Pests

Learn to spot sawfly larvae early — their caterpillar-like bodies and clustered feeding habits make them easy to identify before serious leaf damage sets in. A heads up for those who spend time out in the garden in autumn, sawfly larvae are about too.  As a child we use to call this mass of caterpillar like creature’s spitfires.  They wave …

Protect the harvest you have been nurturing from chewing insects.   • Cover-up – Create a physical barrier by covering leafy vegetables with a fine weave vegetable netting. Sometimes you need to protect only one plant or row of plants. A cloche is a temporary cover, sized and shaped to fit a particular plant. For single plants, make inexpensive cloches …

The increasing daytime temperatures that spring delivers heralds an increase in a few of the usual suspects our gardens experience at this time of year.  The following photos may help to identify and control some of these garden invaders. Grasshoppers Grasshoppers are out and about and love dining on just about any leafy part of a plant. Like most chewing …

Lawn grubs are easy to control. Sprinkle Searles Dead Grub Pro (Bifenthrin) granules evenly over the ground where lawn grubs are present and water it in well.   The granular shaker bottle means there are no messy concoctions or spraying. For the white curl grub, use the hessian bag test (mentioned earlier) after a week to make sure all grubs are gone. Keep …

When it comes to gardening, ants can be troublesome and sometimes downright painful, but did you know there is an easy solution to controlling these biting menaces? Ant problems Ants can create many problems in the garden such as building mounds in lawns and causing soil to become dry and water repellent (especially in pot plants) — not to mention …

  Bindii Winter is a time when Bindii start to invade our home turf, causing much pain and frustration. If you have ever walked on a bindii and felt the sharp pain they cause, you may be interested to know that it is actually the seed that forms the prickle. Bindii starts growing in winter and if you kill the …

There are two main types of lawn grub, each of which can cause devastation to lawns before you are even aware of their presence. Here are some easy ways to recognise and deal with them before they do too much damage. White curl grub The first type of lawn grub is the white curl grub. These white, ‘C’-shaped grubs are …

Secretly, each day, there are millions of insects in gardens fighting the good fight against other insects which cause damage to our loved garden plants and trees. Lets take a look at beneficial insects in the backyard.    Along with the pretty and well-known species that we recognise buzzing about pollinating plant to plant, they are mirrored by those that wish …

Year after year many gardeners are devastated by the damage Possums do to buds, flowers and new growth on their roses, shrubs, trees and herbs. However for over 30 years many rose growers, both amateurs and commercial and others ‘in the know’, have used and confirmed D-TER Animal & Bird Repellent’s real success. “I have used your D-TER for 6 …

After being dormant in winter, many garden pests and bugs are on the move in spring. Here are six common garden pests to control.  Bronze orange bug Watch out for these brightly coloured orange bugs on citrus trees and flowers. They suck the sap from young stems and damage new growth. They give off a bad smelling substance when threatened so …