Spring
Time Pests – What to Look Out For
Isn’t spring the best of seasons?
After the dull, grey winter that seems to have stretched for months, it seems
that overnight the trees, the shrubs and everything else in the garden starts
to awaken from their slumber.
As the tips of new green, spring
growth push their way through the soil, other things start to stir: pests.
Mated female wasps will start to
look for somewhere to build their nests, eggs hatch, larvae are formed and this
can mean one thing for the homeowner: a pest infestation.
Spring is a good time to take a
good look around, and check for any tiny critters that could possibly become a
bigger problem in the coming months.
Here are four common pests to
look for and what to do about them…
#1 The Garden Ant
The ant is tiny and will only re-appear when the temperature has risen so when you spot an ant or two, you know that spring has arrived.
In most cases, ants don’t cause
us any problems and in the garden, are a valuable part of the food chain for other
bugs and birds.
However, if they have made their
colony uncomfortably close to your home, you might need to get rid. A kettle of
boiling water or ant powder does the trick. But, when they nest in walls or
hard to reach places, you will need our help.
#2 Flies
Remerging after the cold of
winter, flies love high-protein, organic food stuff, like rotting ‘flesh’ (e.g.
a chicken carcass) and, worse still, dog and cat poop.
A concentration of flies in and
around an area means that there is something they are feeding on. Find it and
get rid of it (or call us). Make sure the area is scrubbed and disinfected as
flies carry salmonella and other unpleasant bacteria.
#3 Cockroaches
Cockroaches are attracted to our homes – one type to the humidity of the kitchen and the other to the coolness of the cellar and basement. Particularly hardy, a cockroach will last months without water and food. Good hygiene in the kitchen is essential: brush and mop the floor, wipe up spills etc. If you spot a cockroach, you must call us as they spread harmful bacteria which, if ingested, leads to illness.#4 Snails and Slugs
The bane of every gardener’s
life. You spend your time caring and nurturing your prized dahlias or your
show-winning cucumbers, only to find that the snail and/or slug have devoured
them.
Snails and slugs, however, are a
valuable food source for hedgehogs, birds, ground beetles, frogs and so on so try
natural remedies rather than poisoning with pellets. If you do use,
pellets, remove the slug and snail carcasses so that non-target species are not
harmed.
