Garden Insect and Pest Control

About Insect and Pest Control

Keep Pests out of your Garden!

Scroll down to Keep away deer, moles, voles, mosquito’s and more.

The Beneficial Ladybug

Asian Lady Beetles don't transmit any diseases, but recent studies do suggest that infestations of these kinds of ladybugs can cause allergies in some people, with symptoms ranging from eye irritations to asthma.

Besides being a nuisance to non-gardeners, the beetle can sometimes emit a acrid odor and can stain some surfaces with yellowish secretions. Ladybugs of the Asian Beetle variety have also become concern of the wine industry. It seems their noxious odor, inadvertently processed with grapes, can contaminate the flavor of the wine.

In the fall, ladybugs can be found under rocks and leaves, in milder climates at the bottom of trees. In summer they are flying around and crawling all over everything. Other ladybug species are found in a range of colors, from red to orange to yellow to black, with different color spots.

They live communally and are most often found on the underside of the leaf. A ladybug can usually lay 10 to 50 eggs, which hatch in 3 to 5 days. In larvae form they eat other insects – this is where ladybugs start being very beneficial to the gardener. They are in this stage for two to three weeks, and then they pupate. An adult comes out in 7 to 10 days. Birds avoid eating ladybugs because they taste so bad, so once you figure out how to attract them, you don’t have to worry about them being gobbled up by other animals.

Farmers mostly love ladybugs because they are good for most crops. They are a natural insecticide, eating mealy bugs, spiders, and other small insects, Plant lice or Aphids are a gourmet meal for ladybugs.

They stay longer in your garden, cleaning up aphids and other pests! Sta-HomeT Lady Beetles

Asian lady beetles are welcome in the garden but they can become a real nuisance when they show up inside your home. Asian Lady Beetle Trap

Say Goodbye to Moles and Voles Forever!

Getting rid of moles and voles can be a difficult task! However by following a few simple steps it can be done.

If you are looking for a quick removal of the pesky vagrants use the Yardiac.com Whole control. This concentrate is sprayed directly into the areas where armadillos, moles, voles, gophers, and other burrowing animals are digging.

It is not a poison and will not hurt any animals. Whole Control will leave a residual in the ground which tastes awful. As invaders dig, they will come in contact with the bad tasting soil and quickly decide the bad taste is too strong and prompt them to find food elsewhere.

For a more permanent control we recommend using the Yardiac.com Mole and Vole Eradication Program. It requires using all three of the following products in combination.

Whole Control Spray -- Effective immediately
Vole Block -- Provides a long term underground barrier
Milky Spore--Gets rid of the grubs that moles love to eat for up to 15 years!

To learn more or to purchase the Yardiac.com Mole & Vole Control program click here

Controlling Deer

If you have mature plants that are being devoured by deer -- it's time to take action! Deer Repellents can be very effective and easy to use.

Deer will almost always stay away from plants that offend two or more senses. Therefore, if a plant tastes and smells offensive deer will avoid the general area it's planted in. Deer resistant gardener use's this knowledge to their advantage.

Yardiac.com recommends using two deer deterrents together (one that offends the sense of smell and one that offends the sense of taste) they will render your tasty plant repulsive to deer.

The best combination we have found is:

Tree Guard or Hot Pepper Wax used in conjunction with Coyote Urine.

Using two products will activate the sense of smell and taste and encourage the deer to move on to more attractive foliage (hopefully not your neighbors) You can learn more about or purchase these products at Yardiac.com's animal repellent department.

Deer hate hot and spicy foods

After one little nibble of a plant coated with hot pepper wax they will definitely say, “No thank you!” when it comes time for seconds. Hot pepper wax combines hot cayenne pepper extract in a food-grade wax. Unlike some solutions, the wax will not wash off of your plants for several weeks.

Applying hot pepper wax to the surfaces of your plants & hanging dispensers filled with Coyote Urine is possibly the most effective method of protecting your plants from deer browsing. Why do predator urine and hot pepper wax work best when used together? Most deer deterrents work on the premise of “offending” one of the deer’s five senses: sight, taste, smell, hearing or touch. Predator urine works on the sense of smell, while hot pepper wax works on the sense of taste. Using these two products together you are not just offending one sense but two.

Say Bye to Bambi enter the Deer Repellent Department Here

Irradicating Mosquitos

Mosquito Facts & West Nile Virus Update & Mosquito Facts

Mosquitolittle fly. There are 3000 different kinds of mosquitoes and a worldwide population of 100 trillion!! Most are in tropical climates, but there are mosquitoes in arctic and desert regions.

They can fly up to 10 mph, dart between raindrops and even fly backwards. Most live and die close to where they hatch, but some are strong flyers that travel many miles in search of a victim.

Only female mosquitoes bite. They require a blood meal in order to develop eggs to make more mosquitoes. Most female mosquitoes lay their eggs on standing water. Stagnant ponds, ditches and fresh or salt water wetlands are favorites, but even a few tablespoons of water in a flower pot or old auto tire will do. The eggs hatch, become swimming larvae, then pupae and finally flying adults. Mosquito larvae are an important source of food for certain fish, birds, bats and other animals. To reduce Mosquito infestation we recommend using the following products Mosquito Bits or Mosquito Dunks. A SkeeterVac is a long term and highly effective solution for eliminating mosquitoes. SkeeterVac's patent pending scientifically proven technology creates an atmosphere biting mosquitoes can't resist: warmth, water vapor, carbon dioxide and odorants. Then it finishes off the job by trapping and killing those biting pests so your outdoor experiences are safer and more enjoyable.

What's being done about Mosquitoes and what you can do.

In their quest for blood, mosquitoes may bite birds, frogs, snakes, and mammals, including people. Some, called peridomestic mosquitoes actually live and breed around homes just to be near us.

24 hours or so after hatching, a female mosquito flies off in search of a meal. She homes in on body warmth, odor, moisture and the carbon dioxide we exhale. When she bites, the mosquito injects a bit of saliva that slows coagulation so blood flows freely. It's your body's allergic reaction to the saliva that caused the welt and itching sensation.

Mosquitoes can also transmit canine heartworm, which is fatal to dogs once contracted. For protection, pet owners can purchase a preventative medicine from their veterinarian.

Generally, the trend in the U.S. is away from spraying adult mosquitoes with chemicals. Whenever possible, government health authorities control large tracts of mosquito breeding land by larviciding. They use low toxicity biopesticides like B.t.i.(Bacillius thuringiensis subspecies israelensis), a live bacteria that's deadly to mosquito larvae, harmless to other living things.

The mosquito that bit you last night may have hatched in the birdbath right in your own back yard. At home or with school or community groups, you can effectively reduce mosquito problems using common sense and environmentally-conscious methods.

Organize a neighborhood cleanup. Its great community project that will eliminate lots of potential mosquito breeding spots and improve the view! Look for places where rainwater collects and stands. Old car tires, drain flower pots, children's wading pools and tree holes.

Goldfish and fresh water minnows (Gambusia affinis) will both eat mosquito larvae. Microbe Lift is an ideal supplement to protect pond areas for excessive mosquito hatchlings. Check with your local mosquito control agency about availability and local regulations. Flush birdbaths and fountains weekly. Clean clogged gutters and drains, cover cesspools.

Let Yardiac.com help you!

To Humans and domestic animals, mosquitoes are a nuisance and a health hazard since mosquitoes can transmit a variety of diseases.

Fortunately Yardiac.com is there to help and protect you from the health risk mosquitoes present. When you can't flush or drain stagnant pools, low-lying wet areas, tree holes, unused swimming pools and rain barrels, use a B.T.I. product like Mosquito Bits or Mosquito Dunks.

Click here for all natural pesticides from Gardens Alive!