Do you hate strange cats using your yard as a personal litter box? You’re not alone. Keeping cats out of your garden is a big problem that comes up all the time on social media.
In this post I’ll examine the many proposals for controlling cats to see which ones actually work. Spoiler alert – most suggests are just myths and don’t work or are not practical, but some are worth trying.
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Wasps can be dangerous during the day, but what about at night? Do they sleep? Do they come out of the nest after dark? Are you less likely to get stung at this time of day? A better understanding of wasp activity at night will help you deal with nests.
Ticks can be a concern. Lyme disease is real. But a lot of what you’ve heard is bunk!
Funny how quickly people make up stuff and how easily the powerful internet spreads it.
Mosquitoes are a big problem in many places, and ticks are becoming an even bigger concern. Fire ants are more localized, but they can be a real problem in the garden. Both folklore and modern-day experiences suggest a remedy for these pests based on callicarpa, the beautyberry. Some people plant it in the garden to reduce insect numbers. Others prepare various concoctions to spread on clothing or skin to keep pests off, and some just rub the leaves on their skin for a similar effect. One person even reported that she eats the berries and never gets bitten!
What does science say?
Gardeners talk about earthworms as if they are all one species, but there are over 3,000 earthworms on Earth. Some burrow, some are small, some jump, or at least we call them jumping worms. There are also stories of giant three-foot worms, but do they really exist?
We think they are good for our garden because they build better soil, but the same earthworms are also very destructive to natural places.
And then there is the age-old story about cutting worms in half to get two worms – is that true?
The meme pictured below suggests that crushed tomato leaves are a good way to get rid of aphids. Who knew?
This meme is making the rounds and based on comments, a lot of you will give it a try. Why? Why not just use Google and do a quick search to find the facts? That does not always work, but in this case the facts are readily available.
Growing marginally hardy or non-hardy plants in cold climates usually involves growing them in containers and moving them indoors before winter. Everyone loves to see houseplants flourish when grown outside during warmer months – but no one likes bugs hitchhiking back inside! Fortunately, there are ways to remove unwelcome insects before they enter your home.
One of the most frustrating things that happens to gardeners is putting in the effort to grow beautiful, healthy plants, only to have them chewed up by pests. You may have noticed that some of the leaves on your plants look skeletal – that is, most of the leaf tissue has been eaten, leaving behind the veins and petiole. This is likely the work of Japanese beetles. Japanese beetles (Popillia japonica) are a particularly persistent invasive species that’s become a major pest in the garden. Even government-run control programs have failed to fully suppress populations, so gardeners should be prepared to keep this pest out of the garden.
This article will review various control methods to see which ones are best.
Check out social media gardening groups and you will find at least one post each day asking for ways to control fungus gnats. They are perceived to be a huge problem with seedlings and other indoor plants. Much of the online advice doesn’t work, so let’s swat some myths about fungus gnats.
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There is a lot of talk about companion planting, especially for the vegetable garden, and marigolds seem to be at the top of most plant lists. They make other plants grow better and their strong smell keeps pests away. They even stop root knot nematodes.
Much of this information is anecdotal and I suspect some of it is just made up to sell some popular books. What do marigolds actually do in the garden?
Everybody is talking about Btk because of the gypsy moth outbreak this year. This microbial pesticide kills caterpillars but does not harm any other insects. Unfortunately, its popularity has generated a number of misconceptions about the product.
I see this all the time in the gardening world. A little bit of misunderstood true science morphs into solutions that just don’t work. Let’s have a close look at Btk and separate scientific fact from fiction.
Japanese beetles (Popillia japonica) have become a major pest in Eastern North America and other places. The Japanese beetle trap is routinely recommended for garden use and is easily available commercially, but does it work?
One of the problems with this trap is that it does “seem” to work – it catches lots of beetles. But does it bring all the neighborhood beetles to your yard? Will a Japanese beetle trap reduce the damage this pest does to your roses and other tasty plants?
The answer to these questions is a bit more complex than you might think.
