How To Protect Your Garden From Pests 

Avid gardeners find themselves with an ongoing struggle in protecting their flowers, foliage and vegetables, from bugs and vermin destroying their plants.

Fear not, there are some preventative steps that you can take to protect your garden from pests and win this year-round battle! 

Greenfly and Blackfly 

These aphids like to feast on the sap in your plants, which can harm your plants and prevent further growth. 

If you notice leaves starting to curl or stop growing, use a non-pesticide based control method, such as introducing natural enemies into the garden. These natural enemies, such as earwigs or ladybirds, can help to control the spread of flies. If you encourage these insects to live within your greenhouse, you should see a decrease in the destruction of your plants. 

Slugs and Snails 

Snails and slugs are the most common pests that emerge in gardens as the weather gets warmer. 

In the spring months, seedlings and new plants are most at risk of being destroyed by these pests. 

Slug pellets are an effective way of tackling this problem in flower beds and vegetable patches. Alternatively, slug tape is also a great deterrent. 

Some gardeners place crushed eggshells around their plants, which is also meant to keep these pests at bay.

Rats and Mice

Rats and mice cause an array of damage to our gardens and can be a real nuisance around our properties. It’s important to tackle this problem early.

Search for nests underneath decking areas, in sheds and greenhouses, and around compost heaps. 

Peppermint can act as a good deterrent to mice and rats. Try adding some peppermint oil onto cotton wool and placing it around the areas where you suspect that there are rodents. 

As rodents are often seeking food, try to keep bird food off the ground. Use a baffle to prevent spillage and try not to leave seeds out overnight. Ensure that you store bird seed in an enclosed metal container.

Make sure that any cracks around your properties are sealed to prevent them from gaining access.

Ensure that bin lids are properly closed and bags are not left out where rats and mice can reach.

Natural Garden Defences

• Spiders are garden friends, even if you aren’t a fan of them, they are amazing at forming a protective barrier around plants to catch unsuspecting insects. So, if they are in your greenhouse, leave them there. 

• Where possible, elevating plants off the ground can help. 

• As strange as it sounds, soap and water mixed in a spray bottle can help to take care of bugs. 

• Though this method won’t eliminate an infestation, oils with scents such as lavender, orange, mint and clove act as a great repellent. 

Why not add the following plants to your garden, which can help in keeping some bugs away:

• Spearmint: deters ants, beetles, fleas, moths, and rodents.
• Rosemary: deters beetles, roaches, flies, slugs, and snails.
• Basil: deters flies and beetles.
• Lavender: deters fleas, flies, and moths.
• Venus flytrap: deters all insects.

Protect Your Garden From Pests – Expert Help

If you are concerned about a potential infestation, please get in touch with one of our pest control professionals and we’d be happy to come and tackle the problem.