SLUGS AND SNAILS

Damage:

They like to eat plants in the cabbage family (broccoli, brussel sprouts, kale, caulioflower), lettuce, potatoe, flowers and small fruit. They eat leaves at night, leaving a shiny slimy trail. They also like to feed on roots in winter time. Slugs have four noses. 

Natural Control:

EARWIGS

Are dark brown, thin and long with a pair of "pincers" at rear. It runs more than flies and curves up abdomen and releases foul smell when disturbed. Looks like a beneficial Rove Beetle (which has no pincers). Earwigs are generally beneficial as they eat decaying matter and insect larvae of snails. 

Damage:

Occasional infestations may affect flowers such as dahlias, carnations, chrysanthemums and marigolds and edible plants such as lettuce, celery, potato, beetroot, silver beet, beans and strawberries. Young earwigs can also eat seedlings and chew holes in the leaves of vegetables. The adults eat stamens, petal bases and ripening fruit. They feed at night.

Natural Control:

CABBAGE MOTH- CATERPILLARS

       
Lays tiny yellow bullet shaped eggs on the underside of leaves, taking around 7 days to hatch. It hatches into a velvety green caterpillar with orange back stripe and broken yellow side stripe. It feeds for about 15 days before going into cocoon and emerging 10 days later as an adult White butterfly with 3 or 4 black spots on each wing.

Velvety green caterpillar with orange back-stripe, broken yellow side-stripe; feeds for about 15 days, then pupates.

Damage:

Likes the Cabbage family (broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, kale, Asian greens), lettuce and nasturtiums. They eat large odd shaped holes in leaves and bores into cabbage heads. They also deposit their excrement on the leaves (green/brown pellets) so wash effected plants before eating.

Natural Control:

• They are quite easy to see so handpicking off plants is a good option.
• Sprinkle moist plants with wood ash, flour and salt mixture, sour milk or garlic infusion. Ø
• Use garlic spray to deter.

SLATER

Damage:

They mainly feed on decaying organic matter and therefore help recycle nutrients back into the soil. Sometimes they can decide to have a go at our living veggies too. They feed at night and like to hide under mulch, rocks and logs.

Natural Control:

• Use hollowed out orange halves or seedling punnets filled with potato peelings to trap slaters and distract them from your seedlings.
• Protect seedlings with plant collars (old pots or plastic bottles with the bottom chopped out) for the first couple of weeks.
• Free ranging chooks in the garden after harvest is a good way to clean up excess numbers too. Ø
  
  

APHIDS

Aphids are little insects that suck sap. They are usually only a few millimetres long and appear when the weather warms. Their numbers can build up very quickly.

Damage:

Aphids eat developing shoots and flower buds, piercing the plant's surface and sucking out the plant's juices, which can result in deformed buds, flower loss and even defoliation of the plant.

Natural Control:

• Hosing them off the leaves of the plant Ø
• Encourage ladybugs, hoverflies, lacewings and small birds which eat aphids in large numbers. Do this by planting tansy, yarrow, carrots, asters, Queen Anne’s lace, Cosmos, Fennel, lupins, candytuft, dill, tulips, lilies, geraniums and coriander.

Some Common Sprays

• Make a spray out of garlic and/or chili. This involves chopping up a few good cloves of garlic and/or a few hot chilies, simmering in a few cups of water until the aroma is strong, then let cool, dilute and spray on any plants affected by leaf eating pests.
• Soapy water sprayed onto insect eaten plants will also help to deter them.
• Equal parts milk and water sprayed on plants affected by powdery mildew 3 times a week.
• To treat fungal diseases on plants mix two tablespoons of baking soda into a liter of water and spray on affected areas.

Caution: any spray that kills or deters your pest will also kill or deter beneficial insects in your garden.

Ø = This symbol identifies those control measures that kill the mini beast. It is recommended that you try the other measures before these ones as all mini beasts (even if they are eating some of ‘your’ plants) are performing an important role in the intricately balanced ecosystem of your garden.

RESOURCES

The Gardeners Network

Ecological Agriculture Projects 

Gardening Australia Fact Sheets      

Suite 101: Natural Garden Pest Control 

Earth Easy