Biological Pest Control

This page about biological pest control is the entry page to an entire range of articles about specific kinds of pests and how to deal with them using only environmentally sound systems.

Insect ID

Get insects identified here but do check existing pictures before uploading and then do thank Moni when she helps you.

Pest Protection

Garden pest protection focuses on keeping a garden pest away from your plants by planting other plants with it. These suggestions can be used for both vegetable and flower gardens.

Companion Planting

Garlic and roses or maybe not but here's my take on companion planting

Diatomaceous Earth

Harmless to humans and pets, this material is like walking on glass for small insects and kills them.

Rotenone

The bottom line is that it is effective but it does require safety procedures (breathing mask) for the best organic control and safety - can injure humans too.

Natural Ant Control

Ants are natures cleanup crew and are good guys in the garden but sometimes you have to control them indoors and in paving areas. Here's how.

Earwigs

Controlling earwigs - they normally eat decaying material and aphids but can take bigger bites now and then.

Japanese Beetles

It takes a well rounded effort to knock these pests back - here are some starting points

Aphids

One of the most common of plant pests but one of the easiest to control as well.

Slug Control

Slug control is now best done organically without poisons - here's the product to use

Birch Leaf Miner

You can reduce and almost eliminate the damage caused by this creature using a variety of organic controls

Spider Mites

You can't see the mites only the fine webbing and the pale yellow leaves they produce from eating

Fungus Gnats

Small black flying pest in house and seeding areas call for clear action.

Cutworms

When your transplants fall over like a tree leaving no roots only stem- and a quick clean cut, read this

Cabbage Loopers

Small voracious green worms turning into hordes of small white butterflies signal large chunks out of cole crop leaves

Tomato Hornworm

Massive caterpillar able to eat a plant a night (it seems that way anyway) - here's how to control them.

Chinch Bubs

These are pests of lawns for the most part and they are fairly easily controlled in the odd year they become a pest

Organic Grub Control

The reality is that in most years, you don't have to treat and here's how to tell when to get it going.

Deer Repellants

You want to keep this plant-predator controlled if you want to see your flowers alive.

Squirrels

Squirrels are major causes of damage in many gardens, here are your options.

Mole Control

Some tips and hints on controlling moles in the home garden

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Will I Ever Win the Great Slug War?? Spring came early to this year and I couldn’t wait to start planting some flowers. There’s not much room for flowerbeds at my town home and I wanted to ...

deterring cats is there any plants that will deter cats from coming into my garden and making a mess thank you

Doug says there are a ton of marketers who would have ...

tiny frogs on flower beds How do I rid my beds of these tiny frogs?

Doug says you don't. Frogs are the good guys in the garden. They eat all manner of insects that eat your ...

Holes on Hostas, not from slugs I have holes in the leaves of my Hostas this year...I've baited for slugs, but aren't catching anything, so it must be some sort of other pest or fungus?...

killing squirrels with beet pulp pellets Hi! My pond/water garden has been infested with ground squirrels this year! they are climbing up on rocks, INTO the stream, everywhere imaginable and destroying ...

Big ugly spiders everywhere Every summer, usually by August, we have huge ugly spiders building webs all over the place around our house. I know people say spiders are good, but ...

Do ladybugs eat black aphids? I know ladybugs eat green aphids, but do they also eat black aphids? I have a huge infestation of black aphids and am anxious to control them without chemicals,...

Centipede/millipede scat in Michigan garden There are areas of the garden with tiny round balls of earth (like mini scat) which we have written off as worm castings. Upon close inspection, these ...

Green Worms in Roses I have a bed of hardy roses, there are many(Mordens, Frontenac , Wpg. Parks) have many leaves that have turned light beige spolotches and the leaves wither ...

A pest that is consuming my lilies I'm needing to identify this bug and how to get rid of them. Every year the lilies are getting smaller. I believe they either turn into a slug type of ...

Birch trees I moved into a new house that has a birch tree which hangs over my driveway. In the fall I notice what looks like misty rain on my car windows, it won'...

what is eating the irises?? I live in Northern RI and something is eating my purple iris flowers! I am not sure what kind of iris it is - someone gave it to me - short and not bearded ...

Bright Red Beetle This beetle is bright red and thin. He (or she) is mostly found on my daylillies. I had thought they were called Japaese beetles but have since found out ...

deer eating coneflower There are deer in area, will they consume a new coneflower planting by my mailbox?

Doug says that deer will eat anything if they are hungry. See articles ...