Nobody
– except for my father – likes to spray chemicals in the garden
unless they have to. You see, my father is from the old school of
gardening – he has never met a chemical insecticide he doesn’t
like.
Nobody – except for my father – likes to spray chemicals in the garden unless they have to. You see, my father is from the old school of gardening – he has never met a chemical insecticide he doesn’t like.
Ah, but today in our green environment, most people do not like to spray indiscriminately to control garden pests, which brings us to today’s column about alternative pest controls.
Sure, you’ve probably already heard of some of these less-toxic alternatives. On the other hand, there are some that are extremely new to everyone. For instance, have you ever heard of a Birds-Away Attack Spider? No, it’s not some new science-fiction movie. Instead, it’s a new product to scare birds away from ripening fruit. This is a battery-operated device that scares birds by an attack spider. Activated by sound, a fake spider quickly drops down an 18-inch string while making a loud noise. The spider then climbs back up the string, ready to attack again.
It is said that the predator-like characteristics of attack spider prove to be too much for birds to handle. The product is also said to work well in keeping nesting birds away from wood and stucco siding. For information, check out the Web site www.attackspider.com.
An attack spider is not too far-fetched when you consider a product that I’ve used successfully. It’s called Scarecrow, a motion-activated impact sprinkler that releases a three-second burst of water when any combination of sudden noise or movement occurs. The combination of the sudden noise, movement and water scares everything from dogs and cats to deer away. It’s such a simple concept, but it works. I’ve used it to keep wandering cats out of my garden. I’ve also recommended it to friends who live in the country who are bothered by deer. For information, check out the Web site www.scarecrowinfo.com or call (800) 767-8658.
Of course, some of my other favorite methods of natural pest control do not involve contraptions of any kind. Would you believe plain water works? A jet of plain water from the garden hose will go a long way toward dislodging aphids and spider mites from roses and other infected landscape plants. Once knocked off the specimens, they won’t be able to climb back aboard in most cases. Just make sure you don’t soak your plants with overhead sprays during the heat of the day. Do it in the cool of the morning or at dusk.
Other natural products include insecticidal soaps. You can mix your own using a few tablespoons of liquid soap per gallon of water, or you can buy already-mixed formulations at the nursery. The latter will include so-called stickers that will improve their effectiveness. Insecticidal soaps will kill or repel a wide variety of insects, including aphids, leafhoppers and spider mites.
Horticultural oils, biological controls like Bacillus thuringiensis and sticky traps are other natural pest controls. In most instances, I’ve found that these safer, organic methods of pest control will work just as effectively as chemical ones, and we’re helping ourselves and the environment at the same time.
