Making Pest Control Safe
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.
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.
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