In her latest gardening story, Jessica Damiano tells of the garden pests and diseases she has seen in her plants. The Associated Press writer suggests acting quickly when combatting garden pests and diseases. When not dealt with quickly, pests and diseases can quickly grow and reproduce. That can result in less plant growth and worse health, less flower and fruit production, or even death of your plants. Her measure always begins with the gentlest treatment possible. She only intensifies her treatments when necessary. Even then, she has her limits. Damiano says she would rather lose a flower or vegetable plant than use strong chemicals.

在杰西卡·达米亚诺最新的园艺故事中，她讲述了她在植物中发现的花园病虫害。美联社撰稿人建议在防治花园病虫害时迅速采取行动。 如果不及时处理，害虫和疾病会迅速生长和繁殖。 这可能会导致植物生长减少、健康状况恶化、花卉和水果产量减少，甚至植物死亡。她的措施总是从尽可能最温和的治疗开始。 她只在必要时加强治疗。 即便如此，她也有自己的局限性。 达米亚诺说，她宁愿失去一朵花或一株蔬菜，也不愿使用强效化学物质。

In the case of her tomato plants, Damiano caught the aphids, a pest, early. She washed them off and removed the ones that would not come off by using her fingers under moving water. They have not returned in the week since removing them, but she looks out for them every day, just in case. Had the invasion been severe or the water and finger removal method been ineffective, she would have used Neem oil. The organic oil, which comes from the seeds of the Neem tree, kills aphids by not permitting them to breathe. It is safe to use on plants that will be eaten and it is not harmful to people, animals, and birds. Still, it should be used after the sun has set when helpful insects are less active.

就番茄植株而言，达米亚诺很早就发现了害虫蚜虫。 她把它们洗掉，并用手指在流动的水下洗掉那些无法脱落的部分。 自从把它们移走后，他们已经一周没有回来了，但她每天都会照顾它们，以防万一。如果入侵很严重，或者水和手指去除方法无效，她就会使用印楝油。 来自印楝树种子的有机油通过阻止蚜虫呼吸来杀死它们。 它可以安全地用于可食用的植物，并且对人、动物和鸟类无害。 尽管如此，还是应该在太阳落山之后使用，此时有益的昆虫不太活跃。

The same day Damiano found the aphids, she found another pest called scarlet lily beetles on her Asiatic lily plants. The adult red insects feed on a grouping of plants called true lilies and fritillaries. In an earlier stage of life, called the larval stage, they cover themselves in waste. This makes them less appealing to those that would want to eat them. But the coating also protects them from chemicals, making them difficult to remove. The pests had already damaged some of her plants. To prevent more damage, she removed them by tapping them off of the plant into some water with soap and vinegar, or household cleaners.

达米亚诺发现蚜虫的同一天，她在她的亚洲百合植物上发现了另一种名为猩红百合甲虫的害虫。 成年红色昆虫以一组称为真百合和贝母的植物为食。在生命的早期阶段，即幼虫阶段，它们用废物覆盖自己。 这使得它们对那些想吃它们的人来说不太有吸引力。 但涂层还可以保护它们免受化学物质的侵害，使它们难以去除。害虫已经损坏了她的一些植物。 为了防止造成更多损害，她将它们从植物上敲下来，放入含有肥皂和醋的水或家用清洁剂中，从而将它们去除。

Her rhododendron, a flowering plant, were attacked by a pest called azalea bark scale last summer. She saw the white insects had come back this year. Some of the leaves were infested, so she cut them off. But because most of the leaves only had a few of the pests, she was able to remove them by touching each insect with some rubbing alcohol. By working early, Damiano slowed or stopped infestations that could have killed her plants. The same would be true for diseases, many of which also respond better to early treatments.

去年夏天，她的杜鹃花（一种开花植物）遭到一种名为杜鹃花树皮鳞片的害虫的侵袭。 她看到今年白色的虫子又回来了。 有些叶子被感染了，所以她把它们剪掉了。 但由于大多数叶子上只有少数害虫，她通过用外用酒精触摸每只昆虫来清除它们。通过尽早工作，达米亚诺减缓或阻止了可能杀死她的植物的虫害。 对于疾病来说也是如此，其中许多疾病对早期治疗的反应也更好。