum insecticides that kill predators like ladybugs, lacewings, spiders, and parasitic wasps that naturally keep pests in check.
Many strategies—such as handpicking, pruning, sanitation, and encouraging beneficial insects—work across both orchards and vegetable gardens. However, always check that any spray (organic or synthetic) is labeled for the specific crop and pest you’re targeting. The pre-harvest interval (time between spraying and harvest) can differ between fruit trees and vegetables, so carefully read labels before treating mixed plantings.
Healthy, biologically active soil grows stronger plants with thicker cell walls, better nutrient balance, and more natural resistance to pests and diseases. Regular additions of compost, cover crops, mulches, and minimal soil disturbance all support soil life. When combined with water-smart systems and good rotation, you’ll often see fewer outbreaks of aphids, mites, leafhoppers, and root-feeding pests. For a deeper dive, see Farm and Garden Plant Diseases .
