We’re having more and more warm days now that Spring is here. People, and creatures alike, are starting to get outside for some fresh air and sun. Unfortunately, this means that soon your lawn and landscape might have a few more guests than you wanted. These infiltrators can wreak havoc on any plant if left on their own. Here are a few to look out for:
- Aphids are a tiny pear-shaped bug with soft bodies. They’re able to match the plant, tree, or shrub they’re feeding off, so they come in a variety of colors such as black, yellow, green, pink, striped, mottled, and more. Aphids also stay in a colony near plant tissue that is new or the most succulent. They will produce honeydew that is a sticky, sweet secretion that encourages black sooty mold to grow. This honeydew can be a huge problem not just for the plants, but decks, cars, or other surfaces.
- Caterpillars were always a fun bug to see when you were little with their furry bodies and odds ways over moving. In reality, caterpillars can do a lot of damage to your lawn and landscape. They are the larvae of moths and butterflies. They tend to bite, chew, and generally defoliate leaf tissue. They can even burrow into buds, roots, and wood, causing more internal damage.
- Stink Bugs have a triangular form that extends between the forewings. They tend to be found on weeds, plants that are abundant with berries, seed, pods, fruit, and sap or plant cells. Stink bugs can be predators to other insects, including their own species. They get their name because of the smell they let out when they’re being threatened or dying.
