Occasionally gardens can get overrun with insect pests that need to be professionally removed. Ignoring an insect infestation isn’t an option in a garden, as pests can quickly spread across the garden, attacking a variety of plants and ruining the likelihood of a successful harvest. If you’re curious about what to look out for, and what you can do to control insects in your garden, read on.

Main Types of Garden Pests

Products used by domestic gardeners to deter garden pests fall into two categories: insecticides for sucking insects and insecticides for chewing insects. They are available as either dusts or sprays, but sprays tend to be more effective, as they provide more even coverage on the plants and are not as easily washed off.

Sucking insects include mites, thrips, aphids and leafhoppers. They suck sap from leaves, shoots, flower buds and stems and cause the collapse of plant cells, which in turn causes a plant to wilt.

“To deter or kill these types of pests you need to use a ‘systemic’ insecticide spray; that is, one that is absorbed into the plant’s sap stream,” says horticulturist Simon Powley. “The insects are then poisoned by sucking the sap.”

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Insect Killer Sprays that Work on Sap Sucking Pests

Some of the best insecticides for sap-sucking pests include pyrethrum-based chemicals, which are relatively low in toxicity and don’t remain in the plant’s system for very long. These are popular for use on edible plants such as vegetables, herbs and fruit trees. Higher in toxicity, and therefore more effective, are insect spray varieties such as Bayer Confidor, Amgrow Chemspray Rogor 100, Yates Mavrik (which also deters chewing insects) and Folimat Garden Insecticide.

What About Insecticides for Chewing Insects?

Chewing insects include caterpillars, snails, slugs, weevils, beetles, grasshoppers, borers and fruit flies. They eat the plant tissue in leaves, buds, stems, flowers and fruit, and are controlled by using contact insecticides and stomach poisons.

Lawn grubs, another type of chewing insect, can be a real problem in spring and summer and are best controlled with a garden pest spray such as Bayer Baythroid Lawn Grub and Garden Insecticide or Hortico Lawn Grub and Insect Killer.

There are also combination sprays available, such as Lanosan Tomato Spray and Yates Rose Shield, which treat diseases like fungus, as well as insects.

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Natural Insecticide Alternatives

You don’t need man-made chemicals to control insect pests. There are many natural insecticides that you can use or make at home. These include:

• Neem oil: sprayed on plants, it wards off insects
• Saltwater spray: perfect for eradicating spider mite populations
• Mineral oil mixed with water: dehydrates insects and their eggs
• Onion and garlic-infused water: a high-potency insect killer spray that will repel insects
• Diatomaceous earth: dries out insects
• Eucalyptus oil: sprinkling it around plants will repel flies, bees and wasps
• A mixture of orange oil, castile soap, and water: effective against slugs and can be sprayed directly on ant or cockroaches

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How to Safely Use Insect Killer Spray

When using any type of insect killer, it’s very important to follow the instructions provided. When you are using sprays, be sure to avoid any contact with your face and eyes. Never use any insect killer sprays on pets or animals, as it can be quite toxic. Most insect killer sprays do not kill fleas or lice. When you are not using the product, be sure to store them safely out of reach of children and away from extreme temperatures If you are worried about using an insecticide, it’s advisable to hire a professional who knows how to properly handle chemicals and deal with pests.