Natural Alternatives To Pesticides

Having a garden is great! Asides from being a superb recreational activity, you get to plant your vegetables and fruits, thereby having access to healthy, organic foods. Imagine you plant the seeds and carefully care for your crops. Then all of a sudden, nasty pests invade your garden eating your plants before you get a chance to.

When this happens, your knee-jerk reaction will be to get a pesticide to kill those nuisance pests. But pesticides come with some drawbacks. Countless studies have linked pesticides to several diseases like cancer, ADHD, and birth defects, among many others. Furthermore, they contaminate soil, water, and other vegetation.

Thankfully, there are natural ways you can eliminate your pest problems without causing negative impacts as a side effect. In this post, we explore some of them.

Natural Insect Control

Insects are a major concern for garden owners. Their small size makes them difficult to keep out. Read on and visit naturalinsectcontrol.org for some recipes and strategies that can serve as natural insect control.

• Growing special plants

Did you know that there are some plants that insects hate? By planting them in your garden, you can naturally deter these nasty pests from your garden, property, and home. Some examples include:

• Marigolds and/or feverfew: grow this plant around your vegetables. Insects dislike the strong odor.
• Chives and nasturtium: used to keep aphids away.
• Borage: effective for keeping worms out of tomatoes.
• Rosemary: effective for keeping mosquitoes away.
• Using DIY repellents

There are several natural recipes you can make to create effective solutions that can help drive nuisance pests away. Some of which include:

• Onion and garlic spray

Put one clove of garlic and one medium-sized onion into a small bowl. Then add water to the bowl and let it sit for some time. Thereafter, add a dash of liquid soap and a teaspoon of cayenne pepper to the mix. Spray your plants with this mixture to prevent bug infestations.

• Peppermint oil

Spiders hate peppermint. Hence, you can use this fact to create a natural spider repellent. To make this repellent, add about 15 drops of peppermint essential oil to a spray bottle full of water. Apply the solution to areas of your property affected by spiders.

• Chrysanthemum flower tea

This flower contains pyrethrum, which is a powerful compound that damages the nervous system of pests and insects. Put some of these dried flowers in a pan of water and boil for about 20 minutes. Pour the solution into a spray bottle and include neem oil for better effectiveness. Spray it around your garden and property to keep insects away.

• Garlic solution

A mixture of onions, garlic, and pepper is effective for repelling bugs. Onion and garlic contain sulfur compounds, which creates an off-putting odor for pests. What’s great about this natural repellent is it neither harms plants nor the environment. To make a homemade bug spray, put garlic and onion in a spray bottle filled with water. Then add a teaspoon of cayenne pepper powder.

The major drawback of natural solutions is they need to be re-applied frequently, especially after it has been washed away by rain.

Humane Wildlife Removal

Nuisance wildlife can also become pests. Animals like raccoons, opossums, rodents, and more will steal fruits and vegetables from your garden. There are some natural tactics that can help keep them away and you can always hire a pro like Wildlife X Team Central Texas for humane wildlife removal.

• Natural repellents

Natural repellents that can be used to deter nuisance wildlife include:

• Predator urine: spraying the urine of wolves or foxes around your property is one of the humane raccoon control methods. The scent of predators will inform nuisance wildlife not to come close. However, predator urine needs to be re-applied often because it wears off easily.
• Large dogs: can be used to drive nuisance wildlife from your yard.
• Smell repellents: like mothballs, garlic, mint oil, etc.
• Visual repellents: like flashing lights, cloth flagging, and string fences.
• Trapping

Trapping is also a humane wildlife removal tactic. Live traps can be used to capture nuisance wildlife, which may then be euthanized or relocated.

• Fencing

Large pests like raccoons, opossums, skunks, and moles can be kept out of your garden or property by fencing. An electric fence is ideal. Make sure that the fence is high enough and deep enough so nuisance wildlife can neither jump over nor burrow under to gain access.