What Should I Do With The Pests That Are Attacking My Chickory?

Do you have problems with slugs and snails, the damage they are causing is large, ragged holes in leaves?

Do you have problems with aphids, tiny insects that cause distorted, yellow leaves?

Do you have problems with darkling beetles, dull blue-black or brown beetles about 0.52 inches long that are feeding on the stems of the seedlings?

Do you have problems with leafminers, maggotlike larvae that make white or translucent tunnels in leaves?

Do you have problems with loopers, pale green caterpillars that make holes in leaves, often making extensive damage?

Do you have problems with thrips, tiny, yellow to black insects that make leaves covered in coarse stippling and may appear silvery?

Do you have problems with flea beetles, tiny bugs that puncture small holes in leaves?

Slugs and snails feed on the plant leaves usually at night so you might not see them during the day. To control slugs and snails use diatomaceous earth around your plants. You can also handpick them during the night or use shallow dishes filled with beer as a trap.

Aphids cluster under leaves and on growing tips where they feed on plant sap. Leaves, stems, and buds get distorted, and later leaves and flowers drop from the plant. You can control them by washing them off the plant with water spray. Insecticidal soap should be used with severe infestations.

Insecticides aren’t very effective at getting rid of darkling beetles. Remove decomposing organic matter and plants that have reached the end of their cycle promptly. Keep the garden weed-free and remove weeds growing at the edges of the garden. Dense weeds serve as safe havens for darklings seeking shelter during the day.

Insecticides are not effective against leafminers as they feed inside leaf tissue. Prune off and destroy all infested leaves. Cover plants with row cover until flowers open to prevent adults from laying eggs on plants. Certain nematodes can attack leafminer larvae inside leaf tunnels.

Looper populations are usually held in check by natural enemies, but if they do become problematic larvae can be hand-picked from the plants. The application of BTK will effectively kill younger larvae.

Thrips hide under the leaves. Severely infected plant parts should be removed and destroyed. Control thrips by introducing lady beetles or lacewings, their natural predators. Insecticidal soap helps in severe infestations.

Flea beetles may overwinter on nearby weed species, so keep the garden weed-free. Prevent problems by covering young plants with floating row cover. Control severe infestations by spraying or dusting plants with pyrethrin.

All mentioned pests are common pests that attack chickory. If none of them is the problem, the first step is the identification of the pest. If you have problems with insects and caterpillars, most problems can be solved with the application of insecticidal soap, neem oil or BTK (Bacillus thuringiensis), and animal pests like rodents could be prevented by barriers.