Pests like aphids and caterpillars cause huge destruction on crops if they are not eliminated in time.  Pest control can be a headache if one is caught unaware. Here are some methods that can help you control pests on your farm.

Encourage pests' natural enemies

These are natural garden insects that prey on pests destroying your plants. They are spiders, wasps, ground beetles, and ladybirds. You can attract them by planting pollen and nectar-producing plants. They kill the pest destroying crops thus decreasing their reproductive ability.

Use of barriers

These barriers prevent the pests from crawling to the plants and cause destruction. Installing copper barriers prevent snails and slugs from reaching raised bed and climbing up trees. Applying a sticky glue barrier keeps ants out of trees and shrubs. Adding a cardboard collar around the plants stems prevents burrowing insects like cutworms from getting to your plants through the soil.

Keep your soil healthy

Healthy soil provides strong crops that are resistant to pest destruction. You can use fertilizer or use organic compost to supply it with the essential nutrients required for producing strong and healthy plants.

Crop rotation

This involves the practice of planting different kinds of crops in different sections of your garden each season. However, you are supposed to be very keen not to grow crops that are affected by the same pests and diseases in one section. This helps in minimizing pest infestations in your farm.

Companion crops

These are plants that repel pests naturally when grown next to crops. These plants include garlic which repels beetles, aphids, Japanese beetles and spider mites when grown next to vegetables. Basil repels tomato hornworms while marigolds planted near squash or cucumbers repel cucumber beetles and nematodes.

Traps

Most pests can be controlled through the use of traps. The traps are used to reduce pest numbers. One can add food and chemicals to attract pests into the traps. These traps include beer traps for slugs and snails.  Make sure that you check the traps daily and change them if necessary.

Pesticides

This is the most common method used by farmers to control pests. You can spray chemicals or use organic pesticides. Organic pesticides are recommended on fruits and vegetables that are less harmful to human beings since they contain no chemicals.

Other ways can be the use of hands where you can handpick large pests if the size of your garden is small or only a few parts of the plants are infested. This prevents the pest from laying and building up.  Infected plants can also be removed from the fields to control spreading of pests.


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