Natural control of garden pests
These days it sometimes seems that nearly everything is bad for us or can affect our health, from burnt or canned foods and too much sugar to drinking out of plastic bottles!
It’s often hard to know where to start! I’m a big believer in starting at home and even better, starting in the garden.
Gardening truly is one of life’s most beneficial activities.
It’s a great workout for your mind, body and soul and a great mood lifter to boot!
But with gardening and in particular vegetable gardens comes garden pests – there to ruin all your hard work and fun!
There are many chemicals available on the market today to control the myriad of pests we see in our garden, but unfortunately many of these chemicals can also harm us and affect our health.
The good news is, there is now a great range of natural alternatives to pest control to keep you and your garden healthy!
My top tips for natural control of certain garden pests are as follows:
Earwigs
These are real problem in vegie gardens these days! Try used vegetable oil or linseed in saucers placed around the garden. Makes a great trap.
Rabbits
Be thankful if you don’t have these pests in your garden, they like to eat off plants at their base and kill them! But did you know, rabbits hate the smell of blood and bone? Fertilise as well as repel!
Snails
Stale beer traps work a treat! Also try crushed egg shells around susceptible plants.
Caterpillars
The Barossa Nursery sells a biological control for these pests called Dipel. It’s safe for humans, birds and bees but not these pesky critters!
Mites, scale, aphids and white fly
Eco oil is a registered organic control and like Dipel won’t harm the beneficial bugs and bees.
And lastly my favourite – the only thing I use on my vegies – Beat-a-bug. A naturally based insect control containing chilli, garlic and pyrethrum. It works by repelling/irritating a wide range of pests including ants, aphids, cabbage moth, caterpillars, earwigs, white fly, leafhopper and more! And super easy to use!
So the battle against garden pests does not need to be harmful or chemical based. There are so many great natural solutions out there today.
Taking care of our health is easy, and it can all start in one of my favourite places – the home garden.
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For more great ideas and advice, checkout the following articles from Kristee.