Integrated Pest Management At Iowa State University

Integrated Pest Management At Iowa State University

Integrated Pest Management At Iowa State University

Sometimes it seems to vegetable gardeners in Texas that the insect world is out to get them. Just when plants appear to be thriving and getting ready for a bumper crop of tomatoes, peppers, bean, or squash, insects attack and destroy the plants. Before spraying every vegetable plant with toxic chemicals, a little detective work to identify the culprit helps control the bad guys while protecting the beneficial insects.

Types of Insects that Damage Texas Vegetable Gardens

Entomologists place insects into the phylum Arthropoda and the class Insecta. Insects, under this classification, have three pairs of legs, three body sections -- head, thorax and abdomen -- and one pair of antennae. Insects have external mouthparts -- chewing or sucking -- that leave telltale clues about the type of insect damaging vegetable plants.