Dealing with Garden Pests the Organic Way
Dealing with garden pests is one of the biggest headaches for the home gardener. This article will provide insight into ways to deal with garden pests with the minimal use of harsh chemical pesticide and insecticides.
The first thing a home gardener can do is maintain strict cleanliness around the garden. Piles of waste and puddles of idle water are a great breeding grounds for pests and mosquitoes.
Next is to arm yourself with knowledge about your garden. Not every creature in your garden is a pest. Some creatures like earthworms, ladybugs, birds and toads are beneficial to your garden and help with tasks like aerating the soil, pests control and pollinating your plants. The best way to deal with pests is to introduce natural predators.
Beneficial Insects and Animals. Don't kill them!
Bees are great pollinators and make sure all your flowering plants get pollinated. Just be careful around them and don't get stun!
Earthworms produce tunnels in the soil, making it lose and the perfect medium for healthy plants. They also produce a product called casting after their digestion. This casting improves properties of the soil such as porosity and moisture retention, aids plant growth and helps in the fight against pests and diseases
Frogs eat insects and pests that feed on your plants. You can attract them by keeping a few stones under a shrub on a carpet of damp leaves.
Green Lacewing Larve may not seem like a beneficial garden insects but don't let their looks deceive you. These larvae eat their weight daily in small pests like aphids while staying clear of your precious plants!
Ground Beetles. Do not mistake these for the similar garden pests like potato beetle. Ground beetles feed on small insects and insect larvae that can cause havoc on your garden.
Ladybugs. Ladybugs are a gardener's best friends. They are the one step solution to all your garden pest problems. The best part is, they will travel from plant to plant eating small garden insects that feed on your plants. The only hard thing is keeping them around after they finish all the pests.
Small Birds feed on insect larvae and pests. However, they will also feed on the beneficial insects in your garden. Attract them in the spring by setting up a bird house with food and water.
These beneficial creatures will come to your garden in time without invitation. However, for a new garden it may be best to introduce these natural predators before pests become an issue. The supplier we use in our garden is www.gardensalive.com. They have a large selection of natural pesticide including natural insect predators. Make sure you purchase through our link for a discount. You'll also be supporting the cost to maintain this blog.
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When natural predators are not enough
Despite keeping your garden clean and introducing natural predators, some gardens still suffer from pest damage. Please check the individual guides below for instructions on how to deal with specific garden pests.
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| Beetles |
| Bean Leaf Beetle |
| Blister Beetle |
| Colorado Potato Beetle |
| Cucumber Beetle |
| Flea Beetle |
| Japanese Beetle |
| Mexican Bean Beetle |
| Plum Curculio |
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| Small Insects |
| Aphids |
| Mealybugs |
| Mites and Spider Mites |
| Onion Thrips |
| Potato Leafhopper |
| Scales |
| Squash Bug |
| Whitefly |
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| Caterpillars |
| Armyworms |
| Codling Moth |
| Corn Earworm |
| Cutworms |
| Gypsy Moth |
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| Larva & Other Pests |
| Apple Maggot |
| Cabbage Looper & Worm |
| Cabbage Maggot |
| Root-Knot Nematodes |
| Spinach Leafminer |
| Slugs |
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| Borers & Weevils |
| Black Vine Weevil |
| Carrot Weevil |
| European Corn Borer |
| Iris Borer |
| Squash Vine Borer |
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Bees are great pollinators and make sure all your flowering plants get pollinated. Just be careful around them and don't get stun!
Earthworms produce tunnels in the soil, making it lose and the perfect medium for healthy plants. They also produce a product called casting after their digestion. This casting improves properties of the soil such as porosity and moisture retention, aids plant growth and helps in the fight against pests and diseases
Frogs eat insects and pests that feed on your plants. You can attract them by keeping a few stones under a shrub on a carpet of damp leaves.
Green Lacewing Larve may not seem like a beneficial garden insects but don't let their looks deceive you. These larvae eat their weight daily in small pests like aphids while staying clear of your precious plants!
Ground Beetles. Do not mistake these for the similar garden pests like potato beetle. Ground beetles feed on small insects and insect larvae that can cause havoc on your garden.
Ladybugs. Ladybugs are a gardener's best friends. They are the one step solution to all your garden pest problems. The best part is, they will travel from plant to plant eating small garden insects that feed on your plants. The only hard thing is keeping them around after they finish all the pests.
Small Birds feed on insect larvae and pests. However, they will also feed on the beneficial insects in your garden. Attract them in the spring by setting up a bird house with food and water.
