There are a wide variety of insects that are commonly found in the garden. Some may not cause any harm to your plants at all, but others will and it is these types that need to be removed. Failure to remove any garden pests may result in your plants being damaged. However, when it comes to removing pests, it is a good idea to remember that using pesticides can be just as harmful to your plants as the pest itself. In this case, it is a good idea to find more natural ways of removing pesky insects.

Some of the most common garden pests include slugs, snails, moth larvae and weevils. Slugs in particular are annoying, as they nibble on the leaves of plants, with some types even attacking plant stems. Both slugs and snails leave slimy trails behind, though slugs can be harder to locate. Snails and slugs can be removed by using a mixture of water and vinegar to spray on them or by placing the bottoms of plastic bottles around plants to prevent the pests from gaining access. These natural methods will allow you to avoid using harmful pesticides.

Weevils are difficult to locate due to the fact that they are nocturnal creatures. Moths can be attractive creatures and are only harmful to plants during their early life cycle. Other pests that are more unexpected include wood pigeons, which feed off brassica, and rabbits, which can be particularly destructive towards plants. Placing a fence around your plants will help to keep out rabbits. Other potentially pesky insects include aphids, magpies, blackbirds, shield bugs and moth caterpillars.

Not all garden insects and animals are pests. Some are actually helpful and will remove pesky visitors. Birds will usually remove the majority of insects and pesky visitors such as rabbits are preyed upon by cats and foxes. Some insects, such as butterflies, are a welcome visitor as they can add beauty to a garden. Other attractive and friendly insects include bumblebees, garden spiders, ladybirds, robins, wrens, swallows and dragonflies.