Organic Pest Control
Organic Pest Control | Start your organic garden pest control out right with these eco friendly pest control options.
If you can avoid inorganic substances in your lawn and garden you are making a giant step in insuring the health and safety of you and your family.
Diseases that have already been linked to exposure to pesticides are: Parkinson's, infertility, cancer, birth defects, encephalitis and lymphoma, plus many more.
Use of pesticides also inhibit beneficial insects around the garden such as honeybees, ladybugs and butterflies. Not to mention that these inorganic substances seep into the ground water table provide additional pollution effects.
The first step in aiding a plant in the warding off pests is to have a very healthy, thriving plant. This can be accomplished by introducing proper organic fertilizers, watering methods, and control of weeds in the garden. If you can conquer all of these tasks your fight against invasive insects is almost won already!
Here is a list of the most common pests and the organic pest control treatment measures you can apply to rid your garden of them.
| Insect | Control |
|---|---|
| Aphids | Simple Green, Insecticidal Soap |
| Slugs | Beer, Slug Traps |
| Cabbage Worm | Nylon Netting |
| Gypsy Moth | BT |
| Japanese Beetle | Milky Spore |
| June Bug | Nematodes |
| Squash Bug | Plant Marigolds, Radishes, Nasturtiums |
| Cucumber Beetle | Nematodes, Braconid Wasps, Soldier Beetles |
| Corn Borer | Plant Corn Late In The Year |
| Corn Earworm | Plant Marigolds, Cut Silk |
| Grubs | Milky Spore |
| Animal | Control |
|---|---|
| Deer | Liquid Fence |
| Rabbits | Liquid Fence |
| Moles | Milky Spore |
Aphids, use insecticidal soap or a diluted solution of Simple Green Cleaner mixed 2:1 and spray on affected areas.
Slugs. How can you tell if you have slugs? Usually by holes eaten in leafy vegetables. You can find them in the shade.
You can buy slug traps which work great. They keep out dirt and the slugs can go in freely. Just bait the traps with beer.
Plant tomatoes, onions, garlic and sage around the cabbage to deter the worm. You can also cover the cabbage with a lightweight nylon net to prevent the butterflies from laying eggs. Hand-picking the larvae from the cabbage is a measure that works too.
These pests usually infest trees. Spray with BT twice, 5 to 7 days apart. This is a naturally occurring bacteria that paralyzes their digestive system and kills the larvae.
Another method is to put a Sticky Band Barrier around your tree trunks in very early spring. This keeps the caterpillar from climbing the trees. At Green Living Made Easy, we like the TreeHelp Bug Band. Just wrap It around the trunks of your trees and you will trap all of these nasty pests.
For these nasty little guys, your best bet for organ pest control is to get them at the larvae stage of the pest. They typically feed on your lawn roots and are commonly referred to as grubs. Apply Milky Spore to your lawn and you will loose your grubs, Japanese Beetles and Moles all in one shot. A three-for-one process. That is the power of organics!
I first used this organic pest control method 30 years ago when my lawn was a complete mess. Within 8 weeks, all traces of the moles, grubs and Japanese Beetles were gone and the first application lasted 12 years. The second application lasted about 8 years.
Read Green Living Made Easy's Green Product Review on Milky Spore.
Some reports say that you can control these pests with Beneficial Nematodes. You have to wait until June, when the beetles lay their eggs, as the Nematodes are grub parasites. They live inside the larvae and kill them.
Another thing you can do is to support your toad and songbird populations. If you don't have enough of these natural predators around the beetle population starts to rise.
Also known as a stink bug. Keep them away by planting Marigolds, radishes, or nasturtiums near your vine plants. Remove all potential hiding places for squash bugs, such as boards, old plywood, trash or anywhere there is a dark, damp area for them to hide.
This pest harms honeydew melons, pumpkins and gourds. Control it with Beneficial Nematodes, Braconid Wasps and soldier beetles. Also protect seedlings with cheesecloth or nylon tents. Also you can plant late, after the beetles hatch by starting the seedlings indoors.
Plant early. Import ladybugs. Remove the worm by hand. Split the stem a little below the entrance hole and pick out the worm. These are all good fixes for this pest.
Cut silk every 4 days. Apply 2/3 eyedropper full of mineral oil to the tip of the ear after the silk turns brown. Plant marigolds near the corn.
Same remedy as the Japanese Beetle. Milky Spore
The absolute best organic pest control? Apply Liquid Fence to all foliage every 2 weeks during the growing season. This will keep deer and rabbits away for sure. Don't skip one treatment though - it does wear off. I used this product for all my perennials and it worked when everything else failed, and I lived in deer central.
Read Green Living Made Easy's Green Product Review on Liquid Fence.
Same organic pest control as the Japanese Beetle. Milky Spore
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