Advice about pest control...

Discussion in 'Breeding, Raising, Feeding and Caring for Animals' started by katsparrow, Oct 19, 2010.

  1. katsparrow

    katsparrow Junior Member

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    Hi,

    I am after some advice about pest control. I seem to have a problem with slugs, earwigs and butcher boys getting into my raised veggie beds and wreaking havoc! I would like to know what methods people are using and how successful they are.

    Thanks.
     
  2. permup

    permup Junior Member

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    Hi

    I too had a big problem with slugs and snails. I seem to have broken the back of it now, by watering the garden before nightfall, then going out after dark with a torch, and collecting them all. I think over the span of 2 weeks, I would have easily filled a large bucket. I also used take-away containers buried down into the mulch, with a few centimeters of beer in the bottom. They love it, come for a drink, get drunk, fall in and drown.

    Bill would say you have a duck deficiency - but while I have ducks, I don't let them in my garden too often because they eat it all.

    Are earwigs a problem in the garden? I've never had them. And I don't know what a butcher boy is.

    Good luck.
    Paula.
     
  3. Tezza

    Tezza Junior Member

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    yeah,id agree with Permup re the ducks and collecting bugs..

    Is a butcher boy a "apprentice butcher"?

    Tezza
     
  4. katsparrow

    katsparrow Junior Member

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    A butcher boy is another name for a slater. Do you know the bug I mean??

    I am in the process of getting a few ducks for that reason too. I will give the beer traps a go and I have started the bug collecting.

    Thanks.
     
  5. permup

    permup Junior Member

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    Hi Katsparrow, yes I've noticed that I have a lot of slaters too at the moment. At this stage I can't see that they are causing any problems, as I think they live on decaying stuff, so I leave them alone and let them add to the biodiversity of my garden.
     
  6. purplepear

    purplepear Junior Member

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    I think it is important to give the garden time to balance itself. Many gardens that go organic get inundated early in their lives by all manner of bugs. Building habitat for birds and lizards will bring balance in a year and you will from then on have no measurable problems and no continuing expenditure in money, time and effort from then on. Slaters or woodlice and earwigs too are favourite food for many birds and snail eggs are devoured by little lizards. Generally they do not cause too much damage but slaters do like the tops of strawberries. Even snails seem to prefer the outer leaves or dying parts of plants (after very young one - that is.)
    Give it time and build habitat for benificials if you can.
     
  7. Terra

    Terra Moderator

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    Provide hiding spots for the pests then you can manage them , when the earwigs hatch here they are pretty thick nothing to see a hundred little ones under a rock Mrs Terra has a large native garden which has lots of cover for them to breed up to a problem . We use a rechargable vacum cleaner designed for car cleaning its terrific for collecting in these situations then just visit the chooks .
    Rob
     
  8. sun burn

    sun burn Junior Member

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    You should learn what bugs are not harmful and in fact which may be good for yoru garden. I found such a book in the library. though I cna't remember its name, sorry. I vaguley think i recall them saying that slaters were not harmful in the garden.

    I haven't seen any slugs yet this year but i am going to see if the ducks have an impact. The ducks and chickens are allowed all over my garden except i don't want htem in my vege patch because they tramp on things and if they get into my pond, they will tear the plastic when they want to get out. As yet its not fenced. But i figure if they are chasing down slugs in the rest of hte garden, this will keep the numbers down in the vege patch too.I hope it works like that. Otherwise I will try the beer trap and there's one about coffee too. google for details.
     
  9. Tezza

    Tezza Junior Member

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    Yeah I know em as slaters lol

    Me thinks that a majority of bugs in our gardens are a direct result of human intervention,or gardeners intent on soil improvements eg genorous additions of mulch,clippings etc that are manna from heaven,a big time bonus for anything thats eats and reproduces.....

    New or fussy gardeners usually plant in bare soil after transplnting seedlings etc,giving easy acsess to all those yummy young nice tasting seedlings...

    Mulching doesnt allways prevent seedling losses,BUT,it does give feed for the many larger bugs eg slaters that rely on rotting vegetation to get their food from,APPARENTLY, bugs will usually attack the weekest plants first,,then multiplying then hopping along from one plant to the next,till the food stops or someone or something stops them.

    Tezza
     
  10. phantom

    phantom Junior Member

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    Try instant coffee, just buy any cheap brand, try mixing 4-5 teaspoons of coffee in a large spray bottle about 750mls-1ltr in size, then spray on all the veggies leaves. if it rains, re-apply is a good idea, as it tends to come off a bit. Coffee is toxic to snails if they ingest it, I assume slugs also. Give it go on a few plants to see if it works for you.. you may have a slight coffee tang on ya leavy greens,, so better wash thoroughly.
     
  11. Susan Girard

    Susan Girard Junior Member

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    I have placed some terra cotta pipes cut in half around the garden where slugs, snails hide during the day. Down turned citrus skins works too. I just go past and scoop them out and give them to my ducks.
    I don't do anything about the slaters or earwigs cause I see them as beneficial. Earwigs eat aphids and mites as well as plant matter whilst slaters are attracted to stressed/diseased fruit and plants. So I figure they are there doing the job of breaking down what in the bigger picture is no doubt seen as cleaning up debris.
    : )
    Sue
     
  12. hawkypork

    hawkypork Junior Member

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    I am happy to have slaters elsewhere in my garden but in my strawberries the little bastards burrow into the ripe ones just before I am ready to pick them. Platitudes about loving your bugs dont cut with me. I would really like to hear from anyone who gets to pick a chemical free strawberry crop in a slater heavy area (slaters rule in Perth summers).

    I will give the half oranges a go.

    cheers,
    Haakon
     
  13. Terra

    Terra Moderator

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    We get Terrific Strawberries , grow them in old rainwater tanks cut off about 500mm high , could post pics but dont know how and i probably have to resize as well , i should start a blog i guess dont know how , hmmmm . anyway tanks filled with dam silt and compost mix , dont get many pests at all in them odd millipede thats all , i guess they feel pretty vulnerable crossing that much open space , and we have heaps of millipedes earwigs and slaters courtesy of Mrs Terras native jungle . If all else fails put a physical barrier around them and paint it with vicks vapour rub i havnt seen anything that will challenge that stuff .
    Rob
     
  14. daniel22

    daniel22 New Member

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    Hello everyone,

    I am living in Sydney, Australia with my family and we are living here from so many years in the same house.

    I want to do pest control in my house so please suggest me any good Pest control services in Sydney?

    Thanks in advance.
     
  15. 9anda1f

    9anda1f Administrator Staff Member

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    Hi Daniel, what type(s) of pests are you looking to control?
     

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