How to Get Rid of Garden Pests Naturally?

Spring is coming! Everything looks so colourful, greener and brighter. You cannot wait to start preparing your beautiful garden. Probably, you’ve already set the organic greenhouse. 

Everything looks just perfect! 

But the nightmare is hiding in your garden. Sooner or later, all the time and efforts will be meaningless as the little bad garden bugs, and other pests will devastate everything.

In this article, the Fantastic Pest Control specialists will cover some of the most common bad garden bugs and other pests and how to get rid of them naturally.

How to Get Rid of Aphids?

Aphids are small garden insects with soft bodies, usually can be green, yellow, brown or black in colour. They have thin and long pieces in their mouth, which help them feed on plant fluids.

Excessive aphids infestation can cause interruption of the growth, yellowing, curling and deformity of the leaves. Also, they can release a substance that is black and sticky and can lead to the growth of fungus.

Here are some of the most efficient ways to get rid of the aphids naturally:

• Attract enemies: you can attract predators of aphids, such as ladybirds.
• Aphids, also, are not fans of certain plants like mint, catnip, basil and other strongly scented herbs.
• Handpicking: removing aphids manually might be ridiculous, but if the infested area is very small, for example, just on one plant, you can easily pick them. Use a pair of gloves and dip the affected branch in a bucket with soapy water. 
• Dust plants with flour: the flour will stifle the aphids.  

How to Get rid of Carpenter Ants?

Carpenter ants are large, around 1.5cm in length. They are dark brown or black in colour. They cannot sting, but if you bother them, they can bite you painfully with their jaws. They can inhabit indoors and outdoors, as well. These types of ants prefer a moist and rotting environment and construct tunnels under windows, decks and porches or in trees. 

The insects are actually not that dangerous for your garden, but they can influence it indirectly. First of all, carpenter ants feed on other insects’ parts. This means they can eat beneficial bugs. Secondly, these ants love sugary liquids such as floral nectars and fruit juices. Also, their diet includes honeydew, produced by aphids. The ants generally farm the aphids, protect them and even lead them to the plants in order to ensure their living.

So, you can get rid of the carpenter ants in these three ways:

• Use Borax: Boric acid is an excessively used natural pesticide but still should be applied carefully. You can create your own ant repellent by mixing 1 part of the Borax and 3 parts of powdered sugar in small containers. Leave them on the ants’ trails. 
• Use essential oils: soak cotton pads or balls with peppermint essential oils. Leave them around the entry points or other areas they crawl.
• Sprinkle baby powder: another solution which is highly unpleasant to the carpenter ants. You can spread it again near the entry points and trails.

How to Get Rid of Caterpillars?

Caterpillars are worm-like larvae of moths or butterflies. They have elongated soft bodies. Depending on the species, they can vary from 1mm up to 15mm in length. Usually, the caterpillars are covered with hair-like fluff, which plays the role of defence against threats. They can even change their colour as per the colour of the plant they feed on. 

The larvae are among the most vicious pests for agriculture because they are avid feeders of leaves or other plant parts like seeds. Except that some caterpillars can be poisonous. For example, if you touch them, the spines can snap off your skin and can cause water blisters.

Getting rid of caterpillars might not be so hard, but you still can try these approaches:

• Remove them manually: yes, plucking caterpillars is way easier than handpicking aphids. Use protective gloves and gather them in a bucket or container with a lid so that they cannot escape. Then, you can release them somewhere in the woodlands, away from your garden. 
• Use Bacillus thuringiensis: this is an organic bacteria which is formed in the soil. It contains a protein that is highly poisonous to the caterpillars and paralyses their digestive system. Then, the caterpillars stop eating and eventually die. 
• Make chili spray: caterpillars hate chili. To create the solution you’ll need to mix about 100gr of dried chili with 1.5L of boiling water. Leave it on the hob for 5 minutes. Then add another 1.5L of cold water with 2-3 drops of dish soap. You’re ready to spray the solution on the affected areas. 

How to Get Rid of Crickets?

Crickets are garden insects and have cylindrical bodies, long legs that help them hop from one to another place and antennas. They are known for their squeaking sounds during summer nights. They live in bushes and woodland areas.

Crickets feed on foliage and can damage some landscape plants. Others eat flowers and even fruit.  

Get rid of the crickets by following these easy methods:

• Keep the grass maintained: make sure that the lawn is mowed and the plants are trimmed well. This way, you will repel crickets from making a nest in your garden.
• If you have a cat, leave it in the garden. The furry pet loves to play with crickets.
• Install a bird feeder: some types of birds love crickets. So, you have to attract them to your backyard. 
• Spiders and lizards are other predators that include crickets in their dinner menu.

How to Get Rid of Wasps?

Wasps can be easily mistaken for bees, but actually, they are way different. Wasps have yellow and black stripes and lack the “hair”, unlike bees. The insects feed on rotting or fresh fruit, nectar and meat as well.

Wasps can sting more than once without dying, unlike bees. Their stings can be extremely painful and very dangerous to people with allergies.  

In the case of wasps, you have to:

• Identify the nest: this is the first step before dealing with wasps. You cannot kill 2-3 wasps and think that you’ve dealt with them. There could be many more!
• Wasp nest treatment: if you want to deal with the wasp nest on your own, you have to know this is risky, especially if you are not well prepared for this. For a natural wasp nest treatment, we would recommend the smoke technique. It is commonly used in aerial places where the nest is, like trees. You have to light a fire right under the nest. Don’t stay there waiting to see what will happen. Go inside the house or for a walk. The wasps will eventually spread away from the smoke. They will get more violent this is why we don’t recommend you being around. In a few hours, you can check if there’s a sign of a wasp presence.
• Get rid of the nest: after you’re assured the nest is empty, just throw the nest away, drown it or burn it. It’s up to you. 

Check also:

Differences Between Wasps, Bees and Hornets
How to Get Rid of Wasp’s Nest

How to Get Rid of Flea Beetles?

The flea beetle is another bad garden bug. It’s a small, shiny-black jumping bug that is similar to the house flea. They live in the garden and hide in bushes and wooden areas. 

During the planting season, flea beetles emerge and can harm many agricultural crops. Adults feed on leaves and garden flowers. At the larval stage, they eat roots. They usually attack new and fresh leaves, as cultures are too long. Also, flea beetles can spread diseases on plants, such as fade and decay.

In order to protect your beautiful garden from flea beetles, you can try these organic solutions:

• Create a homemade spray: for the solution, you’ll need to mix 5-6 cups of water, 1tbsp of liquid soap and approx. two cups of rubbing alcohol. You can test before applying it and if it works well, then spray on each affected foliage of the plants.
• Place traps: you can place them over the garden (mostly around the infested plants) yellow sticky traps. They are used against insects that are attracted to the colour yellow and work perfectly against flea beetles.
• Watering: providing your plants with water and nutrients will protect them against flea beetles. Plants that lack water will be easily attracted by the beetles overnight. 

How to Get Rid of Field Mice?

Field mice are rodents that we are all familiar with which occupy the garden occasionally. The brownie vermins can climb, jump and even swim. They live in forests, grass and bushy areas. They bury in the ground where they build a nest. 

Apart from being unwelcome to your house, they can threaten the garden, as well. Field mice feed on both plants and animals. They eat seeds, fruit, nuts and other planted crops. The tiny rodents can spread diseases such as salmonella, bring fleas and other health problems.

If you want to keep the mice away from your garden, you can stick to the following advice:

• Maintain the lawn: tall grass is a perfect hiding spot not only for the field mice but for other bugs, as well. Keep it neat and mowed.
• Keep the garden clean: make sure you don’t leave waste somewhere in the garden. Clean it regularly and get rid of the compost piles that attract the mice.
• Keep food in a safe place: don’t leave pet food, bird food or any other type of food open and easily accessed. This is tempting to the field mice, as well.

How to Get Rid of Frogs?

Frogs can be harmless, as they eat different types of insects and bugs and serve as predators. They also seem innocent because they just jump around and croak noisily. Anyway, some types of frogs can be poisonous and can carry salmonella bacteria. Furthermore, frogs usually lay their eggs in water. So, if you have a swimming pool or a pond in your garden, frogs can clog the filters and skimmers which will lead to further complications.

Frogs might not bother you, but if you still want your swimming pool to work fine, check our recommendations on how to repel them:

• Drain the water: well, it’s not okay for you to drain the water every night, but if you have a higher population of frogs in your garden, you should think about it. No water source means no frogs, no mosquitoes, and no flies.
• Cover the swimming pool: make sure you cover the pool every night. This might help to some extent. It’s very important not allowing them to enter the pool! 
• Get rid of the outside lights: we know that you need the lighting, and it’s beautiful during nighttime. Remember that lights attract flies, mosquitoes and other flying insects, and they are the food source for the frogs. Instead, use it only when you need it.

How to Get Rid of Gastropods?

Gastropods are known as slugs and snails. Snails have shells, unlike slugs which don’t have such or the shells are reduced. These slippery pests inhabit forests, lakes, rivers, and gardens. As you might guess, most of them love plants, leaves, algae or fungi. Snails and slugs are great climbers, thanks to the slime they produce. So they can easily get to high-rise fruit or flower buds.

If you were wondering how to get rid of the slimy invaders, here’s how you can do it: 

• Use eggshells: snails and slugs have very soft bodies. For that reason, you can crumble eggshells around the areas where you’ve seen them. The eggshells have acute edges, which are painful for the snails and slugs and will deviate them.
• Set a beer trap: bury a container or bucket on the ground level. Fill it with beer and wait for the snails and slugs to be caught in the trap. They are attracted to beer, which is why the method is one of the most efficient.
• Make a grapefruit trap: another thing snails and slugs are attracted to. You have to cut the grapefruit in half, then scoop the core and leave the peel around the affected plants. The next morning you might find snails or slugs trapped inside the peel. You can release them in the forest far from your garden. 

How to Get Rid of Moles?

Moles are small pests that live underground. They are furry and have paws and extra thumbs that help them make tunnels more easily. Moles are considered to be blind and deaf, but actually, they can see movements and light.

Moles are considered to be agricultural pests. They can cause damage to the machinery or drainage system. These pests create hills that destroy the landscape and kill parts of the lawns. Moles don’t consume flowers or plant roots, but they can either cause damage or move the roots to another place. 

There are several ways you can get rid of moles, and it’s not an easy battle. Still, you can try these ones:

• Nitrogen gas: recently, many people use the nitrogen gas to get rid of moles. It’s also safe for the environment. 
• Nonstandard method: if you are a cat owner, don’t throw the cat litter. Instead, fill some of the mole holes with it.
• Make a mole repellent: for the solution you’ll have to mix ¼ cup of castor oil, 1-2 tbsp. of dish soap, 1-2 tbsp. of cayenne pepper. To this mix, add 1-2 tbsp. of water and pour the whole mixture into a spray bottle. Apply to the areas where you have evidenced moles presence, such as raised humps and the surrounding. 

How to Get Rid of Ticks?

Ticks are one of the most vicious enemies in the garden. These small bloodsucking ectoparasites can be barely seen. Ticks live in moisture warm climates and hide in woodlands, grass, and trees that are usually unmaintained.

Ticks are extremely dangerous parasites, as they can spread serious diseases such as Lyme disease or Q fever. Also, bad garden bugs can suck your blood without being noticed. Half of the tick’s body will eventually end up inside you, feeding on your blood and organs. Moreover, if you try getting rid of the tick and tear it off its body, the tick itself has the ability to develop inside your body and still feed on your blood. 

If you encounter ticks in your garden, you have to get rid of them immediately with the help of these methods:

• Apply a natural insecticide: You can find an over-the-counter organic insecticide called pyrethrin against ticks. It will kill parasites and even fleas. The pyrethrin powder can be used on the lawn, but the spray can be applied on fences or other vertical areas.
• Keep the lawn mowed: Once again, keep the garden clean. Don’t leave the grass to get This will guarantee ticks will be destroyed.
• Check your pets regularly: as ticks are bloodsucking parasites, it’s most commonly to be attracted by your dog or cat, as well. You should check thoroughly your pets for ticks. Also, take precautions and go to the vet, who will prescribe a tick treatment.

Conclusion

These are one of the most common pests living in the garden. Some of them are hidden, others can be easily spotted. The truth is each of them needs to be treated with the right natural solutions, and they have to be safe for you, your family and the garden.

If you have tried any of the above-mentioned or others that we didn’t cover, you can share your ideas with us. Share with us how you are dealing with the annoying pests in the garden!

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