CHAPTER 5

Birds, Bees, and Bugs

Gardens and insects go together like bees and honey. If you want honey, you need bees. And if you want a thriving organic garden, you need insects. While there are many available books where you can look up “good” bugs and “bad” bugs, it’s not quite as black and white in as it sounds. Ants may be farming aphids on your rose bushes, but they are also working hard in the garden to clean up debris and aerate the soil. That pretty white butterfly pollinating your garden is the mature form of the very same cabbageworm that decimated your cabbage, kale, and mustards.

Even if you can determine the bugs you want from those you don’t, a few pests are expected and even beneficial to your garden. Without some pests, what would the beneficial insects have to eat? If beneficial insects get too hungry, they will move on to search for food elsewhere, or, worse, die. Allowing small populations of pests in your garden creates a more balanced ecosystem. It’s when pest populations get out of control that you need to step in.

If you have implemented the ideas in this book so far, you are well on your way to creating a regenerative, self-maintaining garden. Healthy soil and robust plants will be able to tolerate pest populations without too much damage. The organic plants you are growing and the mulch layer on the soil create the ideal habitat for natural predators and pollinators. Supporting those critters by providing food, water, breeding areas, and winter shelter help support the health of your garden space. In this chapter, we will take a look at recipes to support beneficial wildlife and some of the traps and deterrents for pests.

Butterfly Puddler

Butterflies, moths, and even leaf-hoppers enjoy having a little mud puddle in the garden. This doesn’t have to be a large area or a complicated structure; simply a spot for them to suck up some muddy water for a refreshing drink of minerals. Be sure to place the puddler in a sunny location that is easily visible from your home or garden. You definitely won’t want to miss the fun from watching the show.

Materials

Terracotta pot and plant tray

Play sand

Compost

Decorative rocks and beach glass

Make It!

1. Mix 3 parts sand with 1 part compost and add it to the tray of the terracotta pot.

2. Make a “river” in the sand by pushing aside some of the sand and adding decorative pebbles.

3. Lay flat decorative rocks or beach glass along the river. These perches sit just above the sand and compost and give butterflies and friends a place to land. The pattern you choose to lay out the rocks is purely for your design pleasure.

4. Add some water to the sand and compost to make mud and set the puddler out in the garden.

Fill the water every few days to a week depending on the weather and how quickly the water evaporates. Each month, empty the puddler and give it a good wash with biodegradable dish soap. Also refresh the sand, compost, and design.

Bee Bath

Creating a bee-friendly garden means more than just planting flowers. You certainly want to attract them with gorgeous blooms, but while they are in your garden, you will want to give them a place to collect water such as a pond, fountain, or a bee bath. A bee bath is a simple bee waterer that is easy to make and care for in your home garden, and it’s a nice touch to set one out for your pollinating guests.

A shallow dish or bowl with some rocks in it that sits above clean water is just enough to give bees a drink. The idea is to create a source of fresh water that has places for bees to perch as they drink and collect water.

Materials

Shallow dish

Plant pot

River stones

Fresh water

Make It!

1. Choose a spot in the garden where it is protected and shady.

2. Turn a plant pot upside down to use as a base, and set a shallow dish on top of the pot. Choose a dish that is water-safe such as glass or ceramic, as plastics and metals may leach into the water.

3. Add a few river stones to the dish and just enough water so that the tops of the stones are not submerged.

4. Change the water daily and clean the bee bath weekly with Castile soap.

Keeping It Clean

While it’s a whole lot of fun to serve recipes of homemade goodies to backyard wildlife, it also comes with some responsibility. Feeders and birdbaths need to be regularly maintained and cleaned to keep garden visitors safe. Just because the recipes are served outdoors doesn’t mean you can just set them and forget them. Harmful microorganisms can grow and make wildlife sick. Follow the maintenance and cleaning steps outlined in each project to keep critters happy and safe.

Backyard Birdseed Recipes

As every backyard bird parent knows, they sure can go through a lot of seed! If you’ve ever bought bags of mixed birdseed for your feathered friends, then you have undoubtedly had to deal with a big mess of dropped seeds below your feeder. Not all birds like all seeds, and those big bags of standard mix are often filled with low-cost filler that the birds quickly toss out to get to the good stuff. Making your own seed mix will save a few extra bucks while tailoring the mix to the birds you want to visit.

Come One, Come All All-Purpose Mix

This mix has a variety of seed to attract common feeder birds, including ground birds that hop around below the feeder keeping the ground clean(ish). Start with a mix of all the seeds, and if you see any of the ingredients being tossed out and left behind, eliminate those on the next round. Note that you may have different birds visiting in winter as you do in summer; the mix can be adjusted seasonally.

Materials

Black oil sunflower

Safflower

Shelled peanuts

Millet

Nyjer seed

No Mess Mix (No Shells)

Shelled seeds and nuts are a lot less messy because there aren’t any shells discarded below the feeder. This mix will attract a variety of backyard birds to your garden.

Materials

Hulled sunflower seeds

Shelled peanuts

Tree nuts (chopped)

Hulled millet

Trail Mix (Seeds and Fruit)

Birds appreciate a mix of seeds and fruit for a balanced meal. Fruit can be either fresh or dried but do not use any with added sugar or additives. Fresh fruit such as apple slices, grapes, and cranberries are enjoyed by birds and will last well in the winter garden if the temperature is cold.

Materials

Black oil sunflower

Safflower

Shelled peanuts

Millet

Fruit, such as apple slices, grapes, cranberries

The Class Clowns (Peanuts in the Shell)

Add peanuts in the shell to a feeder with large holes hanging from a wire to watch large birds, like jays and crows, and critters like squirrels perform acrobatics to try and wrangle the peanuts out. When they tire out, the smaller birds like chickadees will come in and sensibly peck at the shells to release the peanuts.

Materials

Peanuts in the shell

High Fat Winter Suet

In winter, suet is a great way to attract insect-eating birds, such as woodpeckers, chickadees, nuthatches, and jays. The high fat and protein sources are important to keep birds going through winter so they will be energetic and ready for pest patrol duties in spring.

Suet Recipe

1/2 cup (120 ml) rendered fat

1/4 (60 ml) cup peanut butter

1 cup (235 ml) birdseed mix

1/4 cup (60 ml) rolled oats

Materials

Suet

Enamel camping mug

6-inch-long (15-cm-long) twig

Duct tape

Metal key chain ring

Make It!

1. Use duct tape to attach the twig to the inside of an enamel camping mug, on the opposite side of the handle.

2. Melt the rendered fat in a Mason jar set in a pot of hot water. Stir in the peanut butter, birdseed, and oats.

3. Pour the suet mixture into the mug and set it in the refrigerator or freezer to set.

4. Hang the feeder from a strong branch using the metal key chain clip, which will hold firmly through winter.

Hummingbird Nectar

Visiting hummingbirds are one of the greatest garden delights. The sound of their wings, the speed of their movements, the shimmer of their feathers—all this makes them a highly attractive garden guest. If you don’t have enough reasons to love them, they also fill their belly with aphids, mosquitoes, gnats, whiteflies, and insect eggs. Invite them for a sweet cocktail and they will happily reward you with pest control and silly antics.

Materials

1 part sugar

4 parts water

Make It!

1. Boil the sugar and water together in a pot and allow it to cool.

2. Fill the feeder with the nectar and replace and clean the feeder every 2 to 3 days in warm weather, once a week in cool weather.

3. Store any leftover nectar in the refrigerator for a week.

No Additives or Substitutions, Please

While some store-bought nectar has red dye added, please do not add food coloring as it can harm the birds. Instead, use a feeder with some red on it to attract hummingbirds. It’s also important to note that while we often hear of sugar alternatives that are better for human consumption, plain white sugar is best for hummingbird food and it should not be replaced with maple syrup, honey, brown sugar, coconut sugar, stevia, or any other sugar substitute.

Aphid Nursery

As you may have naturally discovered, there are some plants in your garden that aphids just love. Nasturtium, feverfew, Shasta daisy, broad beans, kale, linden, fruit trees—aphids aren’t picky about whether it’s an herb, flower, shrub, or tree; they just want to suck that sweet sap and have babies.

One of the best ways to keep aphids from taking over your garden is to plant some of their favorite plants. Why would I ever suggest creating an area in your garden to attract pests? Before you throw this book out the window, please hear me out. Pest populations need to reach a certain threshold in order for predatory insects to make patrolling your garden worth their while. Creating an aphid “nursery” allows you to control the location of the aphids and thus attract chickadees, wasps, hoverflies, and ladybugs to keep the rest of the plants aphid-free.

If you find yourself getting concerned about those little leaf suckers all over your plants, just remember that you don’t have an aphid infestation; you have ladybug scarcity. Creating a garden that can be enjoyed by all creatures is a much larger joy than perfectly pristine plants.

Make It!

Plant sacrificial perennials or annuals that aphids are known to love away from your prized plants. Some of the plants that aphids love, including nasturtiums, mustards, kale, Shasta daisies, and feverfew, are hardy enough to stand up to their abuse. Plant these early in the season, before the peak growing season of your prized plants. This will ensure that there is enough time to attract predators before your other plants become too attractive to aphids. Monitor the success of the nursery through managing the population of aphids. Aphids multiply quickly, so the numbers can quickly get out of hand while you wait for predators. If the aphids start to take over more than 20 percent of the plant, remove some of the aphids with pruning or a water spray.

Farmer Ants

Ants love to “farm” aphids for the sweet honeydew they produce. Ants aren’t harmful to plants, but they will protect the aphids from predators. If ants are becoming a detriment to the predatory insects, then hose off the aphids every day for a week or two; the ants will eventually move on to another food source that isn’t so much trouble.

The Humble Garden Hose

You don’t have to bring out the big guns for tiny armies of insects feeding on your plants. In many cases, the jet spray from your garden hose is enough to keep pest populations under control. Aphids, spider mites, and spittlebugs love to sip the sap from your plants, but a quick spray will send them flying. The spray will dislodge the insects and change the environment, making it less desirable. Spider mites detest wet conditions and so regular spraying will send them packing. Aphids won’t be able to make a trip back up the plant. Some aphids are born without legs (just mouth parts and reproductive organs to eat and make more aphids, yuck), so a spray of water is very effective at removing them.

Adopt a Predator (Dog, Chicken, Duck, and So On!)

One of the best ways to introduce beneficial predators into your garden is to adopt them! Chickens, ducks, and dogs are hard-working garden hands that are happily paid in food, shelter, and belly rubs. If you have the space and ability to add livestock such as chickens or ducks, they will waddle around your garden and gobble up slugs, grasshoppers, beetles, and more. Dogs can be helpful at pest control as well. While indoors they may catch and snack on a few rogue houseflies and mosquitoes, but what’s even more helpful is their desire to mark (with urine) to protect their territory, which deters animal pests. While each breed and individual animal is different, even the presence of a dog should be enough to send mice, rats, rabbits, raccoons, squirrels, and skunks looking for lodging and food elsewhere. Dogs also bark and chase unwanted garden visitors away.

Coyote, wolf, fox, bear, cougar, and other large animal urine is sold as a pest barrier that can be applied to your property. The odor of the urine is meant to deter animals such as deer, weasels, and armadillos. It’s sold in granules or liquid form that is applied to your property every month or reapplied after heavy rains. Given the yuck factor in the application and the questionable source of the ingredients, adopting a dog is a much better option.

Fungus Gnat Sand

Fungus gnats, sometimes called soil gnats, resemble small fruit flies and infest houseplants. Fungus gnats can get into your houseplants when they are left outside, but usually, they come straight from the nursery, where they hide in the soil until you bring them home unknowingly. Their larvae eat fungi and plant roots in the soil and then hatch, which is why they suddenly appear in houseplants that were otherwise pest-free.

Preventing gnats is pretty simple. By removing their habitat, changing your watering habits, and adding a layer of fungus gnat sand, you’ll have gnats no more.

Materials

Choose any of the following or combine a mix of them:

Coarse sand

Crushed gravel

Decorative aquarium rocks

Make It!

1. Let the soil dry completely, then scrape off the top inch (2.5 cm) of soil and discard it.

2. Add a layer of any one or a mix of these materials to replace the top layer of soil.

3. Water the plant by filling the bottom tray and allowing the water to wick up into the soil.

Discard any water that isn’t wicked up within 30 minutes to prevent the soil from becoming oversaturated.

Store Extra Potting Soil in an Airtight Container

If you keep your potting soil in a bag or open bucket, fungus gnats can easily get in and lay their eggs, but the eggs need air to survive so airtight containers like buckets with tight-fitting lids will keep gnat larvae at bay.

Herbal Pest Deterrent Spray

Make a homemade herbal pest-be-gone spray using fresh herbs, water, and a bit of soap to allow the spray to adhere to leaves.

Garlic and red pepper are often ingredients in commercial natural deterrents for insects, birds, and animals like deer and rabbits. The combination of the odor of the spray and the taste isn’t harmful to the pests, but it does tend to send them elsewhere for food.

Materials

6 whole, unpeeled cloves of garlic

1 or 2 whole spicy chili peppers

1/2 cup (120 ml) chopped herbs from “Herbs that Repel Pests” (optional)

Blender

Mason jar with a lid

Nut milk bag

Rubber gloves

1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) liquid Castile soap

Make It!

1. Add the garlic cloves and chili peppers (including seeds) into a blender. Prepare fresh or dried herbs by removing the leaves and/or flowers and composting any woody stems.

2. Cover with water to fill the blender half-full and blend until thoroughly liquified. Add more water to fill the blender two-thirds of the way full, and blend again.

3. Strain the mixture through a nut milk bag, and squeeze to release all of the liquid. Wear gloves to protect your hands when squeezing the liquid from the nut milk bag to avoid a skin reaction.

4. Add a small amount of unscented Castile soap and stir. Castile soap can often come in a liquid concentrate, so dilute it as per the package instructions before using.

5. Pour the liquid into a spray bottle and shake before each use.

Caution: Always test a small amount of any homemade concoction on a part of one plant to watch for any reaction. Discontinue use if plants show any negative response.

HERBS THAT REPEL PESTS

Many herbs deter specific pests from feasting on plants. Add the plants from this list to the garlic and chili blend or use them to make your own custom recipe. Note that some of these herbs could also deter beneficial insects and wildlife from your garden. Use them only when pest populations need intervention and discontinue use as soon as the balance is restored.

HERB	BOTANICAL NAME	REPELS
BASIL	Ocimum basilicum	Whiteflies, carrot fly, asparagus beetle
BORAGE	Borago officinalis	Tomato hornworm, asparagus beetles
CATNIP	Nepeta cataria	Ants, flea beetles, aphids, Japanese beetle, squash bugs, weevils, Colorado potato beetle, cabbage looper, cockroaches Note: Attracts cats.
CHIVES	Allium schoenoprasum	Carrot fly, Japanese beetle, aphids
CILANTRO/ CORIANDER	Coriandrum sativum	Aphids, spider mites, Colorado potato beetle
DILL	Anethum graveolens	Aphids, squash bugs, spider mites, cabbage looper
LAVENDER	Lavandula spp.	Moths, fleas, flies, mosquitoes
MINT	Mentha spp.	Ants, aphids, cabbage looper, flea beetles, squash bugs, whiteflies
PENNYROYAL	Mentha pulegium	Ants, gnats, fleas, mosquitoes, flies, mice
ROSEMARY	Rosmarinus officinalis	Cabbage looper, carrot fly, cockroaches, mosquitoes, slugs, snails, Mexican bean beetle
RUE	Ruta graveolens	Cucumber and flea beetles
TANSY	Tanacetum vulgare	Ants, beetles, flies, squash bugs, cutworms, Small White, Cabbage White
TOMATO LEAF	Lycopersicon esculentum	Many insects
WORMWOOD	Artemisia absinthium	Ants, earwigs, flies, fleas, slugs, cabbage looper, cabbage maggot, carrot fly, moths, flea beetles, whiteflies, mice

Citronella Flower Pot Candle to Repel Mosquitoes

Citronella candles are a great companion to keep mosquitoes at bay. For the common garden variety mosquitoes that come out at dusk, placing a few scented candles around a space will add ambiance for you and mask your scent from mosquitoes. If you live where there are no mosquito-borne diseases or a serious overpopulation of mosquitoes, this system works well to deter these bloodsuckers without the need to douse your skin or clothing with insecticide.

Materials

6-inch (15-cm) terracotta flower pot

Outdoor silicone sealer

Electrical tape

Sheet of cork

Mod Podge

Paintbrush

1 lb. (450 g) soy wax for the container candles

Three HTP 1312 6-inch (15-cm) waxed and wired wicks with tabs

1 oz. (28 ml) pure citronella oil

Equipment

Hot glue gun and glue

Double boiler

Thermometer

Kitchen scale

Paper cup

Chopsticks or clothespins

Using three wicks in a large terracotta flower pot will create more smoke and a larger pool of wax to release the citronella oil. The combination of smoke and citronella scent in your yard may be enough that the mosquitoes search elsewhere for a food source.

Make It!

1. Measure the radius of the pot and place the three wicks evenly spaced at half the radius. Imagine that three candles are set in the pot together; the wick would be in the center of each one. Use hot glue to affix the wick tabs to the bottom of the pot.

2. Look for a terracotta flower pot without a drainage hole if you can find one. If not, then cover the inside of the hole with electrical tape and fill the hole with an outdoor silicone sealer. When the sealer is dry, cut a circle of cork to cover the base of the pot and use hot glue to attach it in place.

3. Prepare the flower pot by painting the inside of the pot with a non-flammable sealer like Mod Podge. Allow the sealer to dry according to the package instructions.

4. Melt the soy wax in the top of a double boiler and bring to 160°F (71°C).

5. Add the citronella oil and stir well.

6. Cool to 140°F (60°C) and pour into the flower pot until it’s 1/2 inch (1 cm) from the top.

7. Prop the wicks up straight with chopsticks.

8. Allow the wax to dry completely untouched in a warm room. When dry, trim the wicks to 1/4 inch (0.6 cm) above the wax.

Note: Be sure to set the candle on a heat-proof base to protect surfaces from heat or leaks or when burning.

Make Your Garden a Mosquito-Free Zone

Mosquitoes can be a nuisance in the garden, but they don’t travel far. Keep the garden clean and remove standing water and you shouldn’t have too many of them to contend with.

If you live in an area that is endemic to mosquito-borne disease, then please protect yourself with WHO-approved topical repellants and clothing. (WHO stands for World Health Organization.)

Recycled Bottle Trap for Flies, Wasps, and Stink Bugs

This recycled bottle trap’s simple yet ingenious design is easy to make with a humble plastic bottle from the recycling bin. The design makes it easy for pests to enter, but they can’t find their way out. The trap can be customized to attract different pests depending on the bait you use to lure them.

Make It!

1. Cut a plastic bottle all the way around the diameter approximately one-third from the top with scissors or a box cutter.

2. Invert the top of the bottle and set it inside the cut bottom part of the bottle.

3. Add 1 inch (2.5 cm) of the insect bait recipe of your choice to the bottom part of the bottle. Be sure that there is at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water or liquid to drown the insects, but that there is solid food poking out above the water.

Insect Bait Recipes

House Flies

Flies enjoy rotting meat and decaying material. Add raw meat or fish and water to the trap. Set it in a sunny location where flies are prevalent. The sun will quickly spoil the meat and release the perfect aroma to attract flies.

Wasps

Wasps look for protein sources early in life and switch to preferring sugary treats at the end of their life cycle. At the beginning of wasp season, place cooked or raw meat or fish in an inch of water. At the end of the season, dilute some jam or mashed fruit in a bit of water.

Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs

Place a small, battery-operated LED light at the bottom of the bottle and set it in a dark place. If the light is waterproof, you can add water to drown the stink bugs. (If the light is not waterproof, don’t use water.) They still won’t be able to get out of the trap, but you will have live stink bugs to contend with in the morning.

Slug Bait

Slugs and snails vigorously decimate tender, leafy plants such as lettuce, cabbage, and hosta along with these other vegetable garden favorites: strawberries, cucumbers, and zucchini. They can mow through a salad garden faster than you can pick, sneaking out at night while you are tucked in bed.

The one thing slugs seem to like even more than plants is beer. Technically, it’s the yeast in the beer that they love, so before you pop open a brew for the slugs, you can make your own slug bait and a DIY trap from much less precious ingredients.

Materials

2 cups (475 ml) warm water

1 packet dry yeast

1 teaspoon (5 ml) sugar

Make It!

Combine all the ingredients and stir well. Add the mixture to the DIY slug trap.

DIY Slug Trap

Materials

Plastic container with a lid

Box cutter

Slug bait

Make It!

Use whatever container you have on hand to make this trap—it can be a yogurt or dairy container, take-out box, coffee cup—anything that will hold up in the soil and has a lid. Cut out a few openings in the top one-third of the container. Bury the container so that the openings are at soil level. Fill the container with slug bait and attach the lid.

Check the trap daily to remove slugs and monitor the slug population. At first you should capture the big ones, and after a few days, it will be just the smaller ones. When no more slugs are caught in the trap, pack it up for a few weeks and use it again if you notice more slug activity.

Fruit Fly Trap

This fruit fly trap works like a dream whenever there is an abundance of fruit flies. Set it in your kitchen, worm bin, or compost pile, and the fruit flies won’t have a fighting chance.

Materials

Small glass bowl

Wine or juice

Ripe fruit

Natural dish soap

Plastic wrap

Bamboo skewer

Make It!

1. Fill a small glass bowl with the wine or juice and a piece of ripe fruit. If you use just plain syrup or vinegar, it will not work as well. Fruit flies are looking for rotting fruit to lay eggs in.

2. Put a few drops of dish soap in the liquid.

3. Cover tightly with a piece of plastic wrap and poke a few holes in it with a bamboo skewer. Make sure the holes are big enough that fruit flies can find their way in.

4. Remove all temptation from the area (i.e.: move the offending fruit) and place the trap in its spot. Clean the trap when it’s full and repeat if the problem persists.