The University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources released on May 5 a chapter from its “Vegetable Gardening – Handbook for Beginners” that provides advice on controlling insect pests in home gardens.
The handbook offers practical guidance for gardeners facing common pest challenges. Effective management of insects is important to maintain healthy crops and reduce losses.
According to the handbook, gardeners can discourage snails and slugs by picking them manually, using beer bait in saucers, collecting them under boards, installing copper collars, surrounding plants with spiky sweet gum pods or abrasive materials like egg shells, lifting vine vegetables onto cans, fencing out pests with aluminum screening, and using trellises to keep foliage off the ground. To protect young cole crops from cabbage moths, it recommends covering them with spun-bonded row covers. The guide also suggests washing both sides of plant leaves because many pests lay eggs on the undersides.
Aphids, mealybugs, and scale can be removed with a strong blast from a hose or rubbed off by hand while supporting branches. Red spider mites are best managed by hosing off affected plants such as roses and shrubs during hot weather. Tomato hornworms should be hand-picked; sprinkling water makes these pests easier to spot. The guide notes that hornworm pupae should be destroyed when preparing soil before planting.
University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources secures funding through public contributions to support its programs and promotes sustainable practices to strengthen resilient ecosystems and economic vitality, according to the official website. The organization utilizes nine research and extension centers representing California’s diverse ecosystems. It has gained recognition for linking research to community needs as part of the University of California system’s Cooperative Extension services. Each year it conducts more than 33,800 educational events involving over 18,400 volunteers.
The release of this chapter reflects ongoing efforts by University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources to provide trusted resources that help gardeners address local challenges while promoting sustainability.