Today, pest control is (still) mainly carried out with chemical pesticides, which are associated with health risks for humans and animals. But what do the environmentally conscious natural gardeners who love genuine organic vegetables and fruit do to keep pests in check and protect themselves from crop losses? Quite simply: you use beneficial insects! To be honest, we were not familiar with this solution to this extent before our research, because: How does the ecologically thinking allotment gardener actually get such beneficial insects?
Ladybugs eat lice
But then it became clear that there had been a lot of movement in the field of pest control in recent years and according to the well-known biological principle that nature regulates many things in life and also in the garden itself.
Beneficial creatures are now also available for purchase
In gardening shops and in many online shops as well. Whether it is against the hated codling moth, vine weevil, spider mite or crane fly, a beneficial insect can now grow at home against all conceivable pests if the right brood is at hand. And they come in bags for animal-to-animal fights indoors, on balconies, in the greenhouse and, of course, outdoors.
For example: lacewing larvae against aphids, thrips, spider mites and mealybugs. From 12° C they can be used all year round in a combat area of 10 or 30 m2. Price: from 9.99 euros and what else needs to be considered is described in detail by the GrünTeam in its garden shop.
When using biological pest control, it is important to deal with the subject thoroughly beforehand and to know exactly who the enemies and friends of the various garden cultures are. We have prepared a small overview for this purpose, which may be useful when eliminating the most common types of pests and, particularly important, helps prevent them from spreading.
| aphids | mealybugs | scale insects | |
|---|---|---|---|
| properties | Suck plant sap and poison plants with their saliva. Leaves curl, curl and stick. | Hundreds of eggs are laid on the excreted waxy substance, which are particularly harmful to citrus fruits and daisy family. | Settle beneath leaves and cripple them. There is honeydew excreted by the animals on the leaf surface. |
| beneficial | Gall midges / lacewings: eat about 100 aphids per day | Ladybug: eats up to 300 lice in the course of its life. | Ichneumonid: Eats scale insect larvae from the inside. |
| slugs | carrot flies | leaf miner | |
| properties | Occupy shoot tips and leaves of vegetables and many other plants. | Cause rust-brown root tips and defecate. | Leaf tips turn yellowish to brown and are often nibbled. |
| beneficial | Nematodes: Invade the snail and decompose it with the body's own bacterium. | Ground beetles & spiders: Eating habits vary, have a very good preventive effect. | Spiders/Wrens: Both species eat leaf miners with great pleasure. |
tips and tricks
Most pests have made themselves comfortable on the undersides of the leaves, initially causing spots, then blisters, and finally gradually wilting the leaves. It is best to familiarize yourself with possible enemies of your plants before spring ordering.