Outdoor Pest Control
All about controlling pests in your yard
Outdoor pest control can be one of the greatest challenges to the home gardener. Outdoor pests include weeds, insects, diseases, and some species of wildlife. Weeds are plants that are growing out of place and are considered a form of an outdoor pest. Insect pests include a huge number of species from tiny thrips that are nearly invisible to the naked eye, to the large larvae of the tomato hornworm. Fungi, bacteria, viruses, and other pests, some of which are only now being classified, cause diseases. Poor plant nutrition and misuse of pesticides also can cause injury to plants. Slugs, mites, and many species of wildlife such as rabbits, deer, and crows can be extremely destructive.
Careful identification of the problem is essential before control practices can be used. Some insect damage may appear to be a disease, especially if no visible insects are present, outdoor. Nutrient problems may also mimic diseases. Herbicide damage resulting from misapplication of chemicals also can be mistaken for other problems. The following is strategy for getting rid of insects.
Many insects can be removed by hand. This method is preferable if a few, large insects are causing the problem. Simply remove the insect from the plant and drop it into a container of soapy water or vegetable oil. Caution: Some insects have spines or excrete oily substances that can cause injury to humans. Use caution when handling unfamiliar insects. Wear gloves or remove insects with tweezers. Many insects can be removed from plants by spraying water from a hose or sprayer. Small vacuums can be used to suck up insects. Traps can be used effectively for some insects. These come in a variety of styles depending on the insect to be caught. Many traps rely on the use of pheromones – naturally occurring chemicals produced by the insects and used to attract the opposite sex during mating. They are extremely specific for each species and, therefore, will not harm beneficial species. One caution with traps is that they may actually draw more insects into your yard. You should not place them directly in the garden. Other traps are more generic and will attract numerous species. These include such things as yellow and blue sticky cards. Different insects are attracted to different colors. Sticky cards also can be used effectively to monitor insect pests. Outdoor pest control: bugs, outdoor pest control: ants and outdoor pest control: insects are a vital part of keeping your garden healthy.
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