The Royal Horticultural Society needs your help in its battle against the many pests and diseases which face gardeners.
RHS Pest Survey
The charity is asking gardeners to take part in a new study to identify the most important plant pests and diseases affecting their gardens. The information they provide will form the basis of a list of the most damaging problems they face, helping scientists develop more effective ways of controlling garden pests and diseases.
The survey will build on the RHS’s annual ‘top ten’ list of pests and diseases, based on the number of queries to its advice team. The most recent list, compiled last year, put box tree caterpillar at the top, knocking slugs and snails into second place for the first time in nearly a decade. Among the diseases reported, honey fungus was most common, with another box problem, box blight, second most frequently reported.
‘The RHS is very fortunate to already have a bank of very rich information about the pest and disease problems gardeners face every year,’ said RHS Head of Plant Health Dr Gerard Clover. ‘This new research is designed to drill down deeper to get to those core, persistent problems.’
How Can I Help?
To fill out the survey go to www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/thegardensurvey.