Garden Club July 2010 Meeting Organic Pest Control

Organic Insect Pest Control Keys- Attract Beneficial Bugs Flowers (typically lots of tiny flowered plants such as yarrow, dill, 2 nd yr carrots) Use compost ground cover and/or mulch with straw Keep habitats for toads/birds they eat the bigger pests such as slugs and grasshoppers Handpick in the morning- get a small tongs! Old piece of wood/damp newspaper Soapy water, beer traps Accept a little loss the first years

What to do? Aphids Plant Flowers for Ladybugs, Lacewings, Hoverflies, safer soap spray if desperate Slugs Handpick, beer traps, toads, straw mulch, birds, ground beetles “Loopers” – little green caterpillars (white moth) Row covers, handpick, lacewings, tachnid flies, paper wasps Hornworms Handpick, ladybug larvae eat the eggs, paperwasps Cutworms/Corn worms (miller-type) Ground beetles, till soil earlyspring/late fall- remove pupae, collars Pick from ear at first silk, oil the silk Accept a little loss the first years