A close look at a congregation of aphids sucking the lifeblood out of a favourite plant is so revolting it will send any gardener scurrying to the pesticide shelf. But wait – what are those translucent little maggots wriggling among the viscous mess of aphids?
Equally repugnant in appearance, the tiny maggots are larvae of hover flies, those little wasp-like creatures that hover and dart about in straight lines. After much nuptial hovering, the adult female lays her eggs directly amid an aphid colony. Hatched out, her offspring are voracious predators and set to gorging themselves on nearby aphids. Lady beetle larvae, which resemble tiny alligators, and aphid midge larvae, which look like miniature orange maggots, are so good at eating aphids, they’re sold through commercial insectaries. A common ladybird beetle may consume more than 2,000 aphids in its short life. These are high-profilebeneficial insects, a class of creeping, crawling and flying creatures that are coming into prominence in better gardens everywhere. They are changing how gardeners feel about bugs, reminding us that pest insects – infuriating aphids and cutworms, whiteflies and cabbage moths – are a rogue minority, far outnumbered by beneficial species.
Some beneficials help out by pollinating flowers or breaking down organic matter, but the gardener maintains a special affection for bugs that prey on pests. Their numbers and their strategies are legion, and their identities sometimes surprising. Lacewings, for example, are delicate creatures with gossamer wings that cluster at porch lights on warm summer nights. They look more like ballet dancers than back-alley bruisers, yet their larvae are called “aphid lions” because they’re so ferocious in devouring aphids as well as spider mites and other pests.
Looking for pest control service in Fresno? Visit Pest Control Fresno Parasitic beneficials have a charm all their own. Several species of small parasitic wasps are expert at ovipositing their eggs into pest caterpillars, whiteflies and aphids. The developing wasp larvae devour their host from the inside out. The larvae of tachinid flies parasitize tent caterpillars, cutworms and corn borers. Beetles offer the bug-conscious gardener a particular challenge because there are thousands of species, some, like the Japanese beetle, that are garden pests, while others are beneficials. Even within a generally benign beetle family like the ladybeetles, you find a black sheep, the nefarious Mexican bean beetle. Rove beetles and ground beetles are great at suppressing pests. Rove beetles have elongated bodies that allow them to move swiftly through soil in search of root maggots and grubs. You can often spot a ground beetle in the garden, large and stocky with a shiny black back, living under a rock or board and quick to scurry for shelter if disturbed. They hunt by night, preying on root maggots, slug eggs, cutworms and other undesirables. Murderous assassin bugs, pirate bugs, ambush bugs and scores of others – the yard is swarming with beneficials, all of which need help with their deadly work. Attracting and maintaining their populations is serious business – you can buy all the cartons of ladybirds you want, but they’ll soon fly away home if conditions aren’t right.
Shelter, food and water are essential. Some of the plants most useful to beneficial insects are common weeds – stinging nettle, Queen Anne’s lace, goldenrod, dandelion and wild mustard. A “wild patch” in a hidden corner, or even a brazen display of beautiful wildlings like Queen Anne’s lace, will help.
Herbs – dill, parsley, catnip and thyme – produce small flowers ideally suited for tiny nectar and pollen feeders. Alyssum, candytuft and other small-flowered annuals are good too. Coneflowers, yarrows and daisies are recommended perennials. Water must be available. Have wet spots, or place stones or plants in shallow bowls, so that tiny beneficials can alight to drink without drowning. Gardening with beneficials is full of gratification but never instant. These legions of diminutive allies take time to do their lethal work. With patience and foresight, the bug-smart gardener will eventually reap the rewards of a garden buzzing and humming with congenial insects.
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Landscape stones are a very stylish décor design to have in your garden and backyard for many reasons. The main factor is that it is very aesthetically pleasing to the eye and the overall look of the environment of the garden. Landscape stones add a sophisticated design and classic look to the garden and it is very sophisticated.
These are very popular because they are extremely durable, lasting over a lifetime, and there is also a wide variety of colors and designs that you can choose from. There are some things that you should be considered amount when choosing landscape stones for your garden. Knowing that to expect beforehand will save you time and money in the long run if you make a mistake. Landscape Stone Uses There are many ways you can use landscape stones to decorate your garden and backyard. Whichever way you decide to use them, they will add a sophisticated, classic look all around the area. You can use these landscape stones around many areas of your garden such as pool decks, ponds, raised garden beds, or walkways. Whichever way you decide to incorporate landscape stones, the look that these stones will bring is very elegant and great for someone who wants to bring their style to the outdoors. When summer and spring seasons near and most people spend time in their backyards having barbeques or pool parties, it is important to keep the place looking stylish. Just as you keep your living room in style, the backyard décor is just as important. There is a variety of ways to incorporate this style into your garden and everything depends on your personal preference.
How to Use Landscape Stones
Landscape stones bring a chic look to your garden décor but if you don’t use the correct styles, it may give a tacky look. The best look is to have all your designs to be using landscape stones and not just one or two things. There are countless ways to incorporate these landscape stones in your garden but there are some that are more popular than the others. One of the most popular designs is to use stones to build an outdoor fireplace. This will obviously take the most work and money to build a fireplace if your house doesn’t already have one landscape stonesoutdoors, but it is the most rewarding. This creates a warm environment during the cooler months and is a stylish design during outdoor dinner parties. Another option that many people do is to use stones on the entire landscape. Although cement is the traditional method, it is not even close to the style that landscape stones will bring. The only negative point of this is that you must make sure weeds are taken care of as they can damage the stones if they grow out too much. This also requires maintenance of cleaning the stones once a season to keep them looking in perfect shape. These stones will last a long time regardless, but proper maintenance will keep them looking brand new for the lifetime.
For people who grow flowers, fruits, or vegetables in their garden, stone walkways are a very attractive look. Besides the aesthetics of this design, walking on the dirt will make it compact and make the roots harder to grow. So there is a practical reason behind having stone walkways as well.
There are many different types of stones that you can use with different colors and textures. The best option is to go into a store and look at the different samples to decide which one is the best for the look you are looking for and the overall environment of your backyard and garden. This will be an investment worth a lifetime.
Sometimes, it can be essential to restrain document wasps to minimize such danger. Paper wasps assemble the recognizable, open-celled paper planters we frequently see suspended from eaves or porch ceilings. Though their propensity to bite in defense of the nests may be of concern, such wasps do serve an important ecological function as predators of other insects.
They gather caterpillars, beetle larvae, and other insect predators to feed their own young. Do not be too fast to eliminate a paper wasp colony when it is not causing a problem. Every calendar year, the newspaper wasp queen should construct a new nest, which she's by clipping wood fibers into a pulp that is pliable. After she increases her very first creation of employees, these offspring will assume the part of building employees, enlarging the nest to satisfy the requirements of the expanding colony. By summertime, the paper wasp nest can be very large, reaching a diameter of 6-8 inches. The nest degrades over winter and can be seldom reused another calendar year. Just like with any insect, it is important to recognize the insect before deciding how and if control is essential.A paper wasp can call other tribe members utilizing alarm pheromones, chemical messages which inform other wasps to help defend the nest out of a threat.Try to remain calm and prevent swatting at newspaper wasps. Follow my tips for preventing bee stings. Before you do anything to eliminate paper wasps around your house, ask yourself whether you're able to endure their existence and leave them alone. Paper wasps help keep hungry caterpillars and other plant pests in check, profiting your garden and landscape. In case a paper wasp nest can be found on your house but away from high use areas, think about leaving them alone. While they do sting, they simply do this in reaction to your threat. People and paper wasps can frequently coexist peacefully. Obviously, when somebody in your home gets a wasp venom allergy, then you might have to eliminate wasp nests to lessen the probability of an allergic reaction to a sting. When a nest is situated close to an entrance to your house, or by way of a porch or deck in which you devote a great deal of time, then you might have to take actions to restrain paper wasps. Check eaves, shutters, and other high traffic areas within your lawn early in the spring, even when newspaper wasp queens are first constructing their nests. If you discover a nest until the very first generation of employees have reached maturity, it is possible to just knock down the nest using a broom to dissuade the queen out of nesting in that place. Bigger nests, or people located later in the summer, should be managed carefully. Never try to remove an active wasp nest throughout the daytime, when paper wasps are actively flying in and out of their nest. Wait till evening, once the wasps have settled in at night, to deal with or eliminate any paper wasp nest. During periods of cool weather, then you could have the ability to take care of wasp nests, as wasps become lethargic when temperatures dive to 50°F or lower. Chemical pesticides must be utilized as a management system of last resort for any insect pestinfestation. But in this scenario, the safest way of preventing paper wasps at an issue area is, really, using a industrial wasp spray. Wasp sprays normally arrive with a propellant which permits you to spray the pesticide in a safe distance. Coat the nest from the pesticide, which makes sure to cover most of the cells of this paper wasp nest. Never stand beneath the wasp nest whilst using the pesticide. Wasps may fall in the nest, and also you risk getting the compound in your eyes or onto your skin. Make certain to look at the nest the following day for any signs of wasp action. Before you remove a nest, then you need to make certain that no employees survived the pesticide program. Wasp sprays kill on contact. Wasps which were absent in the nest in the time you sprayed may go back to the nest website. Should youn't observe live wasps close to the nest, then use a broom or alternative long-handled instrument to knock down it. Eliminate this nest correctly. I would recommend putting the nest at a sealed baggie and putting it on your household garbage.
Using a set of cedar planter plans to build a set of planters in your backyard is one of the easiest ways to turn an unused area of your garden into a cool retreat. They can be as simple or stylish as you want and can be dressed up with flowers, herbs or even veggies.
Having a chill out place to go at the end of a hard day to get away from the bustle can be a great way to relax. Its free too!It’s really not that hard to build a cedar planter, you probably have a lot of what you need already, but everything else you may need is available at your local lumber yard or DIY store. Begin by deciding how much space you are going to use in your yard then get some good plans. When buying your plans, so you don’t hit trouble later on, make sure they include detailed materials lists, blueprints and easy to follow instructions: Take your plans and materials list to the store when you go to buy your materials so you don’t have to make more trips than you have to. Its pretty frustrating going back and forth for bits and bobs.
Cedar Planter Plans – what the best plans should contain:
* 1) A Complete Materials list – I am still amazed at some plans providers, parting you from your hard earned cash but not providing a decent materials list. It’s somehow assumed that you know how many screws are in a packet or that you will need some glue. Personally I like to know what I need from the start so I don’t waste time when I could be building cedar planters instead. * 2) Blue prints and written instructions – Visual learners have no problem understanding detailed schematics, however, It’s a lot easier to follow step by step guides if you are a novice, detailed blueprints are a must, but they don’t need to be written in a language that few can understand. * 3) Next, select your materials: I like to build my planters out of Cedar – Compared to other materials, cedar is one of the most durable and environmentally friendly materials around. Its grown in the US and Australia and is readily available from your local lumber yard. If you want to polish it up, it looks great and if you finish it with a propriety wood stain or varnish it will last for years.Cedar is pretty light too so you won’t do yourself in lifting it about either and being straight grained is great for taking nails and screws. Ideal really!
Natural pest control is far less expensive than purchasing and spraying your garden with pesticides. It is also better for the environment, and safer for the plants and the people who will be eating the plants to control pests naturally.
One of the best ways to prevent insect damage to the garden is to deter the insects from coming into the garden in the first place. Having a healthy garden is one of the best means of protection.
1. Reduce insect habitat. Garden areas that contain large amounts of debris, weeds and old leaves are breeding grounds for insects. Remove any dead plant material and weeds, and use fresh, clean mulch. Clean mulch will be free of insect eggs and larvae, where as, old mulch has a potential of containing the eggs or larvae of harmful insects.
2. Create healthy, organic soil. Using natural composting methods, top-dressing, and mulching the soil with natural fertilizer or compost is one of the best ways to grow strong, healthy plants. Healthy plants are far less susceptible to attack by insects. 3. Remove any weak plants from the garden. Weak, scrawny, or slow-growing plants may already be infected. If they are not already infected, they will attract predatory insects. Pull the weak plants and dispose of them in an area away from the garden, so the dead plants will not become breeding grounds for insects.
4. Use seaweed spray or mulch to nourish plants. Seaweed is very nutrient rich, containing the trace elements barium, calcium, iron, zinc, sulfur, and magnesium, all of which promote healthy growth and development in plants. Seaweed in spray-form or mulch will give the plants the health and strength to withstand disease. Seaweed mulch also has the added bonus of repelling slugs.
5. Keep the plant foliage as dry as possible. Make sure to water the plants in the early morning, so that the foliage can dry and remain dry for the majority of the day. Wet foliage is a haven for insects and fungus, that can cause serious damage to the plants. 6. Disinfect your garden tools. Make sure to thoroughly disinfect your garden tools when working with infested plants, before moving on to other areas of the garden. This will reduce the speed of invading insects, and keep you from directly introducing predatory insects to healthy plants. 7. Intermingle plants and rotate crops. Insect pests are typically specific to certain types of plants. When plants are mixed in a garden, it is far less likely for the pests to spread throughout the entire crop. Rotating crops each year is a good way to avoid re-infestation of pests that have wintered in the soil bed.
There are also a multitude of beneficial insects that prey on harmful insects and their larvae. Some of these beneficial insects can be attracted to your garden, while others may need to be purchased from a catalog. There are many different species of beneficial insects for specific problems.
Now that you know how to protect your garden from insects without using pesticides, you can feel good about the food that you are growing. It is safer for the environment and your family.
The bug zapper has been used by a large number of people all over the world for decades. However, there are certain studies that question its effectiveness. Timothy Frick and Douglas Tallamy of University of Delaware, in 1996, published a study in the journal known as Entomological News.
During the summer of 1994, they gathered and identified the kills from 6 bug zappers at different places all over the suburban Newark. Their data revealed that from the 14,000 insects that were swatted and calculated, biting gnats and mosquitoes account for only 0.22%. Must read this article before scroll next 7 Best Indoor Bug Zapper Review Bug Zapper Effectiveness Majority of the insects electrocuted, i.e. 48%, were harmless and were the aquatic insects that came from the nearby water bodies. Frick and Tallamy asserted that electrocution of these harmless insects may create disturbances in the nearby small ecosystems. Tallamy stated that ultraviolet light fails to lure most of the mosquito species and that most of them bite during day time. He also claimed that the use of a bug zapper for getting rid of biting insects is, hence, useless. In fact it leads to a heavy toll on harmless insects.
It has also been noted that the mist of the electrocuted insects spread in the surrounding air, thereby polluting it with a huge number of harmful microorganism. When this mist gets inhaled or consumed by humans, as it may even settle on food, it can lead to a number of health problems.
There are a number of other means to control insects, especially mosquitoes. The conventional bug zappers are ineffective and unsuccessful against mosquitoes as they do not get attracted to ultraviolet light. However, there are certain electronic bug zappers that emit Octenol which is a non poisonous and pesticide free pheromone mosquito attractant. This can help in getting rid of mosquitoes effectively. Carbon dioxide emitted by humans in their breath and sweat tends to attract mosquitoes. Some bug zappers emit a continuous stream of Octenol attractant, carbon dioxide and moisture. When mosquitoes will try to come near to this mixture, the bug zapper will suck them into a net, dehydrate and eventually kill them. Since these bug zappers are powered by propane tank, electricity is not needed. Another effective device uses a certain chemical that blocks the olfactory receptors of the mosquitoes. So, they cannot smell your sweat and thus, it will lead to reduced bites.
Bug Zapper Alternatives
If you wish to control mosquitoes, your prime concern should be to eradicate the female mosquitoes and their eggs. Standing water is the site of mosquito breeding. Make sure that your house or surrounding area does not offer such sites for mosquito breeding. You can also kill mosquito eggs, larvae and adults with the help of commercial pesticides, such as malathion. Check how to repair your bug zapper in few menutes On the personal front, you can make use of insect repellents. Most of the mosquitoes, ticks and other biting insects are repelled by DEET. Citronella oil is also very effective against flying and biting bugs. Candles made from Citronella oil can also be burnt inside and outside the house to get rid of biting bugs and are a good alternative to using a bug zapper. |
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