teaching children about the pest when growing organically

[Andy Hamilton]

I have just got this following email

Hi Guys,
I want to teach children about the pests that might be experienced when growing organically, and ways in which we can treat them in a healthy way! What have you got, or what could you recommend that i go and see?

I told him a few things about companion planting, slugs and soapy water on aphids.

anyone else got any ideas? I shall pass this link onto him.

[Hillbilly]

I can only think of vinegar as weedkiller (but weeds not really a 'pest') and keeping the woodwork in the greenhouse/polytunnel wet and a constant airflow to prevent red spider mite (they thrive in dry conditions).

Cornmeal solution and/or conrmeal worked into the ground is also said to prevent certain fungal growths too.

[Shirley]

You can use biological control for some pests... eg red spider mite if keeping the polytunnel moist doesn't work!!!

I guess it depends how old the kids are... some would find that idea to be supercool... others would just find it scary!!

Boys... especially... would find squishing greenfly between fingers amusing!!

[Luath]

Don't forget, though, that it is entirly possible to live with a lot/most/all of these pests; after a certain number of years, 8 or 9, then your garden will find its own balance if you garden organically and have water in the garden. I have fairly few pests now, after 8 years, plenty of water in the garden, and no chemicals whatsoever in that time. Would be worth mentioning the live and let live point of view.

[hedgewizard]

How you deal with pests also depends on scale. A couple of tomato plants with whitefly can be dealt with by hand, but a dozen plants would make you reach for the spray bottle and insecticidal soap I reckon.

Speaking of which,my tunnel is alive with flea beetles at the moment. They were making short work of an aubergine, which I've protected with derris powder, but aside from that I can't see what harm they're doing. Yet. Advice?

[Stonehead]

We encourage natural predators, so our garden is full of sparrows, tits, wrens, robins, swifts, finches, magpies, blackbirds, martins, swallows, frogs, toads, wasps, spiders etc. The boys know most of the birds and many of the arachnids, insects and amphibians by sight and sound.

Anything the predators don't get is picked off by myself, the OH and the boys.

We make a few exceptions - slugs are controlled by nematodes (or we'd be swamped by them), while pigeons and rabbits are shot.

We try to strike a balance between keeping the beds relatively weed free, while leaving weeds around the outside of the vegetable patch. The weeds attract scores of birds and insects, so are well worth keeping.

We do have to protect some of the crops from the birds (or accept some losses), but by and large it works well.

[Garlic]

My littleun loves squidging colorado beetle ...........we just said 'see that it's eating your chips'.............well we didn't really but I reckon most kids are ok with squiding things?

[hedgewizard]

Connor was an expert bug squidger until he hit about 10 at which point he claimed it was too icky. He'll come back to it. For now he is the expert demolition man... Connor the Destroyer we call him. Very handy.

[Boots]

What a good question...Things like mice, hoppers and snails make a great source of protein for poultry. So wherever possible they are caught and diverted into the poultry range.

Chooks rarely miss a mouse, and ducks rarely miss a bug/crawler. All grains are stored near the chook house, and a small team of ducks is brought into the house yard if necessary.

All 3 of my dogs catch flies and Zara is generally head of all security

All animals coming onto the farm are quarantined on arrival.

Aphids/Scale get a spray using the soapy water out of the washing machine.

Mozzies are handled with citronella candles.

Birds are deterred by hanging old CD discs in the branches of the citrus, netting the peaches and draping shade cloth over vegie beds. All dogs are also well trained and very quick to rouse on any ducks straying into the house yard, or any visiting birds that linger near the beds.

Bandicoots, rabbits and roos cause me no dramas but the dogs tend to sense their arrival long before I do and give them a noisy warning, and the house yard is fairly well fenced. The bit that is not great, borders the donks paddock, and donks are the best security in the world!!! They will let in nothing...

Feral cats are kept away from the chooks with an 8ft fence and the bottom is in the ground.

Fencing also keep the wild dogs clear of all goats, and the pig, which are all penned at night. (Though I definately lost one young buck to a dog once)

An answering machine and a 'dodgy front gate' coupled with a ruddy big walk up a hill handles pests of the human variety.