5 Natural pest management strategies
When we look to healthy natural eco-systems there are few pests. These eco-systems look after themselves, they don't rely on people to come in and remove caterpillars or use toxic chemicals to kill bugs. Nature does the work itself, every plant and animal has a role in the system. We can learn and implement the same approach in our own gardens. There is even a name given to this type of pest management in agriculture, it’s called integrated pest management.
Common pests
It might be a good place to start with what pests I am talking about. Pests are subjective, a pest to you might not be one to somebody else who invites them into their gardens with open arms. But here I am talking about the most commonly complained about insects like:
snails and slugs
earwigs
caterpillars
grasshoppers
mosquitos
scale
leafminer
aphids
mealybug and many more
5 Natural pest management strategies
My garden is not fully established yet and I have had to deal with several of these pests. I have dealt with scale, earwigs, snails and slugs, leafminer, aphids and caterpillars on an almost daily basis. I am a big fan of permaculture and it has influenced the way in which I look at the entire garden as one system. Implementing natural pest management solutions should always come before we even consider anything else. It’s also essential to know that to completely rid yourself of pests is impossible, but we can use natural methods to prevent them from completely decimating our veggie patches. Having pests in our back yards isn’t necessarily a bad thing but they can become an issue when they aren’t kept under control.
1. Diversity
The first thing I want to talk about is diversity. Diversity reduces vulnerability to a variety of threats and takes advantage of the unique nature of the environment in which it resides. This makes it hands down the most important thing you can do. When we look at a healthy natural setting there is diversity everywhere. The plants, the birds, the flowers, the fungi, the insects, bats, frogs, lizards, fish, turtles, etc. Diversity is the most critical aspect in a natural pest management system, without it we run into more issues with our gardens. By creating a diverse environment we can invite a whole range of beneficial insects like ladybugs, native bees and lacewings, predators like praying mantises and local birds, small reptiles like native lizards and many more. Our diverse gardens become a haven for all creatures. The bugs we don't want will also attract their hunters. To create diversity, use lots of different plants and create habitats which are inviting to all of them.
Some examples include, placing logs in and around your gardens for lizards to hang out in, shrubs and small trees for small birds to hide in, bee hotels for bees to rest in and lots of flowering plants for both native and honey bees. We want as many different species of trees, shrubs, flowers, climbers, ground covers, fruits, vegetables, grasses and everything else in between. When we have a diverse range of plants, we also bring with them a diverse range of animals. This is exactly what we want.
If you want to learn more about improving biodiversity then you can read about it here:
2. Sacrificial plants
A sacrificial plant is a plant you purposely use to distract pests and deter them from the crops you really love. In other words you probably don't care as much about your sacrificial plants. These decoy plants are chosen specifically because they are loved by pests. Pest insects are impossible to avoid, they will make their way into your garden no matter what you do. Use sacrificial plants to divert them away from the crops you really care about.
Three common sacrificial plants include:
Nasturtiums
Marigolds
Calendula
It pays to keep an eye on the behaviour of pests in your own patch. For example, if a particular fast-growing herb, vegetable or leafy green attracts a certain pest, then you could use this as a sacrificial plant also.
3. healthy soil
Soil is not just lifeless dirt, it is in fact very much alive. We must all look after our soil and help to keep it healthy because the healthier the soil, the healthier the plants. When soil is healthy, plants are more resilient and less susceptible to diseases and unwanted insects. When starting any garden the soil should always be prepared and continuously improved upon. Soil can be improved over time through various organic amendments. Applying homemade compost is an excellent option.
Compost can be made in several ways, there is a suitable method, no matter your living situation. Vermicomposting or worm farming is a simple approach in which you feed kitchen scraps to worms. You can also create leaf mould, or start a cold or hot compost pile.
I have written a few articles about composting, if you’re interested you can read more here:
Three other very simple things you can do to amend the soil are:
Mulching - The aim of mulching is keep the soil moist for longer. Mulch will also break down over time and add essential nutrients back into the soil.
Applying animal manures. This feeds the soil microbes and plants essential nutrients that they need
chopping and dropping - This is a process of placing tree prunings immediately back onto the soil. This acts as a mulch and decomposes over time adding valuable nutrients back into the soil.
There are hundreds of other things you can do but these three are really easy and will make a massive difference to the soil in both the short and long term.
4. Avoid chemical sprays and synthetic fertilisers
Natural pest management means avoiding toxic chemical sprays and synthetic fertilisers. These sprays may rid you of those unwanted critters for a while but they will return again and again and again and again. These are short term fixes that actually cause more harm in the long run. They not only kill the pests, but they also kill the bugs you do want in your garden. Beneficial insects like bees, lacewings, ladybugs and butterflies are also affected.
We don’t need to resort to harmful chemical sprays and synthetic fertilisers, there are ways to do this naturally and organically. You can create your own liquid fertilisers like weed tea, compost tea or worm tea.
Read more about homemade liquid fertilisers here:
Using homemade composts and bettering the soil will greatly boost the quality of the soil.
5. Insect eating plants and animals
Insect eating plants
There are plenty of plants that will take care of pests for you. Two of the most common are Pitcher plants and Venus fly trap. Others include sundews and nepenthes. They do require very specific boggy conditions which mimic their natural environment, but if these are met then they can be another weapon in your arsenal. They will catch and kill flying insects like flies.
INSECT DETERENT PLANTS
There are also plants that can be used strategically as pest deterrents. Strongly scented plants can be scattered around your garden to repel annoying insects like mosquitos, flies, aphids and cabbage white butterfly. Rosemary, lavender, thyme, lemongrass, mint, nasturtiums, alliums, marigolds, chrysanthemums, and catmint are great starters. The chemicals these common plants contain deter different bugs and can be used effectively in a diverse system.
Animals
Integrating animals into your systems will also help you greatly. In permaculture there is a famous quote. You don’t have a snail problem, you have a duck deficiency. If you have the space and time to care for animals like chickens, ducks or quails then these guys will benefit you in keeping some of your pests at bay. They also have the added benefit of providing you with eggs for eating and manure for enhancing the soil.
However, we don’t all have the luxury of space or the time to maintain a flock of poultry, myself included. Luckily, we don’t need to, we can think smaller. Some plants will attract pests, which is not always a bad thing. Pests like aphids, also attract their predators. Lacewings and lady bugs will devour an entire colony of aphids. Parasitic wasps like Aphidius colemani will also help to keep aphid populations low. Other animals you may take for granted are probably already doing a great job for you. For example, spiders catch many different flying bugs in their intricate webs, lizards will gorge themselves on snails, beetles, cockroaches and crickets, and adult dragonflies eat mosquitos and white cabbage butterflies.
To entice these natural pest managers, a biodiverse garden without the use of chemical sprays and fertilisers is needed.
