Chemicals are very effective in keeping pests at bay, but that doesn’t mean that they are safe to eat or good for the soil.  It seems as though people are beginning to understand how good pesticide-free vegetables can be.  Since people are asking for organic foods, some large farms are moving more crops into organic garden pest control. 

Large farms are beginning to see changes with their soil since beginning organic garden pest control.  The same can happen for all of the home gardeners.  When people have enough land for a small garden they tend to plant.  It can be argued that vegetables are cheap compared to the time and effort of the home gardener.  Anyone who has picked a fresh tomato and eaten it straight from the vine will gladly spend the extra time and work taken to grow them.

Organic Garden Pest Control Bugs

There are certain bugs that can be called good to the home gardener.  This is the most natural organic way to garden.  Grasshopper bait called nosema locustae will destroy over 90 grass hopper types; this is a good example of organic garden pest control.  Another good bug to have is aphidoletes.  Like the name, they feed on many different types of aphids and can clean out an infection of aphids quickly.  When people plant certain vegetables they know that whiteflies aren’t far behind.  There is a whitefly parasite that will eradicate the white flies.  Called delphastus, they feed on only whiteflies.  Green lacewings are small green flying insects that feed on the eggs of many different types of insects.  All of these are excellent for organic garden pest control.

There are also some organic garden pest control bugs that most people are familiar with.  The praying mantis will eat almost any insect including larger insects.  In some cases, the mantis might be all that is needed for above ground infestations.  There isn’t much that the mantis won’t try to eat.  The other bug everyone knows about for organic garden pest control is the ladybug.  Ladybugs love aphids but they will also eat many other insects that are slow moving.  These are just some of the helpful bugs available. 

There are places where some bugs won’t survive the winters. People can order many of these bugs annually right from their desktop computer.  Organic garden pest control will make a great difference to the home garden and eventually to your health.

Related posts:

1. No Chemicals: Organic Garden Pest Control
2. Different Kinds Of Organic Garden Pest Control
3. Saving Lives with Organic Gardening Pest Control

1. Aphids

Aphids are the most frequent problem pests.  They like to make themselves at home in the growing tissue of roses (buds and shoots).  Low or even moderate levels of aphids will pose little threat to your roses, though you will need to keep a close eye on how they spread.  High numbers of aphids produce an excess of honeydew, which will encourage the growth of mold and they will eventually blacken the rose leaves.  If you have very high numbers of aphids, the size of the flowers may diminish and buds may be killed.  There are some natural enemies to these pests, including lady beetles and syrphid flies.  The creatures will help keep the population growth under control.  You can try removing them from the roses with a spray of water or with insecticidal soaps.  Aphids are usually only a problem during the spring and early summer and usually you do not have to resort to insecticides to control them.

2. Spider Mites

If your rose leaves are stippled or dried up and falling off, then spider mites may be the problem.  Spider mites are so tiny that you will probably need a magnifying glass to spot them.  Their presence is usually the result of dry, dusty conditions.  You can try to control spider mites by reducing dust and ensuring that your plant has sufficient irrigation.

3. Fuller Rose Beetles

Adult beetles will chew away at the flowers and leaves of your rose bush.  You can usually detect their presence by the ragged edges of your blooms and foliage.  They feed during the night and hide during the day on the underside of leaves.  Pesticides are not effective in dealing with these insects, so the best solution is handpicking these beetles off.

4. Thrips

Thrips damage the blooms by leaving brown streaks on the flowers.  They are a huge problem when rose bushes are planted close together because they can move quite easily from one plant to another.  They are usually attracted to light colored or white roses and cause a great deal of damage.  It is difficult to control thrips with pesticides because they are really only effective at the development stage.  The best thing to do is clip and dispose of infected blooms.

5. Caterpillars

There are some types of caterpillars that will feed on rose leaves.  Usually the damage is not that threatening to the rose plant.  Simply remove the rolled leaves and prune any damaged buds.

5. Rose Slug

These are the larva of a sawfly, but they resemble caterpillars because they have legs.  You can wash these off with a forceful spray of water or let one of their natural enemies take care of the problem for you.

7. Leafcutter Bees

Leafcutter bees make semicircular holes in leaves and take this material back to their nests.  You’ll just have to put up with this, as there is no effective way to combat them other than killing the leafcutter bees. It is recommended that you don’t kill bees since they are natural pollinators.

8. Rose Curculio

Rose Curculios prefer yellow and white roses.  They are about a quarter of an inch long and go about punching holes in the flowers and buds.  The larvae feast on developing buds so the buds are killed before they even get a chance to open.  If you have an infestation of rose curculios, you can rid them by using an insecticide from your local home or garden center.

9. Flat headed Borers

Flat headed borers can cause the canes to die back.  They may kill canes or the entire rose plant.  You need to remove any material that is infested with these critters and keep the plants healthy by not over pruning in the summer months and ensuring there is sufficient irrigation.

10. Scale Insects

Scale insects also pose a threat to the canes.  Scale insects have armored scales and look like small, grey rounds or ovals.  These creatures don’t really move because they have no legs for most of their lives so they are there to stay once you spot them.  The best way to combat scale insect infestations is to prune away infected canes and put some pesticide oil on any remaining canes.

Related posts:

1. Heat and Humidity Great for these Pesky Summer Pests
2. Rambling Roses: How to Tame those Climbing Roses in your Garden
3. Climbing Roses Grow On Longer Canes

Yet, did you know that some bugs are actually good to have around?  While it is hard to believe that there are actually bugs out there you would want to have crawling around on your rose bush, there are some species that keep destructive and perhaps even dangerous pests to a minimum - all without the use of harmful chemicals that can make you, your family, or your family pets sick. 

You do not need to be an organic gardener to appreciate these beneficial bugs, and the following is but a small contingent of the bugs you want in your garden – your handbook to beneficial bugs, so to speak.

Starting off with the predators, these bugs will see the annoying pests in your yard as an open invitation buffet and eat heartily:

Did you know that the daddy longlegs you might be scared to have in your house actually are great for the job of pest control in your garden? They love to live around strawberries apples, corn, and even potatoes, and will eat aphids, caterpillars, and even slugs.

Green lacewings are a beautiful insect, but it is their larvae that are the actual killers. Living in the neighborhoods of tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, strawberries, and whatever else in your hard may be host to an aphid infestation; these little insects devour aphids, spider mites, whiteflies, moths, and other harmful insects.

Quite possibly everyone’s favorite is the lady bug.  Whatever plant or tree in your yard may sport an active aphid population is also where ladybugs can be found. Once aphids are gobbled up, ladybugs will turn to moth eggs, mites, and other small pests.

Another kind of bug, by extension, is the simple roundworm called a nematode.  While to humans roundworms have long since spelled trouble, gardeners have taken to separating those troublemakers from what is termed “beneficial nematodes” which actually help in controlling soil-living pests, such as slugs, root weevils, and cutworms.

The third kind of beneficial bug is the one tied to actually controlling weeds rather than other bugs.  Many times a specific type of weed or undesirable plant is closely tied to a bug that will eat it or prevent its spread.  For example, the melaleuca weevil is directly responsible for keeping melaleuca tree spread under control.  While in 1906 it was thought that this type of tree was a wonderful addition to the North-American continent, merely 100 years later gardeners have begun to add this tree to the invasive weed kind, which chokes out other native plants. While the little weevils do not stop the trees from growing, their systematic destruction of the plants slows down the plants’ ability to grow and reproduce, as well as make the trees more susceptible to other diseases. Another example of a bug acting as a beneficial agent to control a weed that is deemed undesirable is the Alligatorweed Flea Beetle, which has actually been used by the agricultural department to successfully combat alligatorweed.

Last but not least are the parasites, which are actually useful in controlling unwanted insects. While wasps are pretty high on the list, not everyone is willing to have wasps in their backyard to deter other species of insects from taking up residence.  Probably the biggest problem with parasitic insects is the fact that the process of killing the undesirable insect is rather long, leaving it to do a lot of damage before finally succumbing to the effects of the parasitic intrusion. 

As you can see, there are many beneficial bugs out there that many a gardener should be happy to host in her or his garden.  While at first it may feel a bit odd to overcome the impulse of heading for the pesticide spray bottle, it is in the long run a wise and healthy choice to let nature’s beneficial bugs take care of your nuisance pests.

Related posts:

1. Bugs Can Be Good for your Garden! Your Guide to those Beneficial Garden Bugs
2. Banish Bagworms with Non-Stinging Wasps
3. No Chemicals: Organic Garden Pest Control

While there are ready-made worm farms available, it is easy to make your own. Two bathtubs will accommodate the food scraps of an average family of four. One side of the bath is filled with food scraps and the worms are introduced. When this has nearly been consumed, the other side can begin to be filled and the worms will move to this side, leaving the original half filled with worm castings ready for the garden.

There are some simple steps to make your own worm farm in a bathtub.  Slits need to be cut with an angle grinder, into the bathtub about 5 cm from the base. These will provide aeration to the worm bed.  Use a silicone sealant to attach a mesh screen over the drain hole to reduce the chance of it blocking up. A plastic colander could be used.  Fill above the incisions with coarse gravel for good drainage then lay down a layer of weed mat or tight shade cloth to prevent the worm castings from mixing with the gravel.  A mixture of coir fibre and straw that has been soaked in water should be introduced to one side of the container first. When the worms are introduced and food is available, the conditions are conducive to them breeding.  Add some aged horse manure.  Now it is time to add the worms, which are available from garden centers or worm farmers.  Cover the worms with a piece of carpet that has been soaked in water, and drained. This will keep the worm farm cool and moist. (If the worm farm ever seems dry, re-moisten the carpet. Never drown them with a hose). Worm farms need a shady, undercover position where they won’t be drenched by rain or irrigation.

Don’t overfeed the worms or the food scraps will just rot. Worms will breed up quickly if the conditions are right, and ideally will double every three months. As they increase in number the amount of food scraps can be increased proportionately - up to a kilo of food scraps per square meter per day. The smaller the pieces the quicker it will be broken down. Don’t use citrus or onions as worms dislike these. These can go into the compost bin. Meat and dairy foods should also not be used as they attract flies, rats and wasps as they rot. Think about burying these under a favorite fruit tree.

When the worm farm is operating successfully and you notice pests like mites, vinegar flies, maggots or slugs just dust the top with lime. Check to make sure you haven’t added too much food.When you notice that the worms have left the first side, the castings are ready to use on the garden. A handful can be used in planting holes ensuring that the roots of plants have a wide range of nutrients and moisture available to them. Liquid worm castings also make an excellent fertilizer. A generous handful in a 9 liter bucket of water stirred vigorously can be watered onto plants weekly during the growing season will produce outstanding results. A wonderful advantage is that this mixture will not burn plants.

Excessive applications are wasteful. Soil has a limit to the amount of nutrient-laden moisture it can hold at a time; so small regular applications are best.

Related posts:

1. Starting With Soil: Organic Garden Fertilizer
2. Pile it On: Five Guidelines for Creating your own Compost Pile
3. Herb Gardening – Container Gardening Tips

Diagnosing your pest problem is the first step to taking back your garden. While many lawn and garden companies offer a free pest analysis, the cost of the analysis is often dependent upon your willingness to sign a long term, expensive contract with the company, so working with a lawn and garden company to deal with your little pest problem may not be the best idea in the world. However, if you feel uncomfortable with the research or you just don’t think you can handle killing those tiny little creatures who are destroying your perfect garden world, perhaps a lawn and garden company is the best step. If nothing else, you will get the peace of mind from seeing that someone is taking care of the problem for you. If, however, you decide to go it alone, there are several steps you need to take in diagnosing your lawn’s pest problem.

One of the first things you must do in this long process is decide what kinds of problems you are experiencing in your garden. Are there holes in the plants? Are particular plants dying back without a good reason? Do you have flying insects when you go out to work in your garden? Understanding the answers to these questions will help you to get a good handle on what’s going on with your garden area.

Once you’ve identified your primary results from the pest problem, the next step in the process is to start thinking about what kinds of pests may live in your area, and may be invading your garden. There are a number of ways to do this, but one of the first is to do a bit of regional research. Your local department of conservation office may be able to help in this regard, as may your local library or some type of regional pest information website. Remember that pests vary by location and region, so just because your sister’s hosta was turning brown and dying back because of one particular insect variety a hundred miles away from your home, the chances are quite good that you have a very different kind of pest problem all together.

When you have completed your research, it’s time to do a bit more detective work in the garden area. Get down on your hands and knees. Dig in the dirt in and around your plants. See what kinds of insects are living in your garden. Physically seeing the insects will better help you to identify the, which will help you to treat them better. Once you figure out what they are, you are ready to find out what kills them to save your garden. If, however, you can’t figure out what they are, there are a number of companies who will allow you to send them insect samples, and, for a fee, they will help you diagnose your garden problem, putting you on the path to success.

There are several fairly common garden pests with fairly common remedies. Aphids are terrible on your garden. These tiny creatures will, quite literally, eat your entire garden, and there are a few good ways to get rid of them. First, your lawn and garden store probably carries chemicals that will help you deal with the problem. However, releasing ladybugs into your garden will take care of the problem quite quickly. Slugs are other fairly common garden pests, and some careful clean up and chemical treatment is the best way to get rid of these little guys.

Garden pests are a hassle, but doing your research will help you to diagnose the problem and get rid of it so you can begin enjoying your garden again.

Related posts:

1. Heat and Humidity Great for these Pesky Summer Pests
2. Don’t Let Vegetable Garden Pests Get the Best Of You
3. Companion Planting: One of the Best Natural Ways to Combat Pests

Yet, did you know that some bugs are actually good to have around?  While it is hard to believe that there are actually bugs out there you would want to have crawling around on your rose bush, there are some species that keep destructive and perhaps even dangerous pests to a minimum – all without the use of harmful chemicals that can make you, your family, or your family pets sick. 

You do not need to be an organic gardener to appreciate these beneficial bugs, and the following is but a small contingent of the bugs you want in your garden – your guide to beneficial bugs, so to speak.

Predators

Let’s start off with the predators, these bugs will see the annoying pests in your yard as an open invitation buffet and eat heartily:

Quite possibly everyone’s favorite is the ladybug.  Whatever plant or tree in your yard may sport an active aphid population is also where ladybugs can be found. Once aphids are gobbled up, ladybugs will turn to moth eggs, mites, and other small pests.

Did you know that the daddy longlegs you might be scared to have in your house are actually great for the job of pest control in your garden? They love to live around strawberries apples, corn, and even potatoes, and will eat aphids, caterpillars, and even slugs.

Green lacewings are a beautiful insect, but it is their larvae that are the actual killers. Living in the neighborhoods of tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, strawberries, and whatever else in your hard may be host to an aphid infestation; these little insects devour aphids, spider mites, whiteflies, moths, and other harmful insects.

Soil-living Pest Eaters

Another kind of bug, by extension, is the simple roundworm called a nematode.  While to humans roundworms have long since spelled trouble, gardeners have taken to separating those troublemakers from what is termed “beneficial nematodes” which actually help in controlling soil-living pests, such as slugs, root weevils, and cutworms.

Weed Eaters

The third kind of beneficial bug is the one tied to actually controlling weeds rather than other bugs.  Many times a specific type of weed or undesirable plant is closely tied to a bug that will eat it or prevent its spread.  For example, the melaleuca weevil is directly responsible for keeping melaleuca tree spread under control.  While in 1906 it was thought that this type of tree was a wonderful addition to the North-American continent, merely 100 years later gardeners have begun to add this tree to the invasive weed kind, which chokes out other native plants. While the little weevils do not stop the trees from growing, their systematic destruction of the plants slows down the plants’ ability to grow and reproduce, as well as make the trees more susceptible to other diseases. Another example of a bug acting as a beneficial agent to control a weed that is deemed undesirable is the Alligator weed Flea Beetle, which has actually been used by the agricultural department to successfully combat alligator weed.

Parasites

Last but not least are the parasites, which are actually useful in controlling unwanted insects. While wasps are pretty high on the list, not everyone is willing to have wasps in their backyard to deter other species of insects from taking up residence.  Probably the biggest problem with parasitic insects is the fact that the process of killing the undesirable insect is rather long, leaving it to do a lot of damage before finally succumbing to the effects of the parasitic intrusion. 

As you can see, there are many beneficial bugs out there that many a gardener should be happy to host in her or his garden.  While at first it may feel a bit odd to overcome the impulse of heading for the pesticide spray bottle, it is in the long run a wise and healthy choice to let nature’s beneficial bugs take care of your nuisance pests.

Related posts:

1. Bugs Can Be Good for your Garden: Your Handbook to those Beneficial Bugs
2. Step by Step Guide to Diagnosing Pesky Pests in your Garden
3. Organic Garden Pest Control Methods