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Pests can be controlled with chemicals or by using natural methods. You can encourage natural predators to your garden, use companion planting to deter certain pests, use resistant varieties of plants and practice good crop rotation.

Pests
There are many types of pests that are troublesome to gardeners. Rather than giving details on each individual pest, we shall categorise them as follows.

Flying Insects
Greenfly, whitefly, aphids and other flying insects can be controlled by a number of methods. Where possible use a physical barrier such as a plastic covered cloche or fleece to prevent these insects reaching your plants. There are a number of traps available which attract the insects then trap them on a sticky surface, similar to fly papers. Also available are parasitic predators, these often come as a larvae which you mix with water and spray onto plants. The growing larvae prey on certain pest insects but do not harm your plants. Companion planting can be useful when growing carrots, plant rows of carrots between rows of taller plants or marigolds. The smell of marigolds seems to deter carrot fly. There are a number of organic 'chemicals' that can be used to control insects, a dilute wash of washing liquid works well for small infestations.

Crawling Insects
Generally easier to see and easier to take action. Again use traps, pots filled with straw for earwigs, hand pick caterpillars off leaves and encourage birds to your garden. Use a sticky grease band around tree trunks and greenhouse table legs. Be careful! many crawling insects such as spiders and beetles can be beneficial, catching and feeding on other insects. Ground beetles can even kill slugs.

Ladybirds
DEFINITELY NOT A PEST! Contrary to what some people think ladybirds are not pests and are to be positively encouraged. One of the best allies for the gardener. Ladybirds will eat hundreds of insect pests and do no harm in your garden. Try and encourage into your garden with a good variety of planting. The problem with most chemical insecticides is that they are not selective in what they kill, after a time of organic gardening, predatory insects will make chemicals unnecessary.

Slugs and Snails
Probably the most hated garden pests (and rightly so). Snails and particularly slugs can cause an enormous amount of damage in the garden. They feed by grazing on seeds, shoots and leaves of plants. Once a seed or shoot has been attacked by slugs the plant will usually die. We have seen fields of crops decimated by slugs. Slugs are very prolific and hardy, they lay hundreds of eggs and can lay dormant in the soil until conditions are right for them to attack. Slugs and snails like warm, moist conditions. Activity will be more evident in evenings and early morning. Use traps to catch them and then destroy or feed to birds. A plastic bag pinned down to the ground, a slate or tile, an upturned grapefruit half are all effective in attracting slugs and snails. Beer traps buried in the ground can also help. Make your garden attractive to frogs and toads, birds, hedgehogs and beetles. These all enjoy a meal of slugs. Avoid lumpy seedbeds, keep them fine and firm to hinder their movement. Use a physical barrier to keep slugs away from susceptible plants, crushed eggshells placed in a 2"-3" band around the base of plants is very effective. Slug killer pellets should only be used as a last resort and always look for organic alternatives to chemical products.

Birds
Whilst birds are beneficial to the gardener they can also be a nuisance. Birds seem to instinctively know where you have just planted some new seeds, cover new sowings with twigs or a cloche, make a scarecrow  for your vegetable patch and hang old CD's from branches. Special 'humming' line can be used to make a scary noise. All these methods can be used to great effect, although birds are very clever and will soon get wise to what is and is not a threat to them. If you have a big problem such as a flock of starlings roosting in your trees, you will need to call in a professional pest controller.

Rabbits
Very cute but very destructive. Rabbits will eat just about anything, damage to vegetables and plants can be tolerated to a certain extent (why don't they eat weeds?) unfortunately rabbits love gnawing the bark on trees. This can be very damaging, especially to young trees. The only sure way of keeping rabbits out of the garden is to erect a proper rabbit proof fence. This will have to be buried in the ground as well to prevent them burrowing under it. Having a dog (particularly a Jack Russell) to keep chasing them away and it may catch some, also the scent of a cat or dog will deter rabbits. Shooting is not recommended unless you are an expert, it would be better to buy some rabbit cage traps and bait them with sliced carrots, it sounds daft but it works, we have caught hundreds of bunnies like this.

Foxes and Badgers
Not a really a common garden pest as badgers do like eating slugs and other grubs but they can start to be a problem when they start digging up your borders. Badgers also like to make a 'toilet' to mark their territory by digging a hole and adding to it's contents every night, when it is full they will start another one. The best way to drive them away is to get your dog or yourself to wee near this toilet last thing at night! Pepper dust also works well but weeing is cheaper!

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