Slugs and snails have been public enemy number one in gardens for years. I was surprised when the Royal Horticultural Society named the vine weevil as the worst pest in the garden last year and the scarlet lily beetle second.

Slugs and snails slid into third place.

The rise of the vine weevil and lily beetle is worrying. The RHS points out that some pesticides, fungicides and herbicides have been removed from garden centre shelves and gardeners, therefore, have to find alternative ways of coping with pests, diseases and weeds.

The vine weevil has been on the increase for some years and does serious damage, the larvae devouring the roots of plants.

The lily beetle has risen alarmingly in recent years. Both the bright red adults and their larvae can strip the foliage from lilies and fritillaries in days.

The RHS has made up a top ten list of the worst pests and number four is the chafer grub. Two species are mainly responsible for damage to lawns and both have larvae that destroy grass roots.

There are currently no insecticides for use on garden lawns but chafer grubs can be controlled by watering the turf in late summer with the pathogenic nematode.

Rabbit damage can be a problem all year round. They eat the foliage and shoot tips from a wide range of plants and also kill young trees and shrubs by gnawing the bark from the base of the stems.

Cushion scale is a sap-feeding insect found on camellia but also attacks the foliage of other evergreen shrubs.

Soft scale is another insect that sucks sap and makes its host plants sticky with honeydew and the associated sooty mould. Soft scale is mainly a problem on indoor plants, especially citrus plants and weeping fig, and is also a problem on bay trees and many other plants. The gardener's lot is not always a happy one...

By Jim Roberts