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Post by farmerkevin on Mar 21, 2015 19:51:55 GMT -5
Not sure if this goes here or not.
I didn't see a topic on this so I thought I'd start one.
What garden pests do ( or did ) you have and how did you control them?
Squirrels are my #1 pest. Havahart traps/relocation for the larger ones, cats for the smaller ones.
Whiteflies. Dawn dish soap, Castile soap and pyrethrum in a spray bottle. Worked on aphids last year too.
Gophers (I'm all ears!) built a planter box out of cinder block and mesh. Hope it works.
Slugs/snails. Beer in a dish. Haven't had to do this since my 1st year here.
Earwigs. Rolled up newspaper. They get in, then put the whole newspaper in a bag. Tie it up and throw it away. Helps to throw it away right before trash day.
Snakes. Have only had one snake in my yard so far.
So what are the big pests in your yard and how do you battle them?
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Post by SpringRain🕊️ on Mar 21, 2015 21:10:53 GMT -5
Raccoons: I used to put out cat hair on the pumpkins as they were a primary target. The domestic animal hair kept them away, but had to be rubbed on the pumpkins again after rainfalls. I'm still looking for a better method. I might put all the pumpkins together this year and build a fence around and over them. But that's quite a bit of effort, especially creating the stakes and stringing the wire over the tops. I plan to have at least one large bed with Connecticut field pumpkins and another with just pie pumpkins.
Squirrels: Generally they just rearrange planted bulbs so I haven't done anything about them.
Rabbits: I don't really consider them a pest; in fact one was so tame one year that it hopped up to me and I could feed it by hand. Then it snuggled up on my foot and took a nap! I really do like them and if they want to sample things in the garden, they're welcome to it. They need to eat too.
Unidentified insects on herbs: They came with some herbs I bought at least a decade ago from a nursery. I've NEVER seen them but they chew on the herb leaves and spoil the looks of them. I haven't tried soap but I will; sometimes as spring segues into summer there's so much need to get everything in that I kind of forget about the herb pests.
People: That's a pest for which I haven't found a solution. I never see them; I just find a few beer bottles now and then, or I see the results of someone's unwrapped garbage blown over in my yard. I rake it back into their yard. The ones who come to snoop when I'm gone are also problematic. I'd love to put up security lights and cameras but that's too much money to spend. What is more realistic is to put up privacy fences, with thorny bushes on the inside so that if they do come over the fence they'll be greeted by lots of prickly thorns and go home scratched up. Maybe that will teach them a lesson.
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Post by OregonRed on Mar 21, 2015 21:47:10 GMT -5
LOL spring rain, I'm at a CG, and we have had people wandering thru, picking etc. the CG is on church property that is large, in the middle of a residential area, in the back "40" of it , it's a field, so people walk their dogs there. they have to walk 'by' the gardens to get to the field....
one time, I 'caught' a couple walking their dog, they were 'browsing' the gardens, and he was picking something and eating it, the wife noticed I was there, and made gestures, : 'psst, hey there's a lady over there'... on their way out, he asked: hey where does all this food 'go', I said: see that sign:> Marion Polk Food Share (our local food pantry) we are all required to share as part of the garden agreement. I enjoyed watching him squirm...
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Post by desertwoman on Mar 21, 2015 23:53:08 GMT -5
The big one is gophers.
Rabbits I can control with fencing, but those gophers.... grrrr
I have good success with castor oil if I can saturate an area before they tunnel in. If the tunnels are already made it's harder to push them out. Our cat did a good job in helping to control them but she retired last year- she's 16 and has slowed down. I have lined the raised beds with lath which has worked well.
The only other pest that has been troublesome is aphids- and only on the young fruit trees. Water from the hose controls them well if I catch them early. If not- a soap spray.
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Post by James on Mar 22, 2015 0:25:33 GMT -5
I have a few pocket gophers, but they are not a big problem. The cats kinda keep them down. The raccoon in the corn are certainly an issue. I found that placing a radio in the corn patch and tuning it to the local 24 hour station discouraged the raccoons.
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Post by kimmsr🕊 on Mar 22, 2015 6:57:34 GMT -5
frarmerkevin, Dawn is not a soap and is not an acceptable product (synthetic and made from petroleum products) for an organic grower to use. The castile soap can be used to make an insecticidal soap and is acceptable.
What causes the Whiteflies and Aphids to be a problem? What, aside from spraying poisons, is being done to correct those problems? Spraying insecticides kills off the beneficials, pest predators, as well as the pests.
Relocating trapped wildlife may be illegal in your area as it is in mine unless you are licensed by the state to do that.
Snakes are not problems but can be part of the solution to pest problems.
Earwigs can be driven off by judicious applications of garlic sprays. Earwigs are known predators of Aphids and other insect pests.
Squirrels, Gophers/woodchucks, deer, and other mammals that can be problems in the garden are kept out with good, tight fencing.
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Post by brownrexx on Mar 22, 2015 7:28:22 GMT -5
Squirrels are my #1 pest. Havahart traps/relocation for the larger ones As Kimm said, this may be illegal and the reason is that it is not humane for the animal to be taken from it's home territory and released into another animal's territory where they will usually fight - sometimes to the death. Or possibly it is being released into another human's territory where it will affect their garden. Not really fair to either of them. I don't have a problem with live trapping and killing squirrels humanely because there are way too many of them due to lack of predators but please do not trap and relocate any animals. It may make the human feel better to get rid of them in a non lethal way but it is usually bad for the animals.
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Post by SpringRain🕊️ on Mar 22, 2015 9:10:57 GMT -5
Red, it never occurred to me that people would wander through a community garden and "sample". That's so audacious and nervy! I wonder how much of this goes on when the gardeners aren't there to deter them?? One of the former neighbors used to reach over the fence and pick my raspberries, which the wife said she knew were safe because I didn't use any pesticides. But she never offered to help or pay for her generous samplings, and she wasn't hesitant to call code enforcement if I forgot and put down some mulch. Some people really are gutsy!
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Post by farmerkevin on Mar 22, 2015 9:30:26 GMT -5
Squirrels are my #1 pest. Havahart traps/relocation for the larger ones As Kimm said, this may be illegal and the reason is that it is not humane for the animal to be taken from it's home territory and released into another animal's territory where they will usually fight - sometimes to the death. Or possibly it is being released into another human's territory where it will affect their garden. Not really fair to either of them. I don't have a problem with live trapping and killing squirrels humanely because there are way too many of them due to lack of predators but please do not trap and relocate any animals. It may make the human feel better to get rid of them in a non lethal way but it is usually bad for the animals. Not too far from me is an area that is considered wildlife area. Hundreds and hundreds of acres. Maybe thousands. I relocate them there. There are really no houses except on the fringe. Same how my house used to be. Had been surrounded on 2 sides by orange grove. The critters stayed in the grove and left us alone. It's only when they tore out the grove and built houses that the critters came into our yard. We had a massive over run of mice, squirrels, rabbits, coyotes etc. Trapping and relocating is a LOT more humane than this. At least they have a chance to live. And yes I have caught and dispatched my fair share of squirrel. My record is 19 in one year. Call me a softie, but I got tired of killing them. Not the catch/kill, but it started to bug me to kill them. They are a living creature that deserves to live. So I relocate them. Give them a chance. Attachments:
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Post by farmerkevin on Mar 22, 2015 9:39:30 GMT -5
frarmerkevin, Dawn is not a soap and is not an acceptable product (synthetic and made from petroleum products) for an organic grower to use. The castile soap can be used to make an insecticidal soap and is acceptable.
What causes the Whiteflies and Aphids to be a problem? What, aside from spraying poisons, is being done to correct those problems? Spraying insecticides kills off the beneficials, pest predators, as well as the pests.
Relocating trapped wildlife may be illegal in your area as it is in mine unless you are licensed by the state to do that.
Snakes are not problems but can be part of the solution to pest problems.
Earwigs can be driven off by judicious applications of garlic sprays. Earwigs are known predators of Aphids and other insect pests.
Squirrels, Gophers/woodchucks, deer, and other mammals that can be problems in the garden are kept out with good, tight fencing. Did not realize dawn was unacceptable. The aphids/white flies are a problem because they took out a small mandarin tree. Killed it. It was my first year here and I was too busy doing other stuff to notice. It was only when I turned over a leaf that I saw the white sticky cotton stuff. Prevention/treatment now is a spray down with even just water early in the morning at least once a week. I use rainwater stored. If there's evidence of whiteflies, I trim that infected leaf and toss it if I can't first wash the flies off or if the leaf is too damaged. You've never dealt with a really bad earwig problem until you've opened a door and had about 50-60 drop on you off the jamb/framing Got so bad one year, I was wearing pants and felt a pinch. Dropped my drawers and there were a few on my legs and hip area. Hope the neighbors weren't watching lol
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Post by davidjp on Mar 22, 2015 9:41:24 GMT -5
I can understand why you do that but actually it is illegal under California law. I think the official reason is that ground squirrels can carry fleas that harbor bubonic plague. But having said that its pretty rare that people get affected but I think there is still an occasional plague death in California. Interestingly I think that LA had one of the last plague urban epidemics in the US.
I use a humane trap but then use one of those gas canisters and create a closed chamber and they die pretty quickly. Not something I like to do but they really are a pain and will eat pretty much everything, I've yet to get a peach from the first tree I planted about 4 yrs ago. Trapping seems to work well and they are so inquisitive that they quickly get caught.
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Post by SpringRain🕊️ on Mar 22, 2015 9:57:34 GMT -5
Squirrels can also get into houses and cause havoc as well as damage to electrical wiring, not to mention leave their droppings wherever they go. At that point, it's much harder to get them out and get rid of them and keep them out. If only they would leave when politely asked to do so!
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Post by desertwoman on Mar 22, 2015 11:51:45 GMT -5
As Kimm said, this may be illegal and the reason is that it is not humane for the animal to be taken from it's home territory and released into another animal's territory where they will usually fight - sometimes to the death. This is some good food for thought. I hadn't thought of relocating an animal as being other than humane.
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Post by brownrexx on Mar 22, 2015 14:43:32 GMT -5
Not too far from me is an area that is considered wildlife area. Hundreds and hundreds of acres. Maybe thousands. I relocate them there Don't forget that the area you describe is already home to other native wildlife that may rely on the same food that the squirrels eat. I don't know what wildlife lives in CA but in my wooded areas in PA there are wild turkeys, grouse and chipmunks that also eat the nuts that the squirrels would consume. And possibly increasing the squirrel population and decreasing the chipmunk population would affect animals that prey on them such as hawks and owls. I know what you mean about hating to kill an animal because I am the same way. I don't even kill my chickens when they get old and quit laying eggs, but it's never good to upset the population in an area by bringing in other animals that don't belong there. There are probably already an adequate number of squirrels in that wooded area.
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Post by Tomato Z on Mar 22, 2015 14:53:58 GMT -5
we have had people wandering thru, picking etc. the CG is on church property that is large, in the middle of a residential area, in the back "40" of it , it's a field, so people walk their dogs there. they have to walk 'by' the gardens to get to the field.... one time, I 'caught' a couple walking their dog, they were 'browsing' the gardens, and he was picking something and eating it, the wife noticed I was there, and made gestures, : 'psst, hey there's a lady over there'... on their way out, he asked: hey where does all this food 'go', I said: see that sign:> Marion Polk Food Share (our local food pantry) we are all required to share as part of the garden agreement. I enjoyed watching him squirm...
Red, the CG that I 'manage' is very similar to yours with the church property and trails where people walk their dogs. It's also next to a high school, so the kids are walking down the trails at noon. We've made lots of friends with the people walking their dogs. Plus a few too many times where ALL the zucchini was picked!
But . . . one day a fellow gardener and I were returning from buying a soda or water, and as we drove next to the garden, here's this lady who we've never seen before, carrying the other gardener's bag filled with freshly picked green beans. She's still in the garden, walking around and looking at everyone else's stuff to pilfer. When confronted, she said the lady at the Head Start (our church houses classes) told her she could pick whatever she wanted. When I asked for the name, she did give a name I recognized - but she was there 6 years prior to 2014. The guts of some people.
Last year I 'caught' 16 tomato hornworms devouring the new growth. This was the first time we'd ever had them in the CG.
And then my most un-favorite - fungus gnats that appear from newly purchased potting soil/mix. The easiest way for me to kill the eggs is to purchase the soil in the Fall, store the many bags in the shed where hopefully the eggs will be killed, and then also lose the benefits of the good soil. No-win situation.
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