Natural Pest Control Intro Part 3

For the Birds
Birds eat many different types of insects year round. Providing housing, food and water for our bird allies will help insure good insect balance.
A few examples: The Woodpecker: Loves wood boring larvae of beetles, ants, borers and many other insects and their larvae, The Chickadee: Loves lice, caterpillars, flies and tree hoppers, The Bluebird: Eats sow bugs, caterpillars and other insects. Owls eat at night many different types of insects. Mockingbirds will eat termites, caterpillars and beetles, Robins: Also eat termites, they love caterpillars and beetles. The Cardinal: Likes grasshoppers, ants and beetles. Can you imagine how many insects baby birds eat?

Bats
Bats eat a great many insects in their lifetime. Protect them whenever you can. Bat houses are available through many sources. Try Gardeners Supply

"Natural Insecticides made from the Earth, return to the Earth"
It is to our advantage to let Nature be our teacher and help us learn from our mistakes. Better Living Through Chemistry1has helped us to develop into a highly skilled and educated society. Better Living Through Nature can take us even further by enabling our societies to grow and develop sustainable while we exist in harmony with Nature.

Vegetable Organics
Vegetable Organics is not a new science, since housewives have been using garlic or cayenne pepper to control bugs for centuries. Veganics is also a safe method of using not only the wide array of materials available at the grocery store, but also the wide array of vegetables that we can grow ourselves! From pepper to lettuce, there are many store bought items that can be used safety against pests2.

Homemade Sprays
see also Hot Sauces, Tabasco, Chili Peppers Homemade sprays can be made from a variety of plants, herbs, vegetables and various store bought items. Always use with caution. Follow the rule " Less is Best" . Use as little as you can to achieve the results you want. There are many store bought items which are essentially homemade recipes gone mass market. The craze for hotter chili sauces and hotter sauces of any kind has made it easier for the organic gardener to find many alternatives to pesticides for pest control. The hotter the better. Avoid anything that has preservatives or additives, colorings, etc. A good mail order source is Mo Hotta Mo Betta.

A synergistic plant is any type of plant or natural material that when added to another plant/material increases the effectiveness of that plant. Soap is a natural synergist for most plants as it acts both as a wetting agent and pest/disease control. Tabasco sauce is another such product which kills on contact and repels as well. Tabasco soap is a blend of the two. Many vegetables can be made into a liquid and then sprayed in a diluted form to protect plants , repel or even kill bugs. There are many store bought items and vegetables that are all ready made for you to use such as those mentioned in Mo Hatta Mo Betta catalog. Some good oil synergists are garlic, peanut, pecan, coconut oil, any vegetable oil. Use all Plant mixtures with Caution

There are many plants which will kill both beneficials and the pests as well, so be specific as to what you are applying or spraying. I have found that almost all plants can be harmful if improperly introduced into the garden environment. Tobacco can create havoc in the garden if sprayed with out proper care. Cayenne pepper does the same damage also. It is for this reason that you must use with care any sprays that you make. Also many plants can be harmful to humans, birds, or fish. Just because it's organic doesn't mean it' safe!. One drop of Tobacco Sulfate is enough to kill you. As simple a plant as garlic can do a great deal of damage in the garden's eco-system as it affects the beneficials as well. Many plants are oil based and may produce toxic substances as well. The Oleander plant gives off a toxic substance that could kill a young child or dog if enough of the plant is eaten. Lettuce when made into a liquid will kill white fly and many other soft bodied insects! Leaves from your tomato plant will kill roaches and flies! Soap if overused will kill beneficials and earthworms and make for a dead soil. So be careful with these mixtures. Label them and teach yourself, your children how to use them!

Wash off all fruit and vegetables, before eating!
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1. Remember that old slogan?
2. When buying just follow the simple rule of no additives or preservatives unless natural.


any questions?
Andy Lopez
The Invisible Gardener


Last Update:12/18/2012