Pest Control

By:

Published: September 28, 2006

Tired of all those pesky little bugs terrorizing your beautiful garden but afraid to use chemicals? There are many different products currently on the market made just for this purpose.

Organic Pest Control Products

Garden Dust- Repels many common insects and diseases using pyrethrins, rotenone, sulphur and copper.

Related Articles

Garden Pest

Hornets Nest

Ground Bees

About Queen Bees

Identifying Queen Bees

It has been approved for use on fruits, vegetables and flowers.
Lime Sulphur Spray- This organic pest control smothers over-wintering fungi, disease-causing viruses and insect eggs. It is a dormant oil and should be used as a winter and early spring spray.
Garlic Barrier- This product protects all aspects of the plant, roots, stems, leaves, flowers and fruits, and does not alter the taste or smell to humans or other animals. The key to its success is applying it before the problem arises.
Hot Pepper Wax- The main ingrediant, capsaicin, is extracted from cayenne pepper. This organic control product works well when applied to roses, orchids, cut flowers, house plants, orchards and field crops.
Neem Oil- When this oil is ingested, it disrupts the molting and reproductive cycles of many insects. A great choice because, unlike other pest control products, it is non-toxic to birds, mammals and beneficial predators. Great for use on vegetable gardens, ornamentals, greenhouses, orchards and field crops.
Milky Spore- This organic control option builds up in the lawn, infecting grubs who die and release millions of spores into the soil. This process cycles through for years to come if applied appropriately. Use on lawns, flower and vegetable gardens, and at shrubs and trees.
Shake Away- As a coyote urinic powder, this pest control method misleads larger animals that there are coyotes on the property. Works well on deer, raccoons and moles. Good for use on lawns, gardens and orchards.

Beneficial predators is a "method of controlling pests and diseases in agriculture that relies on natural predation rather than introduced chemicals. " This next section is for those people who regardless of being organic or not do not want to use chemicals in their gardens.

Beneficial Predators

Ladybugs- One of the cutest pest control methods, the adult beetles actively seek out and devour aphids. Not so cute and innocent anymore? The females can lay up to 50 eggs per day, so that a small amount at first is suitable for most aphid problems.
Lacewings- Otherwise known as aphid lions , the female adults seek out colonizations of aphids and once mated, lay their eggs among the aphids.
Beneficial Nematodes- A curious predator, nematodes stand on their tail, ready to attack, in an upright position near the soil surface and attaches to its host. They are most effective against highly mobile surface-adapted insects at temperatures between 70 and 80 degrees Farenheit.
Spider Mite Control- Females lay eggs amongst spider mite concentrations and their webbings. Eggs hatch into small larvae which develops into nymphal forms. Both the larvae and the nymphs are predators.
Insidious Flower Bugs- These bugs attack their prey with a needle sharp proboscis through which they inject pre-digestive enzymes and withdraw the bodily fluid of the prey. Adult females lay up to 100 eggs in the plant tissue. A very effective beneficial predator.

Still haven't found an acceptable pest control method? There are also simpler solutions that mostly require little effort and use materials normally found in common households.

Other Simple Control Options

When snails or slugs are a problem in your garden simply pick them off by torch at night (this is when they feed), sprinkle them with salt, or place a beer trap (a bowl of beer, which attracts them and then successfully drowns them).
Encourage critters, such as toads, hedgehogs and ground beetles, whose favorite snack is slugs or snails to visit your garden by placing a bowl of fresh water out.
Introduce birds that eat bugs, like the Blue Tit, by putting up bird houses for them to nest in. Nature can be one of the greatest pest control options.
Grow plants with small blossoms, like Sweet Alyssum and Dill, which attracts predatory insects who feed on flowers' nectar between attacts on pests.
Create barriers, for example, row covers, netting and plant collars, which are easily discoverable at a local garden center.
If all else, fails try hosing off your vegetables or flower with water or a mild soap, but never detergent.