How to Eliminate Harmful Insects in Your Garden
Photo Source: krappweis
If you want to make your garden a success, you have to know how to eliminate harmful insects in your garden. Otherwise you end up feeding the insect population in your yard instead of your family. Try to make pesticides a last resort or even hiring pest control portland for that matter. They are harmful to your family as well as the environment. There are plenty of natural ways to take care of garden insects without resorting to chemicals. You just need to find the one that works for you.
Remove Temptation
A garden provides enough temptation for harmful insects. You don’t need to offer anything additional. Keep your garden clear of weeds and standing water. Both of these elements add a kind of bonus offering to hungry and thirsty insects. Some insects even lay their eggs in water. The last thing you want to do is provide a maternity ward for insects that are going to eat your garden.
Plant Wisely
Some plants work well together for several reasons. Corn, squash, and green beans are good examples. Each of these plants provides a service to the other. The corn offers the beans a strong stem to grow on. The beans and squash add nutrients to the ground for the corn. The squash covers enough ground to deter weeds. None of these plants specifically deters insects. However, by preventing weeds and keeping the plants healthy, insects aren’t as likely to bother these plants.
There are specific plants that harmful insects avoid. Some house pets even avoid them. Marigold is one plant that some harmful insects avoid and cats don’t like them either. However, bees do like them. That means you can keep the harmful pests out of your garden and actually encourage helpful insects like bees. Mint plants are also great for keeping pests away. You can plant mint plants around the perimeter to send out a heady scent from all corners. You might also put mint plants in pots and spread them through your garden. Using pots, you can also move the plants for decorative and aromatic patio purposes as needed.
Cleanliness Keeps the Pests Away
You already know that you can keep harmful pests out of your house by keeping the house clean. Keep that in mind when it comes to your garden. Dish soap makes a wonderful pest repellant. Use that or call pest control minneapolis to get help with the situation. Add a bit of dish soap to some water. Mist your plants with this mixture. Be sure to include the bottom of the leaves and the soil. Apply this mixture in the morning and rinse it off in the afternoon or evening. This will keep the harmful insects off your plants. At the same time you rinse it off to avoid allowing the mixture to do any damage to the plants.
Talk to people at your farmer’s market or hire a good Exterminator in Montreal & West Island and also speak to people from local nurseries. as they have experience and can help you learn how to eliminate harmful insects in your garden.
I do believe that the caterpillar shown in the picture is a Monarch Butterfly, soooooo I would be very careful before extinguishing this little beauty! I could be wrong, but just in case I thought I would mention it. You should try to find a tomato horn worm or something of that ilk!
She is right….it is a Monarch butterfly caterpillar…..which have dropped in population from millions to thousands….pesticides have eradicated their natural food….milkweed.
And pesticides have created problems for other beneficials as well.
A great source of natural pesticides is the army of good bugs out there….so that is a thought too….
Gardens Alive and Aribico are great sources for beneficial bugs to get rid of the “bad” guys….but don’t hurt the Monarchs!!
Nancy