Eco-Friendly Pest Control (Outdoor Insect Edition)

[Rebecca V.]

Here in NY, it’s hard to imagine that anything has survived the brutal winter we just experienced, but as soon as spring rolled in with warm temps, the bugs seemed to roll in to. Thankfully, it’s still too cold for mosquitoes but they will be here soon along with a bunch of other potentially annoying bugs. Here’s how to cope with them in an earth-friendly way: A word about organic sprays: even organic, ‘eco-friendly’ pesticides can be toxic to bees, butterflies, and other beneficial garden bugs. Look up the main ingredient before you spray! And be aware that if your neighbors spray their property, the treatment can drift to nearby properties wreaking havoc on your own garden and exposing you and your family to chemical brews unnecessarily. Take note if it happens and report it promptly. Mosquitoes: TL;DR RECOMMENDATION: BTI DUNKS, REMOVING STANDING WATER, OUTDOOR FAN The number one thing you can do right now to prevent mosquitoes on your property is to get rid of standing water as the temperatures warm up. Mosquitoes lay their eggs in wet places and those eggs then hatch into larvae (little worms- yikes!) which then mature into adults in the same wet places, so a good strategy is to keep the outside area of your home as dry as possible. That means not letting water accumulate in buckets, plant pots, tires, or unexpected places like lawn furniture and tarps/covers that accumulate water when it rains. Other areas, like birdbaths and solar water fountains should be treated with BTI (bacillus thuringiensis israelensis), a biological control that kills mosquito larvae. “[BTI] contains spores that produce toxins that specifically target and only affect the larvae of the mosquito, black fly and fungus gnat” (epa.gov). Treating water with BTI is easy to do. Dry BTI cakes are sold online and in hardware stores. You simply break it and drop a piece in each place that accumulates water and that’s it. These can be placed anywhere you expect water to accumulate in the future like between stacked chairs. Replace the BTI in all locations in about a month. Buy BTI on Amazon. If you’re already dealing with a mosquito explosion, wear repellent, run a fan outdoors to blow them away from an area, and grow some native plants to attract the lovely bugs that eat mosquitoes (hello dragonflies <3) Ants: TL;DR RECOMMENDATION: WATER AS A DETERRENT, ORANGE OIL, NEEM OIL, CHEMICAL BAITS FOR FIRE ANTS Once the weather warms up, you may notice large numbers of ants in your backyard. They’re not there to stress you out, believe me, they have just emerged from their underground nests to search for food and new nesting sites. Eventually, if left alone, the ants will disperse and you won’t see huge groups of them anymore. However, if they are in an area that you really don’t want them in, like a patio, you can use plain water to deter them. Simply wet the area they are in (i.e. patio) with a hose and do this for a few days in a row; they will get the message that this is not a good potential nesting place because it is always flooded and they will set up elsewhere. Keep ants out of your home by sprinkling powdered cinnamon or peppermint oil near doors and windows. Keep in mind that ants are usually harmless in the garden and actually function as pollinators. Ants also aerate the soil, decompose organic matter, and they eat pests. Large numbers of ants in the garden are a good thing except when you have fire ants. Fire Ants can be a real nuisance and should be removed from areas where humans and pets spend a lot of time. There are several earth-friendly methods for eradication, like using orange oil or neem oil on the mounds, but traditional baits can be used near the mounds as well. By the way, one way to differentiate regular ants from fire ants is that regular ants create little mounds of dirt in the soil that have an opening in the middle whereas fire ants create mounds of dirt that have no visible opening (Texas A&M Extension). They also differ in their reaction to having the mound disturbed (with a stick, for example) – fire ants will emerge immediately and aggressively whereas regular ants may take a while to emerge (A-Z Animals.com) Termites: TL;DR RECOMMENDATION: BENEFICIAL NEMATODES, DIATOMACEOUS EARTH OR NEEM OIL NEAR STRUCTURES LIKE WOOD FENCES, ORGANIC OR TRADITIONAL FLYING INSECT PESTICIDE ONLY FOR TERMITES ON HOME, PORCH, GARAGE The thought of termites living nearby strikes fear into every homeowner’s heart but the fact is that termites are very common outdoors; they are present in every U.S State except Alaska (NWF). You may see termites in the soil around your wooden raised beds or your wooden fences, and each spring in NY there are ‘termite swarms’ of winged termites flying around, which is jarring to say the least! Termites, like cockroaches and other indoor nuisances, are part of the food chain outdoors. Ants, reptiles, birds, and other animals eat termites, so they serve a purpose even if they are terrifying to us. That said, you may still want to take steps to protect your property from potential termite infestations, some of these include: The idea is to keep termites away from your home, porch, garage, etc- NOT to eradicate termites from the land; such an undertaking would be impossible and extremely destructive to other wildlife. Ticks: TL;DR RECOMMENDATION: KEEP LAWN EDGES FREE OF LEAF LITTER; REDUCE SHADY, MOIST AREAS; DETER ANIMALS THAT CARRY TICKS; TICK TUBES; REMOVE INVASIVE PLANTS; ADD NATIVE PLANTS Ticks are concerning because their bite can cause serious health issues, like Lyme disease, Babesiosis, and Alpha Gal syndrome (red meat allergy). Preventing and controlling ticks requires a multi-pronged approach. First, conventional advice dictates that all grass should be kept short to prevent ticks but that is not a complete solution. According to BioDiversityWorks, “[tick] nymphs thrive in areas where the habitat is in transition, where the lawn meets shady edges, in leaves and log piles, and around rock walls.” So it’s not so much tall brush as it is these transition zones between lawn and woods. For this reason, it’s a good idea to: Second, ticks thrive in shady, moist environments, so increasing sun exposure makes the area less hospitable to them. Trim tree branches and shrubs around the lawn edge to let in more sunlight. Third, the presence of overpopulated animals like deer, wild turkey, and mice create more opportunities for ticks to end up on your property, so take steps to make your yard less hospitable/accessible to these animals. If you do notice mouse activity in your garden/yard, tick tubes are an easy, inexpensive option to help reduce tick numbers. Tick tubes are cardboard toilet paper tubes stuffed with pesticide-infused cottonballs or other soft bedding materials that mice carry back to their nests; this works to kill ticks because ticks frequently live in and around mouse nests. This Ohio State University Extension guide shows you how to make a tick tube here. If you have a pet that goes outdoors at all, ask your vet what preventative would be best. Fourth, create a functioning ecosystem in your garden by removing invasive species (Japanese barberry and invasive grasses in particular) and by planting many native plants. These plants will attract natural tick predators like spiders, ants, birds, frogs, lizards, and opossums, which provides yet another front of protection. You may worry that native plants, particularly grasses, are tall and will attract more ticks, but this is not so- research has shown that less plant biodiversity in a garden increases tick activity. “Ecologists have identified the “Dilution Effect” (Ostfeld & Keesing, 2000) – as biodiversity declines, disease-carrying organisms increase. When landscapes lack diversity, fast-reproducing species like mice dominate – they are excellent hosts for ticks and their diseases. Connected areas with diverse native plantings help limit disease hosts in our gardens” (Town of New Castle Conservation Corner). Lastly, take steps to protect yourself by spraying at least your shoes with a permethrin repellent whenever you are working in the garden. There is also permethrin infused ankle and arm protection for working outside in green areas. Wasps, Hornet & Yellowjackets: TL;DR RECOMMENDATION: DECOY NEST, REMOVE OLD NESTS, PEPPERMINT OIL, PEST CONTROL PROFESSIONAL Wasps are beneficial insects in the garden. You might be surprised to learn that wasps are mostly carnivores in the garden and they control pests like caterpillars, aphids, flies, and beetles. Some wasps lay eggs on their prey to be consumed by the wasp’s hatched larvae and other wasps simply carry their victims away which is great when you have chunky caterpillars eating all your plants. Sometimes, though, you may have issues with wasp nests that are too close to home. Don’t panic! The first thing to do is to evaluate the location of the nest- is it right next to your front door or at the top of a 2nd story window that is never opened? Because in the former scenario removal would be necessary whereas in the latter scenario removal could be delayed. Yes, I know, it’s easy to freak out about that nest that is hanging from the eave of your house, but the truth is nothing needs to be done to address an out of the way nest. Things you can to to prevent a wasp nest: Some reasons for removing an active wasp nest include: wasps finding their way into your home constantly, a nest inside your home or garage, or a nest near an entry point or another location, like a child’s play set. In these cases, consult with a pest control expert or search the internet to access a million and one DIY methods for exterminating wasp nests. Bees: TL;DR RECOMMENDATION: BEEKEEPER, CITRUS OIL, DECOY WASP NEST Have you ever seen a movie or cartoon where someone is being chased by a swarm of bees? Chances are those are European honey bees or Africanized honey bees, neither of which are native to the USA. Most of our native bees are ground-nesting or cavity-nesting bees that do not create the signature hives we think of when we think of bees, and they aren’t particularly aggressive unless they face a significant threat. I mention this to ease your mind about the majority of bees you might encounter in the garden- they vast majority are mellow creatures foraging for pollen and nectar, not killers looking to sting everyone they meet. That being said, a honey bee hive does pose a potential threat if it’s in a location that is frequented by people or pets. In that case, look for a local beekeeper first, not a pest control company, as in many cases the hives can be safely removed from your property without a problem. Carpenter bees These gentle giants are large and intimidating to some, but they are just teddy bears that do a lot of early pollination work. My apple tree blooms in April and the carpenter bees (and bumblebees) ensure that I get a good crop of apples every year but I recognize that carpenter bees can sometimes be problematic because they like to bore holes into wooden structures, potentially causing damage. Some ways to deter them from a structure: Aphids & Whiteflies: TL;DR RECOMMENDATION: WATER, LEAF REMOVAL, SOAPY WATER, NATIVE PLANTS, GARLIC SPRAY Each year, aphids appear in gardens far and wide with the sole purpose of sucking on plants and stressing gardeners out far and wide. Ecological gardeners look at them as bug food- as part of the food web- but other gardeners rush to remove them. If you’re in the latter group, here are a few chemical-free ways to deal with aphids: Whiteflies Whiteflies are more annoying than harmful in my opinion, but of course, every gardener has their own perspective on these tiny white bugs. I get whiteflies on my brassica plants and only notice them when they’re...