What to Do if Your Plant Is Covered in Bugs

While most people are probably capable of recognizing a ladybug as a benevolent entity, there are plenty of other helpful insects that hang out in your garden. If you reach for the bug spray in such instances, you might end up doing more harm than good. It's always best to identify your insect visitors before taking any further action. Of course, there are plenty of good online guides that can help you with basic bug identification. You can also find useful books in the gardening section of your local library for a more in-depth look at the subject. If the bugs in question are actually beneficial insects, then you can breathe a sigh of relief and go back to your regularly scheduled activities. 
However, immediate signs that your garden guests are not welcome typically include shriveled, misshapen or chewed up leaves. Further action is often necessary, so be ready to duke it out with the bugs. Winner gets the yard!
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General Treatments
1. Isolate the plant. Put it as far as possible from any others that you might have. If that’s not feasible, just move it away from those that are in the same family or that are also susceptible to the pest in question to keep the problems from spreading. 
2. Hose it off.  This will dislodge at least some of the bugs that would otherwise be snacking on your plant. You can stomp on any that fall off if you're feeling particularly vengeful.
3. Apply insecticide. Whether you are using organic gardening methods or not, there's probably a formula on the market that will suit your purposes. You can even find dozens of recipes for homemade insecticides by doing a simple online search. Just be sure to reapply it on a regular basis so that it has a chance to work properly. 
Pest-Specific Treatments
1. Use traps. Beer that is no longer fit for human consumption can be placed in shallow, disposable containers to make a slug trap that is both cheap and effective. Other insect pests can be just as easily vanquished with homemade flypaper. Many recipes are available online, but you can find similar, ready-made traps at local retailers.
2. Remove pests by hand. This method works very well for dealing with large, easy-to-spot bugs like caterpillars or beetles, but it’s certainly not recommended for squeamish gardeners. After all, you'll need dispatch the bugs in a jar of soapy water or crush them underfoot to keep them from returning. Gardeners who find this prospect distasteful might want to consider finding some fowl to do their dirty work for them. 
3. Trim away problem areas. Clemson Extension points out that if the insect hordes are attacking only certain small portions of the plant, you can easily remove the affected leaves and small branches to reduce their numbers. 
4. Create a protective barrier. An unbroken ring of crushed eggshells is often recommended by gardening gurus as the best way to keep slugs and snails from eating your plants. While Green Idea Reviews says this tactic can indeed be effective, All About Slugs says it's not always an infallible method. However, using protective barriers will definitely keep seedlings from falling prey to cutworms. You'll want to slice disposable drink cups into rings and embed these rings into the soil around any newly emerged plants. If the materials you are using aren't biodegradable, they may have to be manually removed once the plant outgrows them.  The You Grow Girl website mentions that old toilet paper rolls make great protective barriers because they decompose on their own, but cut-up seedling containers are just as effective in a pinch.
After the Fight Is Over
1. Replace dead plants as needed. Everyone has lost a battle with the bugs at some point or other. Just throw the grisly specimen in the garbage bin, mourn a little and move on. If you absolutely must have a particular plant in your yard, buying a new one is highly recommended.
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2. Keep heavily targeted specimens under cover as much as possible. If the pests in question seem likely to come back for another round, you may want to spread cheap, lightweight fabric over your surviving plants to help them remain safe. Cloches (glass jars that completely cover plants) will also work on smaller plants. As Mr. Brown Thumb points out, the fancy glass versions are quite nice, but cloches can just as easily be made with recycled milk jugs or soda bottles. However, on warm days, you'll want to remove them to avoid cooking your plants.