There’s nothing more frustrating than investing all your time and hard work into a vegetable garden only to have it decimated by harmful insects. There are many strategies gardeners can use to help deter and manage damage from such pests, but the first step is identifying what the heck is destroying your crops. Below are the most common culprits for our Alberta vegetable gardens. Once a visual identification can be made, whether its of the pest itself or by the damage it has done, steps can be taken to manage the situation and limit your losses.

 

Helpful Hint : Most insects have a life cycle where their form changes and they can look and behave completely differently depending on their stage of life. Quite often it is the larvae stage that can be most harmful to our veggies.

 

For More Information :

 

The Alberta Government has a great informative publication available as a printable PDF. The publication includes valuable information on pest management as well as an detailed guide on Alberta’s most notorious vegetable pest. Each pest listed below can be found on the PDF with additional information to help you further identify and manage these pests.

 

Their Printable PDF :

Pests of Vegetables

Aphids

Beet Leafminers

Carrot Rust Flies

Colorado Potato Beetles

Cruciferous Root Maggots

Cutworms

Diamondback Moths

European Corn Borers

Flea Beetles

Imported Cabbage Worms

Leafhoppers

Onion Maggots

Plant Bug (Tarnished)

Potato Flea Beetle

Red Turnip Beetle

Slugs

Spider Mites

Spinach Carrion Beetle

Thrips

Wire Worm