6 Plants That Attract Pests That You Should Get Rid Of Right Now

Many of the insects attracted to our plants are beneficial pollinators such as bees and butterflies, which help fruits and flowers to thrive—but not all bugs in a garden are beneficial.

Some of the most popular plants and vegetables are also hotspots for pests we don’t want anywhere near our homes, including mosquitoes, slugs, aphids, and other destructive bugs.

These may be more difficult to grow successfully, but that doesn’t mean you can’t plant them at all. With the help of our expert gardeners’ advice, you’ll know which plants to keep an extra eye on, and how to naturally keep pests away from each variety.

Eggplant

A common issue seen with eggplant is flea beetles, says Dagny Kream of The Cottage Peach.

These are tiny hopping beetles that can quickly take over and munch through foliage. They burrow into your garden’s soil in the fall and are most active in the spring months.

Pest Prevention Tips

• Start growing your eggplants indoors and delay transferring them to the garden until later in the spring.
• Distract the flea beetles with a different plant they are attracted to. If you garden organically, plant fast-growing radishes nearby as a sacrificial trap crop they can go for instead.

Cabbage

Unfortunately for those of us with vegetable gardens, pests love our nutritious plants just as much as we do—and cabbage is a magnet for worms, slugs, and bugs.

“Growing cabbage is rewarding yet difficult, due to pests like cabbage worms and harlequin bugs,” Seed to Spoon app founder Carrie Spoonemore says. “These pests can quickly decimate cabbage plants if not managed properly.”

Pest Prevention Tips

Utilizing fragrant, pest-deterring companion plants for cabbage such as mint, onion, garlic, shallots, or anything in the allium family will help to keep both bug varieties at bay.

Cucumber

Although very small, tiny green aphids can cause significant problems for cucumber plants, Kream explains.

They damage cucumber plants by piercing their tissues and sucking sap—and if your cucumbers are stressed by drought, poor soil conditions, or overcrowding, aphids can also cause stunted growth and transmit plant viruses.

Pest Prevention Tips

• You can help your cucumbers by spraying the aphids off the plants with water.
• Using companion plants like marigolds and mint, which attract their natural predators: ladybugs and parasitic wasps, Kream says.

Watermelon

Large fruits like watermelons are another challenging plant for home gardeners to grow and care for, Spoonemore explains.

“They are not only temperamental in their growing requirements, but also attract a range of pests that can affect their development and yield,” she says.

Watermelons are members of the Cucurbitaceae family, alongside cucumbers and pumpkins. This means their vines and fruit are prone to many of the same pests as their relatives, such as aphids and vine borers.

One of the plant’s biggest threats is the cucumber beetle, which carries a deadly virus called bacterial wilt.

Pest Prevention Tips

• Luckily, watermelon’s companion plants are the same as a cucumber’s, including garlic, mint, and marigolds.
• Growing marigolds is an especially great choice to keep your fruits thriving because the flowers deter both aphids and cucumber beetles.

Squash

Another cucurbit that tends to draw pests in is the squash, whose winter varieties are especially vulnerable to damage by a couple of species in particular.

“Squash can be a struggle due to squash bugs and vine borers,” Spoonemore shares. “These often require vigilant monitoring and intervention to keep under control.”

Pest Prevention Tips

• Applying dish soap sprays to leaves can also repel squash bugs, but take care to avoid any flowers on your squash plants to protect pollinators.
• To tackle the vine borers, Spoonemore suggests planting mint, parsley, and radish, and wrapping the base of your squash vines in aluminum foil to prevent eggs.
• Squash bugs are also a favorite food of predatory insects including ladybugs, parasitic wasps, and assassin bugs—which can be drawn to your garden by flowering herbs like parsley, dill, and cilantro.

Water Lilies

Even if you prefer a water garden over one filled with vegetables, you still might struggle with pests.

Although plants for your backyard’s pond can help keep to water cool for koi and other fish living inside, they can also invite biting insects that will make you want to stay indoors all summer.

“Watch out for plants like water lilies that grow in or near standing water, as they can attract mosquitoes,” Spoonemore says. “These aquatic plants can become breeding grounds if the water is stagnant— so it’s important to ensure proper water circulation and avoid standing water.”

Pest Prevention Tips

• Mosquitoes love dirty water, so staying on top of pond maintenance is incredibly important.
• You can also incorporate some of these insects’ least favorite scents throughout your garden by planting lemongrass, lemon balm, mint, lavender, and rosemary.
• Try scattering used coffee grounds in your garden beds, especially around your pond.