Pest Control

If your vegetables are being destroyed pest control is important however, animals and insects are part to our environment and are often more beneficial than harmful. They are needed for you to have a healthy vegetable garden. There are strategies you can use to prevent any damage happening to your vegetable garden.

If you are still having problems there are organic practices and preventions that can help. One of these practices is to attract beneficial bugs and insects to your garden. Provide safety in a place for them to live, water by having some kind of water feature or bath for them to use and providing food by planting some of the flowers listed below will help you have a healthy vegetable garden.

Beneficial animals:

• Birds – place bird house, feeders, water bowls; protect berries and fruits with netting.
• Bats – bat house, flattened bird house with an entrance slot on the bottom
• Toads – provide water and shelter with an upside down clay flower pot with holes chipped out on the sides for an entrance. They eat slugs.
• Snakes – pile rocks and sticks leaving room for snakes to enter. They eat slugs, snails, and insects.

Beneficial insects:

• Braconid wasps
• Earthworms
• Ground beetles
• Honeybees
• Ichneumon wasps
• Lacewings
• Lady bugs (ladybird beetles)
• Praying mantises
• Robber flies
• Spiders
• Syrphid flies
• Tachind flies
• Yellow jackets (hornets)

Beneficial flowers:

• Marigolds
• Calendula
• Sunflower
• California poppy
• Flowers of dill, parsley
• Lemon balm
• Flowers of broccoli and celery
• Nasturtiums

Learn how to identify each pest, the damage they do, susceptible vegetables, and what to do if you are having problems by choosing from the following list of common animal pests:

• birds
• cats
• deer/elk/bear
• mouse control
• raccoons
• slugs
• snails

Check out insect pest control for a list of common insects that can cause damage to your vegetables.

Return from Pest Control
Return to homepage