Chase Away Pests and Critters Naturally

Mosquitoes, grubs, and deer—oh my! What’s a person to do when pests and critters threaten the plants in the backyard and the people who spend time there? Chase them away naturally, of course.

Why don’t I like using chemicals to get rid of garden pests? That’s an easy one. According to eartheasy, North American homes use approximately 136 million ponds of pesticides on lawns and gardens each year. And those pesticides pose major risks to the health of humans, animals, and our environment. Besides, why waste money on chemical pesticides when natural pest control costs less and has little or no negative consequences for your plants, your family, and the earth?

Keeping your soil healthy with mulch and natural compost and your garden clear of weeds and debris is the first step toward preventing infestations before they start. Here are some others ways to keep your garden trouble-free:

Put your plants to work. If you pick healthy plants that naturally resist disease and pests, you can nip pesky plant problems in the bud before they even occur. A few generally pest-resistant plants to try: common wormwood, tulips, dusty miller, lavender, mint, and Mexican marigold. (And, much as they’ll keep your honey away if you eat too much of them, onions and garlic fend off pests on their own too.)

Leave the good guys alone. Get your hands off those ladybugs and praying mantises! Some bugs are actually good for your garden and should be left alone because they’ll feed on the garden pests you want to get rid of. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency calls this technique Integrated Pest Management—I just call it smart gardening. As Evelyn Wolf points out over at You Grow Girl, the key is to control garden pest populations, not eliminate them.

Keep these friendly bugs around: ground beetles, green lacewings, spine soldier bugs, ladybugs, praying mantises, ambush bugs, lady beetles, and robber flies. To attract these little guys, include plants such as sage, parsley, clover, foxglove, cosmos, marigolds, sunflowers, and zinnias in your garden. Learn more about beneficial insects here. Or check out this cool slideshow of friendly bugs.

Chase critters away. Of course tiny bugs aren’t the only ones that can wreak havoc on your garden. Larger pests can do major damage to your yard if you let them. To deter rabbits, place chicken-wire fencing that’s at least 3 feet high around garden plots; for even more protection, sprinkle red pepper powder on leaves or place garlic cloves around plants. Fencing that’s at least 8 feet tall and 1 foot deep is best for keeping deer away, but plants that are tolerant of or repel deer help too. Try juniper, holly, rosemary, irises, Shasta daisies, daffodils, alyssum, zinnias, and honeysuckle. Or check out this list of plants deer love as well as those they hate. What about snakes? As much as I don’t like them, I have to admit snakes are actually pretty good of getting rid of rodents. To keep poisonous snakes away, however, be sure to clear clutter and piles of wood or rocks from your yard to limit spots where they can hide.

Try natural pest control products. If it’s too late to prevent pests from overtaking your yard, it’s time for some damage control. Putting on a pair of gardening gloves and picking off the offenders will help, as will pruning affected areas and blasting them with water. Beyond that, take a look at these au naturel tricks for preventing plant disease.

Before I leave you to your pest control, I do have to promote one product I’m a big fan of. The Mosquito Mister is an easy-to-install system that positions nozzles around the perimeter of your home, along your fence line, even in flowerbeds, to create a protective barrier that protects your yard from more than 200 bugs, including mosquitoes, biting flies, chiggers, crickets, fire ants, fleas, and wasps. The Mosquito Mister decreases the bug population by intermittently misting your yard with a concentrate made from crushed chrysanthemum flowers and essential oils. It mists automatically—the only time you have to think about it is when you refill the reservoir system. As this know-it-all can attest, it really does work—and it won’t leave your backyard smelling like a world full of chemicals.

Happy bug hunting!

Until tomorrow,
The Home Know-It-All

Comments

[Pinky Bean]

Thanks for the great advice! I thought our readers might also benefit from it with gardening season now approaching (or in full-swing depending where you live), so I posted a link to your article and encouraged them to check out your site.

http://www.ecollo.com/post/2008/03/Control-garden-pests-naturally.aspx

[Julie]

Thanks for reading, Animal Enthusiast! If you have any other natural suggestions definitely let me know!

[AnimalEnthusiast]

This is a great article. You give a lot of great advice!