Organic Pest Control – Insect Barriers and Traps

Organic gardeners can use safe physical pest control methods such as bug vacuums, row covers, sticky traps, handpicking, cutworm collars, and water sprays to stop bugs.

Organic gardeners faced with garden pests must choose the right controls to provide the most efficacious results with the least toxicity. Physical and mechanical pest control methods are desirable in that they are completely nontoxic to people and wildlife, and in some cases, they can exclude garden pests before they even reach the plants.

Row Covers

Floating row covers are barriers made of synthetic fibers with a thin weave that allows light and water to pass through freely. These barriers prevent pests like cucumber beetles and caterpillars from reaching their host plants. Row covers may also provide minimal frost protection, especially in the fall, when the soil releases heat at the end of the day. Gardeners must remove row covers when flowers appear, to permit pollinators to access plants.

Sticky Traps

Although organic gardeners can buy sticky traps designed to trap specific garden pests, these traps are cheap to make. Start with a foundation that lures the target pest. For example, gardeners dealing with apple maggots can use a red ball as a trap base. Many flying insects are attracted to yellow, so use a yellow card to control fungus gnats and whiteflies. Coat the trap with a nontoxic sticky substance, such as Tanglefoot. To make trap cleaning easy, cover the trap base with plastic wrap, apply the sticky substance to the wrap, and change the wrapper when it loses its stickiness.

image from pixabay

Handpicking Bugs

Removing garden pests by hand is a good option for gardeners tending a small plot or container garden. Inspect plants closely in the morning and remove egg masses, caterpillars, slugs, beetles, or any other pest large enough to grasp. Always wear gloves to prevent skin irritation or stings. Drop the insects into a bucket of soapy water, or save a few to make bug juice to fight future pests.

Bug Vacuums

Gardeners can remove garden pests with a vacuum when the insects are too numerous to remove by handpicking, such as a whitefly infestation. Bug vacuums are also useful for squeamish gardeners who don’t fancy the idea of grasping insects, even with gloved fingers. Finally, bug vacuums are handy for removing the occasional aggressive wasp and black widow spider that lurk in the shadows of the garden. Some bug vacuums kill the insect with an electrical shock; others have a catch-and-release feature.

Water Spray

Spraying garden pests with a strong blast of water from the hose may not seem like an effective method of control, but when insects such as aphids lose their purchase on a host plant, they usually are unable to reconvene in large enough numbers to continue their tirade. In addition to aphids, gardeners can control leafhopper nymphs and spider mites with a jet of water. Use this pest control method in the morning, so plants can dry before fungal diseases develop.