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Safe Pest Control Tips
Pest control must be done with utmost consideration to safety; safety
in terms of the plants, animals and humans. This holds especially true
for those with vegetable and organic gardens.
The main purpose of growing vegetables organically will be defeated if
they become tainted with pest control chemicals.
Here are a few long-term maintenance tips to make pest control less
damaging and more environmentally friendly.
1. Use the physical pest control process.
This may be accomplished through picking grubs off by hand, creating
barriers and traps and plugging holes. Snails can be found hiding in
damp places under rocks and towrds the base of those plants with
straplike foliage.
2. Apply biological pest control.
Encourage predatory insects such as green lacewings and dragonflies to
feed on aphids and other pests that attack your plants. You can do this
by placing a shallow bowl of water in the garden. Dragonflies
especially will hover around water. Bacterial insecticides such as B.
thuringiensis could also be used against caterpillars.
3. Only as a last resort should we turn to chemical pest control.
Organic pest control methods can be successful and the ingredients for
many of the recipes can be found in the kitchen cupboards. If chemical
sprays are really necessary, try and find the least-toxic. These
include insecticidal soaps, horticultural oils, dehydrating dusts, etc.
4. Consider the use of safer pest control substitutes.
Recipes for alternative pest control include the following:
Against Green Aphids and Mites - Mix 1 tablespoon of liquid soap and a
cup of vegetable oil. Dilute a teaspoon of this solution in a cup of
water and spray on aphids and mites.
Against Cockroaches - Dusts of boric acid can be applied to cracks or
entry points of these insects. Bay leaves on pantry shelves could also
help in warding off these critters.
Make sure that the chemicals you use are made specifically for the
insects you are targeting.
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