You've worked tirelessly, turning over soil, mixing it with compost, shopping for just the right perennials, annuals and vegetables for your garden. You've gently pulled the plants from their flat trays, dug holes and planted.

You've watered, fertilized and gone to bed with dirt under your fingernails - only to find your tomato plants nibbled, your petunias plucked and your rose bushes riddled with holes the next morning. Garden pests have invaded your summer haven, and destroyed what you worked so hard to create.

Know the feeling? Most gardeners have at some point encountered pesky pests that seem to evade all types of prevention methods. But there is hope.

Garden and pest control experts say that will sometimes there is little that will stop a hungry rabbit or an infestation of Japanese beetles, but often times it's just knowing how to deal with the pests that discourages them from eating your plants.

Most common pests

Jenny Taylor, a spokeswoman for SC Johnson, said the company's entomology center receives numerous calls this time of year, and the most common pest is the Japanese beetle.

The shiny, metallic green beetles with copper brown wings are known to munch roses, linden trees and more than 300 species of other trees, shrubs and flowers, according to Patti Nagai, horticulture educator for Racine County's University of Wisconsin-Extension office.

Other common garden pests in this area are rabbits, deer, slugs and earwigs, she said. Nagai said rabbits will eat just about anything they can get their big teeth on. "They love tender new growth on shrubs, vegetables and many of our perennial and annual flowers."

Deer will also eat just about anything, slugs love hostas and earwigs eat marigolds, hostas and container plants, she said.

Best prevention

"The best way to prevent damage from (insects) is to pay attention and manage the insects early," Taylor said. "There are a number of products on the market available to help depending on the type of plant and they type of pest."

Nagai said the beetles are pretty easy to kill with a wide variety of insecticides, both organic and synthetic, but Japanese beetle and the plant you are trying to protect must be on the label.

"It is always important to read the label before you buy, and before you apply any pesticide, including organics," she said.

For slugs, there are newer products that are more environmentally friendly and contain iron phosphate with some attractive bait instead of the old slug chemicals that contained some pretty toxic materials.

"Beer also works, but not as well as iron phosphate, and wouldn't you rather drink it?" Nagai quipped.

"Some of the iron phosphate products also contain an insecticide to kill earwigs, since slugs and earwigs often co-mingle in cool, damp, dark places and eat the same types of plants," she said. "Shady mulch and under containers is where earwigs go to hide during the day. Both slugs and earwigs feed at night. You can trap earwigs using a rolled up piece of damp newspaper coated with a cooking oil spray. In the morning dump the newspaper into a bucket of soapy water to see if you have earwigs, and to kill them."

Rabbits and deer can be more difficult to keep out of the garden.

Nagai said the best method to keep out rabbits is a 2-foot metal fence with mesh openings less than 2 inches, although she admits it is not very attractive. If you do use a fence, don't use plastic, because rabbits will eat through it. They will also dig under loose fencing, Nagai said.

For deer you would need a 10-foot-high or electrified fence, which isn't very practical, she said. "Some studies have indicated that a 4-foot-high protective fence around trees is a fair deterrent to deer," Nagai said. "Apparently, they are lazy and don't really like to jump unless it is very appealing."

Other prevention methods for rabbits and deer include repellents, but Nagai warns that many of these are only effective for short term, have to be reapplied frequently and don't smell very good.

"I use sprays containing capsaicin (hot pepper spray) with some success," she said. "But again, you must reapply frequently for it to be effective."

If using a spray repellent, always read the label first, because some are not approved for edible plants such as vegetables or fruits, Nagai said.

Deer repellent tape is a product used by Boerner Botanical Gardens, she said. "There is a soap-like product that is applied to the tape and they have had good success in keeping deer out of the flowers."

Gardeners can also research plants that are not favored by rabbits and deer, but Nagai warns that if the animals are hungry enough, they will eat almost anything.

Chemical pesticides

Registered chemical pesticides can be used safely, but can also be poisonous and carcinogenic, according to the UW-Extension Web site at:

http://infosource.uwex.edu

It's important to use the right pesticide in the correct way. The Web site suggests: always reading the label and following the directions; reading the warnings and cautions; applying the pesticide only on the plants specified on the label in the recommended amounts and recommended intervals.

Chemical pesticides shouldn't be used on a regular basis. It can kill insects that are beneficial insects that naturally control garden pests and residues can build up on your vegetables.

According to the Web site, repeated use of pesticides can also help insects to develop a resistance to the chemical.

Other precautions include wearing protective clothing to avoid chemicals coming in contact with your skin, avoid spraying on a windy day, always wash your hands after using, and keep chemical pesticides in a locked area out of children's reach.

Organic options

Prevention does not have to include chemicals, and the UW-Extension Web site has several suggestions for getting rid of garden pests.

Rabbits can be trapped and relocated using live traps available for about $25 at garden supply and hardware stores. The Web site says winter trapping is the most effective because it reduces the rabbit population before problems and the reproductive season start.

For insect control, the UW-Extension Web site says the insecticides Rotenone, Sabadilla, Ryania and Phrethrin are derived from the roots, seeds or flowers of various plants and are considered acceptable as organic sprays. "Most work as stomach poisons, so insects must feed upon treated leaves to be killed."

Other organic products include insecticidal soaps, horticultural oils and materials containing the insecticidal bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis, often called B-T. Various formulations of B-T are made to kill caterpillars, beetles or maggots, the Web site says.

The insecticidal soaps can be used against aphids and mites, but they only kill on contact, so good coverage is important. The sprays do not kill insect or mite eggs, so they will need to be reapplied.

Unproven or unsuccessful methods

There are some types of pest control that are debated as to whether or not they actually do what they are supposed to.

For example, Taylor said pheromone traps for Japanese beetles can be a good option for controlling the irritating pest. But Nagai said sometimes they can attract more beetles to your yard.

"They are so powerful in their attracting power that beetles from miles around will come to your home if you have a trap," she said.

Milky spore also does not work for controlling Japanese beetles, Nagai said. "It used to be recommended, but university research at several locations has shown that it is not effective in controlling Japanese beetles."

Hair, soap and urine all have the potential of working as repellents, she said, but are not that effective and have to be replaced frequently.