PESTS:
Pests can cause damage to your garden, and therefore addressing them when they come up is important. Some of the common pests you may find in your garden include:
- Slugs and Snails. These are most active in damp and humid conditions, eating leaves, stems, flowers, and bulbs. They cause the most risk to seedlings and new growth on Spring herbs.
- Aphids. These are tiny insects that feed on the sap of plants, causing wilting, stunted growth, and the spread of diseases. These insects reproduce rapidly and are found on the underside of leaves.
- Caterpillars. Some caterpillars such as the Cabbage White Butterfly Caterpillar, feed on foliage of some vegetable crops.
- Birds. Although encouraging birds is great for your wildlife garden, they can damage fruits and vegetables, and eat newly sown seeds, so be prepared to share!
- Rabbits and Squirrels. These small mammals can feed on your crops, and squirrels can damage bird feeders too.
Although pests can be an annoying presence in the garden, many of these pests are essential to ecosystem balance, and using chemical pesticides will cause adverse effects for beneficial wildlife too. Below are some links about how to combat pests naturally, and the benefits to other wildlife of having certain pests:
