Pest Control In Your Home Garden That Doesn’t Leave A Path of Destruction
- Image by Shelley & Dave via Flickr
I remember not to long ago people were using poison on their home gardens to combat pest. I think people have gone way overboard when it comes to pest control just because they are not informed.
Farmers have been the worst in my mind. I remember back to my days on the farm and there was nothing about going organic back then. It was all about producing quantity at any cost. I even remember my dad wearing a mask so that he wouldn’t breath the noxious chemical clouds he created.
These days I have a home garden and want to be organic all the way. The best home gardening tip I can offer is to learn how grow your flowers and vegetables without the use of poisons.
Fortunately these days newer methods have appeared in recent years including electronic pest control that have brought the problem into a twenty-first century light.
To Spray or Not To Spray
We can still spray for pest control but instead of spraying toxic chemicals we use more natural methods that don’t leave destruction in their path.
Environmentally conscious consumers are now calling traditional methods of pest control into question and are bringing forth some creative and innovative solutions to the problem. Nowadays it is easier and safer to have adequate pest control. The problem is that our home garden is attacked from many different fronts.
Genetics
Some plants are being bred to be resistant to bugs and other pests. This is done by altering the genetic code of plants making them unpalatable to pests. This may prove to be very effective pest control, but the effects on humans remain under study and should be viewed with caution. I am not sure if I like the idea of genetic manipulation, we just don’t know where that will lead or how it will effect our kids 20 years down the road.
I prefer to learn what pests attack which plants and then combat them individually. Example: Instead of poisons to get rid of slugs on our zuchinnis we have found that they aren’t too bright and it’s easy to get rid of them in a number of ways.
The first method for getting rid of slugs is to go out after dark with a flashlight and just pick them off the plants and eat them, errr I mean squash them. We also use damp newspaper and cardboard. They love to sleep in places like that so we can just collect them each day. Works for me and my backyard garden.
Organics
Old folk remedies using natural substances are being explored more fully. Scientists are looking at natural repellents of all kinds including the defenses the plants themselves use to achieve pest control. Also there is a great deal of work being done with pheromones that attract the bugs to traps and then don’t allow them to leave.
Spices such as red pepper and garlic are being used as natural pest controls. These substances have been used for centuries and are tried and true, not to mention safe for the environment.
Electronics
Furthermore, newer electronic and sound models are being tried. These pest control systems offer ways to prevent infestation and combat present problems like insect control, mouse control without harmful chemicals and messy sprays. These use electromagnetic fields and sound wave both ultrasonic and subsonic for pest control.
All of these methods offer some hope that pest control can be safe and effective. Perhaps one is not the most effective method, but used in combination they can eradicate pest problems. People with a pest control problem would do well to have a professional evaluate the problem and give them the best solution so that they can get it right the first time.
With technology comes change and variety. There are a lot of options these days for pest control. Consumers should be educated on the choices and then allowed to make informed choices regarding pest control. Only then can persons be at ease about their options and act accordingly. The environment should be all of our concern. Choose carefully how you go about pest control.
Tagged with: insect control • mouse control • pest control
Filed under: garden pests • gardening • gardening tips • home gardening tips • organic gardening
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I agree, and I’m sold on neem as a combination fertiliser-pesticide. We get neem in the form of oil as well as powdered seedcakes (after the oil has been extracted)in India. While the oil is handy and easy to spray, the powder is a fantastic fertiliser cum pesticide.
But the best, absolutely best deal is to provide water to lure birds to the garden. They’re such diligent pest-control agents.
Well we certainly have enough water to attract birds right now, but maybe only ducks and other swimming birds. It’s been raining for days and that along with all the melting snow has left us with no shortage of water.
I do like having birds in our yard, they do take care of a lot of bugs for us.