How to Choose the Right Organic Pest Treatment Based on Pest Type

How to Choose the Right Organic Pest Treatment Based on Pest Type

If you've ever felt overwhelmed by the endless options for natural pest control, you're not alone. The key to success is knowing what type of pest you're dealing with and matching it with the most effective organic solution. In this post, I’ll walk you through how I identify pests in my garden and how I choose the right treatment based on their behavior and body type.

Watch the video version of this guide:

Step 1: Identify the Pest Type

Before reaching for any spray or remedy, the first and most important step is identifying the pest. Not every bug behaves the same, and not every treatment works universally. I like to break pests down into three main categories:

1. Chewing Insects

2. Soft-Bodied Sucking Insects

3. Hard-Shelled Insects

This isn’t an official classification, it is my own personal method for identifying pests. But it’s been incredibly helpful in choosing the right solution quickly and effectively.

Chewing Insects

These pests leave visible holes and chewed edges on leaves, stems, and fruits. You might also see frass (bug poop), which looks like tiny green, orange, or black pellets. Common chewing insects include:

• Cabbage worms

• Tomato hornworms

• Cutworms

• Armyworms

• Corn earworms

These are not actually "worms" but are the caterpillar stages of various moths or butterflies. You might not see the caterpillars on your plants because many of them are nocturnal. But if you see any of the signs described above, then trust me, there are caterpillars chewing your plants. 

Organic Treatments for Chewing Insects:

• Manual Removal: Handpick them off the plant.

• Floating Row Covers: Prevent adult moths from laying eggs.

• BT (Bacillus thuringiensis): A bacteria that kills caterpillars when ingested. Spray in the evening and only on affected plants.

• Spinosad: Stronger than BT, works by ingestion and on contact. Great for severe infestations.

Pro Tip - BT and Spinosad are considered organic sprays BUT they can harm beneficial insects. To avoid harming beneficial insects, only spray in the evening time. That way the product is dry by morning when the beneficial insects come back into the garden. Also, do not spray flowers and only spray the affected plants. Do not spray the entire garden. I reccomend using a sprayer with a fine spray nozzle (like this one) to control where the product is applied. 

Soft-Bodied Sucking Insects

These pests pierce plant tissue to suck sap, causing curled or wilted leaves and stunted growth. Look for clusters on stems or under leaves. Common ones include:

• Aphids

• Whiteflies

• Thrips

• Spider mites

• Mealybugs

• Slugs and snails (though they chew, they’re soft-bodied)

Organic Treatments for Soft-Bodied Insects:

• Spinosad: Kills soft-bodied insects on contact. 

• Insecticidal Soap: Dehydrates soft-bodied insects.

• Neem Oil: Works as a contact spray and growth disruptor (not ideal in hot climates).

• Horticultural Oil: Best used in cool seasons to smother eggs and larvae.

• Water Spray: Knock aphids off with a strong blast from your water hose to get them off the plants and so that ladybugs will eat them.

• Diatomaceous Earth: Sprinkle around the base of plants to dry out soft bodied insects. 

• Beer Traps: Attract and drown slugs/snails.

• Yellow Sticky Traps: Captures adult whiteflies.

Pro Tip: Usually if there is an aphid infestation, there are also ants. Ants farm and protect aphids because they eat a honeydew like substance that the aphids secrete. If you notice ants farming aphids, set up outdoor ant bait traps to break the cycle. This makes the ahipds vulnerable to natural predators like ladybigs. 

Hard-Shelled Insects

These pests have tough exoskeletons, making them resistant to many treatments. Common examples:

• Squash bugs

• Cucumber beetles

• Flea beetles

• Scale insects

• Stink bugs

Organic Treatments for Hard-Shelled Insects:

• Manual Removal: Wear gloves to pick adults off plants or use a handheld vacuum to capture adults. Then drop them into a bucket of soapy water.

• Yellow Sticky Traps: Effective for beetles.

• Kaolin Clay: Deters beetles.

• Beneficial Nematodes: Kills larvae and eggs for various types of pests that live in the soil.

• Japanese Beetle Traps: Attract and trap Japanese beetles.

• Pyrethrin Spray: Use this spray as a last resort because it kills all kinds of insects, even the beneficial ones. Pyrethrin based sprays kill hard shelled insects, and is especially helpful to kill their eggs, larva, and nymph stages (before the are mature adults). 

To Treat Scale (like barnacle scale):

• Spray the plant or fruit tree with isopropyl alcohol to instantly kill eggs and larva. 

• Then spray regularly with horticultural oil in winter to continue to smother eggs and larva. Basically, you are disrupting thier reproductive cycle and the scale slowly dies out.

• Apply Azadirachtin-based products if the infestation is severe, like AzaMax, AzaGuard or AzaSol.

Choosing the right organic pest treatment starts with understanding what kind of pest you’re facing. Categorizing pests by how they feed and their physical structure can help you apply the most effective solution, saving you time and protecting your plants.

Stay vigilant with daily inspections and remember—early intervention is key. Whether you’re battling aphids or squash bugs, there’s an organic way to stay ahead.

Let me know in the comments which pests you’re dealing with and what methods have worked for you. Happy gardening!