Top 10 Garden Friends
1. Bees – Bumble bees, honey bees others. They important for pollination.
2. Wasps - They eat aphids, mites, whiteflies, caterpillar eggs, moth larvae, beetles, corn earwigs.
3. Praying Mantis – these unusual looking bugs are great for controlling aphids.
4. Ladybugs – These “ladies” of the garden control aphids, mealy bugs and mites.
5. Beetles – particularly ground beetles, are fantastic for eating caterpillars, cut worms and slugs.
6. Spiders – They are extremely beneficial for eating a wide variety of pests.
7. Green Lacewings – Consume aphids, mites and a variety of pest eggs.
8. Earthworms – provide nutrients, aerating the soil and controlling PH
9. Butterflies -pollinators
10. Goldenrod soldier beetle -Great pollinators
THE ENEMY
Aphid, Woolly Aphids
Cucumber beetles
Chinese stink bugs /squash bugs
Big Bud Mite
Large Cabbage
White Caterpilar
Small Cabbage
Gooseberry Sawfly
Aquilegia Sawfly
Bullfinch
Cockchafer Grub
Carrot Fly Grub
Leatherjacket
Leaf Beetle
Midge Larva
Moth Larvae
Flatworm
Red Lily Beetle
Pea Beetle Rabbit
Slug Snail
Scale Insect
Wireworm
Wood-pigeon
Vine Weevil
I use this websites to identify bugs and plants http://davesgarden.com/
http://doctorgreenfingers.zymichost.com/pests.html
Here's a organic natural spray from this website (slightly changed by me because I got small children) http://www.heirloom-organics.com/guide/naturalpesticide.html
Garlic Fire Spray
Garlic fire spray is the stuff of legend. There are many recipes, but they consist of some or all of the following: garlic, chilli peppers, soap, vegetable or(neem)oil, and water.
- 2-3 garlic bulbs (about 6-10 cloves per bulb)
- 6 large or 12 smaller hot chilli peppers (any variety will do, or if unavailable try 1-2 tablespoon hot chilli powder)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 squirts of liquid vegetable soup (approximately 1 dessertspoonful)
- 7 cups water. (Use about 2-3 cups in the blender, and top up with the rest later)
Put
the whole lot into a blender and blend well, then strain through
muslin, a coffee filter.. Pour what you need into a spray
bottle for use and keep the rest in jars with lids on in a cupboard or
on a shelf somewhere, well labeled.
Experiment with it if necessary and check for
results or any damage to young plants. If it fixes the problem and your
plants are happy, you've got the perfect mix, but if there's still a few
biggie pests, , then lower the water dilution rate or
change the ingredient quantities slightly.
Lovely
garlicky, pongy stuff, but the smell dissipates quickly once it's been
sprayed around. This garlic fire mixture needs to be re-sprayed
frequently, such as after rain and dew. It's best to spray every few
days until there's no sign of pests, then about every week to 10 days
for any eggs or larvae that may have hatched out.
Uses
for this natural garden pest control are unlimited. Because it has oil
and soap in it, it sticks to plants as well as suffocating
pests such as scale and mealy bug. It will kill ants, aphids,
caterpillars, grubs, bugs and just about anything small. SO BE VERY SELECTIVE — MIND THE LADYBUGS, LACEWINGS, BEES AND OTHER BENEFICIAL FRIENDS.
