Garden Bugs Uk

How to get rid of insect pests

Red spider thrives in hot, dry conditions: usually a twice- daily mist helps keep it in check, but as I was away this didn’t happen and now it’s rampant on my indoor cucumbers. Usually found on the undersides of leaves, the tiny (only just visible with the naked eye) spiders can be red, yellow, orange, green, brown or black. They can also be a problem outside, going mad for strawberries and certain trees. It’s easy to spot the symptoms. First, pale brown speckling on the leaves, before the foliage goes quite blond. Webbing is visible in severe cases.

I removed the worst leaves and dunked the remaining foliage in water, before spraying leaves top and bottom with SB Plant Invigorator, an organic growth stimulant, pesticide and fungicide (from www.unwins.co.uk). Finally, I am putting in some biological control: Phytoseiulus persimilis, a tiny mite which gobbles up adults and larvae. Jonathan Manners, the Green Gardener (greengardener.co.uk) says you can add more, on a fortnightly basis, in bad summers. His free advice line (01493 750061) is open 7am till late during the growing season; he sends out predators the same day as well as dispensing invaluable information.

Wasps can ruin carefree summer afternoons, but I think they need a good public relations agent because they are brilliant in the garden (gobbling aphids and pollinating). My ideal control is to move them from relaxation areas and orchards, but not to decimate their numbers. You can do this with a “Waspinator” (waspinator.co.uk), an ingenious fabric bag with camouflage-like markings which fool the wasps that there is already a nest and colony around. Wasps will not fly in a zone anywhere near another nest, so it ensures another colony does not start. A large beer garden in Germany had to close on many hot afternoons due to wasps. They ordered 98 Waspinators and now there is not a wasp to be seen!

Ideally, hang your Waspinator up in April when the pregnant queen comes out of hibernation. Position it in areas you use for eating – each one will do a good 23ft (7m) radius – and use the Wasp Bain for a large orchard.These traps are designed to capture and kill any wasp that enters into the trap of the throat on the attached solution. The problem with the usual pots of sugar solution is that if he found a wasp and not die, it goes back and brings his companions.

Garden insects the good the bad the green and the ugly | Green Pepper

Every gardener knows that insects accompany plants like day follows night, but the more you know about those insects, the better prepared you are for a confrontation if it becomes necessary.  Don’t forget that Nature has her own checks and balances to ensure survival of the species, no matter what that species may be.  As for your garden, you should know the difference between the good, the bad and the plain old ugly.

Here are just a few tips about some of the most common insects found in gardens, the ones you want and the ones you want to get rid of post-haste.  Take note before you start undiscriminating spraying of insect killer; you don’t want to slaughter the good guys, and when you go after the bad guys, there are usually better ways to do it than using insecticides.

To start with, make sure your garden is well-mulched and drains properly, and plants are far enough apart to allow air circulation and minimize the ‘cover’ for attacking pests.  Check with your local gardening centre and/or an experienced gardener to find out which insects you’re most likely to encounter in your area.  If you must use an insecticide, try to make it an organic formula that is specifically designed for the particular insect you’re after.

Insects you should welcome to your garden include ladybugs, praying mantis, fireflies, lacewings, wasps, spiders and many species of ground beetles.  All of them prey on the larvae or adult-stage pests such as aphids, mites, mealy bugs, thrips and snails.  Some, like the mantis and the spider, will eat anything they can catch, including the good guys, but mostly the benefit outweighs the harm.

Some of the insects that do more harm than good (except to provide food for other insects) will often include aphids, spider mites, thrips, snails, Japanese beetles and leaf miners.  All of these feed on the leaves, roots, stems or flowers of garden plants, and/or the sap.  They tend to leave unsightly trails at best, and at worst can destroy the plant altogether.

If you really want the best results from your garden, both in productivity and aesthetic appeal, make the effort to know your insects.There is a plethora of information on the net on how to identify each insect, its characteristics and qualities in relation to bad. Find plants, you can add to the mix that makes deter pests, such as pennyroyal, garlic, rosemary and many others. Again, there is a wealth of information available, the more you learn, the better for your garden.

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