Safe Pest Control Tips
Pest control must be done with utmost consideration to safety; safety in terms
of the plants, animals and humans. This holds especially true for those with
vegetable and organic gardens.
The main purpose of growing vegetables organically will be defeated if they
become tainted with pest control chemicals.
Here are a few long-term maintenance tips to make pest control less damaging and
more environmentally friendly.
1. Use the physical pest control process.
This may be accomplished through picking grubs off by hand, creating barriers
and traps and plugging holes. Snails can be found hiding in damp places under
rocks and towrds the base of those plants with straplike foliage.
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 can do this by placing a
shallow bowl of water in the garden. Dragonflies especially will hover around
water. Bacterial insecticides such as B. thuringiensis could also be used
against caterpillars. Lady bugs are special friends to the gardener - they eat
pests.
3. Only as a last resort should we turn to chemical pest control.
Organic pest control methods can be successful and the ingredients for many of
the recipes can be found in the kitchen cupboards. If chemical sprays are really
necessary, try and find 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 teaspoon 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 sure that the chemicals you use are made specifically for the insects you
are targeting.