Pests in the Garden can ruin your favorite plants, whether you are a master grower or this is your first time. The plants grow happily in the sun, suddenly becoming covered in crawly crawlies. Pests are a natural part of the ecosystem, but we want to keep them from damaging our plants. Try these natural pest control methods to get rid of some common pests.

No matter how destructive the cabbage caterpillars or aphids are, I’ll never be caught with a pesticide bottle. The key to regenerative gardening is welcoming all types of wildlife.

Flower Color Meanings and Symbolism

We want to see the cute butterfly, bees, and other adorable insects flitting around the flowers. But we must also accept the snail and other creepy crawlies.

When you use regenerative gardening techniques like crop rotation and interplanting, you’ll find that pest problems will naturally control themselves. But sometimes, a pest can take control and cause plant problems.

In such cases, I may intervene. It will be done in a 100% natural way. We can harm our ecosystem by using pesticides.

These are the pests that I find in my home, on my houseplants, and outside my house and Garden. Here’s how to stop them from destroying your Garden.

Garden snails typically aren’t bad but can eat tender seedlings.

Good Bugs

You may be surprised to learn that some creepy crawlies in your Garden are doing you more good than you realize! Ants, for example, love to farm aphids. While they march one by one, the ants protect your plants against a more dangerous bug.

Before you get all Terminator on a bug that gives you the ick and isn’t as cute as the ladybug with the red and black dotted dots, take a minute to do some research.

These garden pests are a part of the natural predator/prey cycle, and they are also important food for other beneficial bugs as well as wildlife.

Attracting ladybugs to your Garden can help control the aphid population.

Common Garden Pests

Here are some of your most common garden pests. They could be eating away at your flowers, vegetables, or lawn.

ANTS

As mentioned, Ants can be a helpful bug in your Garden. They are everywhere, looking for food. It’s fantastic to see an ant carrying a heavy load.

You can sometimes find a large number of ants in a particular area. The ants can be a problem in your Garden, depending on the location. This can be handled by redirecting the ants. The colony is moving around because one ant found a food source and shared it with the others.

You will want to remove the food source and keep that area as clean as possible to redirect them. Do not invite them to your picnic!

See my post on How to Get Rid of Ants in the Garden for more natural pest control tips.

Another way to control the ant population is to introduce predators that eat ants.

APHIDS

Aphids are one of the most common garden pests. Aphids multiply quickly and spread their sticky honeydew to your plants. They’re also loved by other bugs, such as ladybugs and lacewing larvae.

I have two ways that I prefer to deal with insects in the Garden. First, you can lure those beneficial insects with their preferred plants, build bug hotels and implement practices such as leaving the leaves.

Second, I prefer to attract them. Yes, you heard me right. Plant trap plants such as nasturtiums to lure the aphids from your other plants. It also encourages beneficial insects to come and eat the aphids.

Check out My Aphid Guide for more information on how to get rid of them.

Aphids can multiply quickly, with females producing up to 12 young daily.

CATS

Some people find cats to be pests. As a cat mother, I have a mischievous black cat named Magic, who has become one of my favorite garden companions.

Some gardeners keep their neighborhood cats away from their gardens because they don’t want the cats to use their garden beds as litter boxes or to protect songbirds.

It can be used to cover your Garden with items that are not attractive to cats. This will make it less appealing for them to spend time in.

Here are my detailed tips on how to keep cats out of your yard.

Magic is the name of my cat.

EUROPEAN BEETLE

The lawn chafer is well known for its appetite. After mating in trees, these beetles lay 50 or more eggs on the lawn below them. These eggs become grubs that feast on the grass…until the birds and other small animals eat them.

It’s not worth it to me to put in the effort for a perfect green lawn. I’m not trying to hide that I wouldn’t say I like turf grass because they take up a lot of space and water.

I encourage people to look for an alternative to grass. The chafer beetle does not do as much damage on my lawns, which are full of clover and Speedwell.

The European chafer is smaller than a penny.

FRUIT FLIES

You know that there will be more fruit flies after you see one. Fruit flies can enter your home via produce or even from outside. Fruit flies are attracted by ripe or rotting fruit and can detect their favorite scents up to a mile away.

Fruit flies are best avoided by avoiding overripe produce. Of course, there are always bananas that don’t get eaten on time.

Making a trap is the best way to deal with fruit flies. It’s easy, and you probably already have the items in your house. To make your trap, follow the instructions in this post.

Fruit flies don’t like clean surfaces, so keep your super kitchen tidy when you spot them.

FUNGUS GNATS

A speck flew into my face when I was sitting on my couch, minding my business. I’ve also had a wave of fungus gnats appear after watering my plant. They are not harmful but can be annoying.

Fungus Gnats are attracted by moist soil and can stay dormant until the conditions are right. The best way to fight them is to control your water. Do not overwater. Allow the plant to dry completely before watering it again.

You can use sand and gravel on top of your soil to prevent fungus gnats from laying eggs. For more information on how to stop and avoid fungus gnats, check out this article.

Fungus Gnats lay eggs on the soil’s surface, so gravel will prevent them from reproducing.

MOSQUITOES

Mosquitoes LOVE me. It’s not a mutual feeling. Unfortunately, I am one of the unfortunate people that mosquitoes like to feed on. I suffer from huge swellings and itchiness as a result. As a camper and gardener, I have had to find several ways to keep mosquitoes away.

Making a container garden is one of my favorite natural pest control techniques. I place it next to my patio and fill it with heavily scented plants to enjoy the outdoors without being bothered by mosquitoes. These efforts are combined with homemade citronella candles.

I like to make my natural insect spray when in the Garden or camping. It’s much better smelling than commercial bug sprays and does not contain DEET. It works great at keeping mosquitoes at bay!

Citronella is also combined with strong scents such as pine or rosemary.

SLUGS

Slugs have been a real problem for me. They are horrible when it comes down to eating my lettuce. This is one of the reasons I plant mine in raised beds and containers so they can’t reach it.

Since slugs thrive in moist environments, the best way to eliminate them is to dry up their surroundings and make them less inviting.

If you want to get rid of slugs, there are many ways. You can make a simple slug trap using beer. Or you can hand-pick the slugs. Read this post for more information on preventing and getting rid of slugs.

Copper reacts with a slug’s mucus, so using it around your containers can prevent slugs from climbing.