How To Get Rid Of Common Garden Pests

Garden pests really are a pain, aren’t they? They can very quickly undo hours and hours of hard work. So, firstly you need to get rid of them and then you need to prevent them from coming back.

However, not all bugs are bad for your garden, some are actually incredibly beneficial and so you need to know which ones are pests and then, ideally, you will want to use natural pest controllers, because they will be less expensive and safer for your garden, family, wildlife and the environment, than pesticides.

Make your own spray  

Aphids, commonly known as greenfly or blackfly, are sap-sucking insects and can be a real problem for your plants. They distort growth, cause a lack of vigour and often excrete a sticky substance which allows the growth of moulds. They can also transmit plant viruses that can be a particular problem in your vegetable patch and for many other plants. Nightmare! But, the solution is actually pretty simple.

A citrus-rind spray can be created by grating the rind of a lemon or orange and combining it with boiling water. Leave it over night and then strain it (ideally through a coffee filter) to remove all the bits. Put it in a spray bottle and spray the aphids on the leaves of the plants. Don’t forget to spray underneath the leaves too. Continue to reapply every four to seven days for as long as the problem persists.

Buy them a beer

Did you know slugs and snails love beer? Well, they do, almost as much as they love to eat holes in leaves, stems and flowers of many plants. So, fill an empty tuna or cat-food can with beer and bury it in your garden soil up to the rim. Slugs and snails will then be attracted to the beer and drown in it. Sounds cruel – but it is the best way to protect your plants from these pests. You can throw out the entire can and replace it with a fresh batch. 

Choose the right plants 

There are certain plants and flowers that will deter various garden pests. Take cats, for example, unless it is your own pet they can become a real nuisance in the garden. However, plant a ‘Scaredy Cat’ (Plectranthus ornatus) and the scent, which is unpleasant to cats, should be enough to keep them away.

Create a barrier

To avoid larger pests entering your garden, you will want to surround it to block their access. Start by putting up a sturdy fence around the perimeter and then you can always plant trees and shrubs in front of it to make it look nicer. These will require little care and attention and will be more visually pleasing than simply looking out on a fence. Similarly, you can create a barrier around the plants and vegetables themselves by using netting or mesh.