Please help identify pests!

9 years ago

I have two raised beds, each 4x4. In one, I have tomato and pepper transplants. In the other, I have bean, carrot, and zucchini seeds.

Two days after planting, my tomato and pepper plants had their leaves stripped, leaving just the stem. I figured it was rabbits, so I put up a 2-ft chicken wire fence and replaced the damaged plants. A few days later, those new tomatoes and peppers got their leaves stripped too. I reinforced the fence, spread Rabbit Scram, spread my husband's hair around the plants after giving him a haircut, and even sprayed some Sevin on the plants in case it was bugs. A few days later, the tomato plant in the very center, and the jalapeno plant in the other raised bed, had its leaves stripped to the stem. One of the tomato branches was kinda hanging there by a thread, like it had been chomped instead of chewed by bugs. At this point they have finally left my grape, cherry, and Better Boy tomato alone....hopefully because they have gotten a tiny bit bigger and more established. As for the seedlings, my beans have started to come up. A few of them have big leaves on them like expected. The others do not have leaves...being a rookie gardener, I'm not sure if those seedlings simply haven't sprouted leaves yet or had their leaves stripped by a pest.

I am so confused about what could be getting to my plants. Could rabbits seriously be getting through all of my defenses? Could birds be coming in? We do have house finches around. Squirrels??

Here is the Early Girl...you can see where the stem was broken, as well as the new leaves that are starting to come forward and have not been taken yet for some reason.

Here is the damage to the green bell pepper:

Here is the jalapeno:

And here are the bean seedlings (it was very hard to get a clear picture):

Featured Answer

digdirt2

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

And stop spraying Sevin, for God's sake, when you don't have a bug problem at all.

Amen to that. You spray Sevin only when you have absolute proof you have a bug problem and only then when you know exactly what bug it is and that Sevin is rated as effective for that exact bug and then you only spray the bugs, not the plant. And you use it only when it won't come into contact with all the beneficial good bugs.

Better yet, you never use it at all - ever.

Dave

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (11)

daninthedirt (USDA 9a, HZ9, CentTX, Sunset z30, Cfa)
9 years ago
At least squirrels would laugh at a 2-foot chicken wire fence. Never seen squirrels go after foliage, though. Bugs don't remove leaves entirely. Birds are a possibility, especially if nesting. Where are you?
curlygirlie1189
Original Author
9 years ago
I am in Indiana. We had a problem with house finches making nests in our front doorway last year, and they started to do that again this spring. So we put some deterrents up to keep them from putting nests there...now I'm wondering if they just moved to our backyard, or the top of our roof or something. I have seen birds flying around but have never seen them in the garden.
Related Professionals
Ashland Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Spring Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Chillicothe Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Fall River Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Pullman Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Frisco Landscape Contractors · New Braunfels Landscape Contractors · Enfield Landscape Contractors · Salt Lake City Landscape Contractors · Decatur Accessory Dwelling Units · Anderson Accessory Dwelling Units · Muncie Accessory Dwelling Units · Trenton Accessory Dwelling Units · Rutland Accessory Dwelling Units · Hudson Accessory Dwelling Units
gracie01 zone5 SW of Chicago
9 years ago
do you have deer?
wolverine1012
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Don't underestimate the tenaciousness of a hungry rabbit. In 2015 we were having our beans taken by rabbits. so I put up a 3 foot rabbit guard fence (smaller mesh at bottom, larger at top.) Still our beans were being eaten. One day I warden out to check on the garden and noticed a rabbit inside the fence. Curious as to how he got in (so that I could reinforce the area, I walked over to the beans and the rabbit ran to the other end and CLIMBED the wire to get out. I kid you not. Last year the deer started on our tomatoes and peppers, chewing out the tops numerous times until the plants just gave up.

Your pictures look more like deer damage than rabbit. Rabbits will eat only the leaves (except young beans) leaving the stems.

The picture of the beans shows the unevenness of germination--plants in full leaf and others just emerging from the soil. I'll bet that if you go take a look now, you'll see others that have poked through the soil and others that are straightening up.

Happy gardening.
albert_135 　 39.17°N 119.76°W 4695ft.
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
We are seeing similar damage to peppers, beans and lettuce. Possible culprits insects (never seen) or birds (Most likely quail) Last year I actually watched two quail graze to the ground, a patch of spinach at the cotyledon stage.

Plants are in three foot high raised beds. We have never seen rabbit within a mile. Sporadically a ground squirrel. Occasionally a neighbors cat.
curlygirlie1189
Original Author
9 years ago
Thank you! We don't have any deer in our neighborhood, and even if we did our yard is enclosed by a fence. I hadn't thought about the possibility that the rabbits could be climbing the fence...hmmm...

I'm glad to hear that you think the beans may just be germinating at different paces! Hopefully in a few days more leaves will show up.

Also...I just noticed this damage on one of my zucchini leaves today (the other leaves had already been stripped off which is why you can see a chopped stem). This looks more like bugs, right? I'm thinking I have a variety of pests in my garden. :-/
curlygirlie1189
Original Author
9 years ago
Oh and I think I forgot to mention that we are in central Indiana.
Paul (MD 7a)
9 years ago
My money is on rabbits. I had issues with them getting past my chicken wire fence by pushing against the bottom of the wire. It would flex in slightly and they were able to get under. Make sure your fence is anchored every few feet and it should stop them.
vgkg Z-7 Va
9 years ago
The sharp looking edges on that zuke leaf could be the bite of a bird beak, best guess.
laceyvail 6A, WV
9 years ago
And stop spraying Sevin, for God's sake, when you don't have a bug problem at all.