Using chemicals to control the pests on your farm can harm the crops in many ways and directly affect the people who consume them. Therefore, it is necessary to put some effort into managing the pests naturally with the help of chemical-less approaches. If you are in Texas, pest problems can occur frequently. You can also speak to a pest control Bryan TX companies who can help you.
How to control pests in organic farming?
Here are a few ways you can easily use to control the pests organically:
- A Trap made with Light
Use a bright light to attract and catch adult moth pests. Set up the light trap in your field or garden after sunset, around 5:30 pm to 6 pm. Near the light, place a large plate or container filled with water mixed with a little kerosene or vegetable oil.
The adult moths will be drawn to the light at night, and when they try to fly towards the light, they will fall into the water and drown. This helps reduce the total number of adult moths laying eggs.
- A sticky trap
Get some bright yellow plates, bowls, or empty cans. Spread a coat of thick, sticky castor oil all over them. Place these yellow sticky traps around your plants.
The sticky surface will trap tiny white fly pests that land on it. Check the traps daily and wipe off any trapped whiteflies. Re-apply a fresh layer of the sticky castor oil each day. This is an easy way to control whitefly populations.
- Bird Perches
Make or buy some T-shaped perches from long, dried wood twigs or branches. Spread it around your field or garden, about 15-20 perches per acre.
The perches give visiting birds a place to rest and look for food. While resting on the perches, the birds will spot and eat up caterpillars, worms, and other pests in your crops. This helps control pests naturally.
- Hand-pick the pests
Hand Picking For a small garden area, you can hand-pick off pests. Pour a little kerosene or vegetable oil into a polythene bag. In the evening, check on your plants carefully and pick off any pests or bugs you see.
Drop these pests into the oil-filled bag. The oil will suffocate and kill them. Hand-picking is ideal when pest numbers are still low and manageable.
- Repelling pests with Neem
Repellent Neem is a natural pest repellent. Grind up some neem leaves, neem seed kernels, or neem cake into a powder. Put this powder into a pot and add twice as much water. Cover the pot with a cloth and let it sit for three days.
After three days, place these pots at any of the four corners of your field. In the evening, remove the cloth covers from the pots. The strong neem smell released will prevent many pests from entering your crop area.
