Safe Pest Control Tips

Having pests is a part and parcel of having a garden. Pest control is an activity that most gardeners take up on a regular basis. Pest control must be done with high consideration to safety; safety in terms of the plants, animals and humans. This holds specially true for those with veggie and organic gardens.

The primary use of growing veggies organically will be defeated if they become tainted with pest control chemicals.

Here are a some long-term maintenance hints to make pest control less harmful and more environmentally friendly.

1. Use the physical pest control process.

This can accomplished through Chosing grubs off by hand, making barriers and traps and plugging holes. Snails may be found hiding in damp places under rocks and towrds the base of those plants with straplike leafage.

2. Apply biological pest control.

Encourage predatory insects such as green lacewings and dragonflies to feed on aphids and other pests that attack your plants. You may do this by placing a shallow bowl of water in the garden. Dragonflies particularly will hover around water. Bacterial insecticides such as B. thuringiensis could also be used against caterpillars.

3. Only as a last resort should we turn to chemical pest control.

Organic pest control techniques may be successful and the ingredients for most of the recipes may be found in the kitchen cupboards. If chemical sprays are really necessary, try and get the least-toxic. These include insecticidal soaps, horticultural oils, dehydrating dusts, etc.

4. Consider the use of safer pest control substitutes.

Recipes for alternative pest control include the following:

Against Green Aphids and Mites – Mix 1 tablespoon of liquid soap and a cup of vegetable oil. Dilute a teaspoonful of this solution in a cup of water and spray on aphids and mites.

Against Cockroaches – Dusts of boric acid can be applied to cracks or entry points of these insects. Bay leaves on pantry shelves could also help in warding off these critters.

Make certain that the chemicals you use are made specifically for the insects you’re targeting.