If you have a vegetable or flower garden, you know just how much energy and sweat equity goes into getting those plants to grow. This makes seeing bite marks or other signs of pests on your plants all the more aggravating.
But did you know that the plants you’ve chosen may actually be part of the problem? Certain foliage can be a magnet for insects, while others offer a natural repellant against pests.
Let’s take a look at the biggest pest provokers and what you can do to mitigate any issues they may cause.
What Are Bugs Attracted to?
Plants can be appealing to insects for a variety of reasons. Some bugs are attracted to a certain color of leaf or flower. Yellow is a well-documented attractor, for example, as insects have learned that yellow plants are often weaker and easier to attack.
A plant’s scent or nectar can also attract specific species of pests, and the structure of the stalk or root system can offer a perfect place for an insect or pest to build a home.
Here are some common garden plants that are unknowing pest magnets.
Peonies
While the large flowers are breathtaking, peony flowers are extremely enticing to ants. The insects are drawn to the sweet, sugary nectar that the flowers release, and they can be a near-constant presence while the plant is flowering.
If a person snips a few flowers to bring into their home, they may unknowingly be carrying several ant stowaways into their house as well. Keep peony flowers outdoors to avoid this.
Roses
The classic flower is known to be a favorite for many pests, including spider mites, Japanese beetles, thrips, and rose slugs. It can also attract problematic mammals, like rabbits, to your garden, who may then feast on other plants.
Wisteria
While wisteria may provide a gorgeous covering for walls and trellises, they can also be a safe haven for mice. Mice are known to gravitate toward the plant and have even been found to climb up the plant and build nests in the dense vines.
Sunflowers
While it may be one of the most cheerful flowers around, these tall beauties are especially enticing to spiders. This is because the arachnids prefer taller plants to build their webs, as a higher web more easily catches flying insects.
If you have a fear of spiders, you may want to reconsider planting sunflowers. However, if you don’t have the spider-fear gene, then your garden could actually benefit from the towering flowers, as spiders can control other garden pests like aphids and beetles.
Bring Balance Your Yard with Bug Control Specialist
After discovering what bugs are attracted to, you may find yourself reaching for the shovel to remove one of the above offenders from your yard. But just because a plant can attract pests doesn’t mean you need to dig it up.
Instead, you can implement a sustainable pest control plan, where you strategically plant other foliage that will ward pests off.
If any of this sounds too time-consuming or overwhelming, contact Bug Control Specialist. We can work with you to design a pest control strategy that looks great and keeps annoying pests at bay.