Gardening Basics

Garden Pests and Organic Prevention Methods

By Darren Sherriff

#9- Japanese Beetles

You would think that these things are the next monster movie from Japan! They swarm in, skeletonize a bunch of plants, then they are gone. The folks in the western part of the country may not know of this pest, but the eastern 2/3 certainly does. They do not discriminate on what types of plants they feed on. In fact, they are classified as a pest to hundreds of different species. There is a good chance that if it grows, the Japanese beetle will feed on it. Unfortunately, the most effective way of getting rid of Japanese beetles is to hand pick them. This is very time consuming, but it certainly helps.

If you are a tad squeamish, and don’t want to touch them, then Neem oil is your next best bet. The chemicals in Neem, an organic product, are ingested and passed on into the beetle’s eggs, the larvae then die before they become adults. If you want to have some fun getting rid of pests, plant some geraniums. Japanese beetles are attracted to them like moths to a flame. They eat the blossoms, promptly get dizzy, fall down, and then you can dispose of them easily into the trash.

#10- Earwigs

I saved this one for last because it too, kind of like birds, can be a good pest or a bad pest. Earwigs are nocturnal, feeding mostly at night. They are scavengers, eating primarily dead insects and decaying vegetation, such as composting leaves and other plant items found under wet leaves or mulch. On the flip side, earwigs will attack plants, especially seedlings. Those tender shoots are great food for young earwigs. The damage can be seen on some crops and other garden plants, and that damage can injure the plant to the point of making it unproductive.

Normally any advice given for eliminating earwigs from the garden is to reduce or eliminate the moist, dark conditions from your garden in which they live in. If you have a healthy garden, chances are, you have wet, dark places. It might be under a flowerpot or even just the mulch that is in your beds. Adding a barrier to the edges of your garden is a possibility, because, earwigs cannot travel very far, especially in or over dry conditions. If you can place an area of sand or some other medium that would stay dry, try that. Insecticidal soap has been shown to be a decent control, it does not kill them, but if you spray it every 3-4 days, they tend to stay away.

Hopefully, you have very few of these pests, but like I said at the beginning, every garden will have its pests, so try some of these organic methods and see if you can eliminate the majority of them.

Happy Growing!

Darren

Related Featured Articles

Dealing with Common Indoor Plant Pests
By Amy Grisak
Read article
Summer Rose Care: Three Things You Need to Know
Summer Rose Care: Three Things You Need to Know
By Marianne Binetti
Read article

Related Videos

Protect Dwarf Daffodils With Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Protect Dwarf Daffodils With Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Runtime: 1:40
Watch Video
Pest Control Tips (Bagworms, Slugs, Yellow Jackets)
Pest Control Tips (Bagworms, Slugs, Yellow Jackets)
Runtime: 2:17
Watch Video

Related Blogs

How Do Organic Pesticides Work?
By Amy Grisak
Read this post
Planting Herbs to Repel Insects
By Amy Grisak
Read this post

Here’s more information about gardening that you’re going to want

Membership has its perks!

Become a PlantersPlace member! Registered users can ask Marianne Binetti questions, create personal photo gallery and post product reviews.