Alternative Methods Of Pest Control

You are growing a vegetable, flower or fruit tree, and something is rapidly destroying your plant. What to do? You write a letter or email to to Lavender Pest Control.

We may reply with an explanation of the lifecycle of the pest, then give you a whole bunch of suggestions for dealing with it. For example, we may tell you to rake up the fallen leaves, flowers or fruits. We may list other creatures that eat the pest and tell you how to attract them. Or we may tell you to grow a vegetable crop at a different time of year or even suggest that you organise the neighbourhood to reduce the rat population. Or we may suggest a chemical if we know of one that won't kill a host of other creatures.

The time has come to discuss the philosophy that lies behind our answers to garden pest questions. That philosophy is Integrated Pest Management.

Over the centuries, people have dealt with pests many ways. Some, such as spraying fruit trees with arsenic, did the job, but were discredited when scientists explained we were poisoning ourselves and the soil. Others, such as putting a clove of garlic in a mole mound, were based more on magic than fact.

Then, starting with DDT in 1939, synthetic pesticides hit the market. They did kill the pests, and many gardeners and farmers thought such pesticides were the answer. However, as their hazards, starting with the buildup of DDT in the food chain, became apparent, others vowed not to use any of the pesticides, a vow that became part of the organic movement.

In the 1970s, as the new science of ecology developed, it became clear that the plant, pest and pesticide triad could not be separated. The garden was also full of helpful creatures, and when we sprayed, we were poisoning them too. Helpful insects and birds were dying. Water and soil were being polluted.

Out of this understanding arose the idea of Integrated Pest Management. It's based on our knowledge of nature, including ecology. It suggests that we step back from the narrow view and look at the whole garden, even the whole Earth, and plan a strategy based on managing pests while doing the least harm.

Some ideas start with overall planning, such as including plants that offer food for birds and alternate foods for beneficial insects. An important goal is reducing pesticide use, and avoiding use of pesticides that are broad-spectrum or that linger a long time in the environment.

Unfortunately, protecting and encouraging beneficial creatures will not always prevent damage. The first step in pest-management strategy is to inspect plants often, to try to catch any problem early, when the least disruptive methods may solve it. The goal is not only to see the problem early, but also to identify it quickly, before it has overrun an entire planting, to understand it thoroughly, and to come up with some choices for stopping the damage.

In some cases, this is where we come in, but we're often being asked for help when a problem has turned into a crisis. At this point, the gardener needs whatever specific instructions for control are available.

We will still give the lifecycle, because this helps you understand why management methods work and may help you come up with a new tactic – some very good ideas come from observant gardeners.

A practitioner of Integrated Pest Management can decide not to use any chemicals at all. Other methods, such as a resistant plant variety, planting at a different time of year or hand-picking a pest, may save your plants. If not, there is always the choice not to grow that plant.

We sometimes suggest chemicals. Most of these are less-toxic pesticides, permitted for use by organic farmers, using oil, soap or bacterial toxins rather than the more polluting synthetic pesticides. While they disrupt the environment less, we still advise that they be used sparingly and only according to their labels.

Article provided by Lavender Pest Control