Natural Pest Control – Gentle Earth Safe Ways To Control Garden Pests

Natural pest control involves such gentle and earth-safe methods as using ladybugs, electronic pest control and integrated pest management. When talking about garden pest control there are three groups of garden pests.

Group number one is made up of insects, mites, snails and slugs. Group number two is made up of warm-blooded creatures that may eat or damage plants, such as moles, deer, birds and rodents. Group number three is nematodes; which are microscopic worms that live in the soil - such as the root-knot nematodes.

One very popular natural method for controlling group number one (insects, mites, snails and slugs) is introducing beneficial insects into your garden such as ladybugs, lacewings, certain kinds of wasps and mite-eating mites! These beneficial insects are one of the best forms of natural pest controls and can be easily ordered online. They are delivered right to your front door in a special container that keeps them alive.  Once you receive your package you simply release your new "friends" into your garden and they go about hungrily eating up your garden pests!

Or you could introduce something as simple and safe as electronic pest control methods. There is a growing surge of interest in natural earth friendly pest control today, and one ecological approach to pest control is integrated pest management, otherwise know as IPM. IPM tries to increase natural pest control factors and decrease the need for artificial measures such as synthetic pesticides.

Recommendations for Controlling Garden Pests Naturally

Pest control for insects, mites, snails and slugs:

1. Physical control of actually picking up garden pests such as slugs and snails and disposing of them. Introduction of live controls such as ladybugs, lacewings, aphytis or encarsia wasps, and mite-eating mites.
2. Packaged controls which are chemical controls. Note: for integrated pest management it is important to minimize the use of pesticides and use them only for short-term measures.
3. Electronic pest control such as zappers for flies, wasps, and mosquitoes.

Pest control for moles, deer, birds and rodents:

1. Electronic pest control units that mimic the sounds of birds of prey to keep smaller birds away, or units with sonic transmitters and ultrasonic sound waves that repel moles, rats, mice and other rodents away.
2. Deterrents such as netting, or commercial repellents.
3. Planting deer resistant plants!

Pest control for nematodes:

1. Pest control for this category includes either:
2. Planting plant borders with plants that are resistant to nematodes.
3. Using organic matter in your soil to encourage healthy plants.

The stores below represent the "cream of the crop" for online stores that supply you with every kind of pest control you may need. Go ahead and browse!

Gardens Alive.com - Beneficial Insects for your Garden
Gardensalive.com offers an amazing selection of natural pest control products and beneficial insects for your garden.  Buy live ladybugs and lacewings to rid your garden of aphids and other pests!

Amazon.com - Packaged Pest Control
Amazon.com offers a good selection of pest control products at some great prices!

Yardiac.com - Animal Repellents
Yardiac.com carries a large selection of Animal Repellents.

Krupps.com - Animal and Bird Repellents
Krupps.com carries a good selection of animal and bird repellents.