If you are new to gardening, the sight of bugs crawling among your plants can be alarming.
Well, some garden bugs can do great damage to your yard, and there is nothing as bad as losing your hard work to these bugs. But before you pull out your spray kit, take your time to consider the effect of pesticides on your garden’s ecosystem.
Not every bug is bad for your garden. In fact, the larger percentage of insects in your yard are harmless. Most of these insects will go about their business without harming your plants. Some, eat the bugs that devour on your plants.
Why shouldn’t you spray your garden with pesticides?
 |
| https://pixabay.com/photos/ladybugs-ladybirds-bugs-insects-1593406/ |
Spraying synthetic pesticides and insecticides creates more problems for your garden than it solves. These chemicals are not only unhealthy for human beings, but they also kill the good bugs and other unintended targets such as birds.
Considering most bugs in your yard the good ones, we need to figure out how to kill the bad bugs ones and leave out the good ones. Here are some useful tips that can help you do so;
Tips for controlling pests without killing good bugs
1. Blasting them off
Some bugs need nothing more than a blast of water to get rid off. Unwanted Pests can easily be dislodged with a blast of cold water without killing the good bugs. To get the job done, you can spray cold water directly at the unwanted bugs.
This method works well on some small-bodied insects such as aphids, whiteflies and other tiny insects damaging your plants.
2. Soap bad bugs to death
Bugs which put up a good fight even after trying to dislodge them with water can be killed with insecticidal soaps. These soaps work well in removing the waxy coating in soft-bodied insects, causing them to get dehydrated, which eventually lead to death. Unlike most insecticides, these soaps do not harm honeybees or leave a toxic residue on your plants.
3. Targeted organic pesticides
Some garden pests are quite resistant, and the above ways might not be effective to kill them. A targeted organic pesticide can get rid of such bugs by killing only one type of bug in the yard.
For example, when you spray a targeted organic pesticide on potatoes being munched on by Colorado beetles, the only insects that will die here are the beetles.
If a bird or a toad happens to eat these beetles sprayed with the organic pesticides, they will only get a good meal and won’t be affected by the pesticide. This can be an effective method to get rid of some annoying pests like cutworms, snails and Colorado potato beetles.
4. Get rid of pests with beneficial bugs
Lady beetles, praying mantis and spiders are examples of beneficial insects that prey on pests in your garden. Lure these insects into your garden by having an attractive and diverse habitat of different herbs, plants, and flowers. This will help you have a team of natural enemies against the pests which will help you get the job done.
Reducing pesticides can also help you will create a conducive environment for the beneficial insects to thrive in.
Recap
Being familiar with the bugs visiting your garden is the first step when combating pests. Pesticides and insecticides can harm beneficial insects, plants, as well as human beings when used regularly. Therefore, it is best to avoid using these chemicals by using some of the few steps demonstrated above to get rid of pests in your garden.
Today's post has been graciously brought to us by a sponsor who agrees with Our Daily Green that there are safe ways to get rid of unwanted bugs, but also to preserve the beneficial insects.
