How to get rid of garden pests
It's a jungle out there: your garden can be home to a number of pests, some obvious and others less so. Discover how to find and ferret them out
We've all done it: moved the kids' sand pit or a long undisturbed garden planter to reveal something unpalatable. Perhaps a seething mass of dark brown ants and their eggs, with a trail leading to the house or some other icky wriggling things. What else could be lurking in your garden? Find out how to banish your unwanted garden guests
Ants Slugs and snails Moles Rats Wasps Pigeons Foxes Resources
Ants
Ants are probably the most common garden pest although they can also inhabit your home. The garden ant is aptly named and found all over the UK. They nest outdoors, typically under things on the sunny side of the garden, and they have a sweet tooth. Once discovered they can be eradicated with insecticides and baiting stations. Putting barriers to access points to the house will keep them from proliferating and laying a trail to food. For humane, chemical-free ant control, pest repellers provide the best form of prevention. There a number of eco-friendly products out there, and following the general pest control principle that the more methods you employ the more success you will have, suppliers offer 'kits' containing a variety of products. Find out more at www.pestcontrolshop.co.uk.
Slugs and snails
Moles
Imagine waking up in the morning to find your perfectly manicured lawn littered with perfect little mounds of earth. You have been the victim of the mole. They live in tunnels beneath your lawn only to go vertical in search of food. There are various methods of controlling moles and, interestingly, many claim to be passed down the generations. Windmills and bottles stuck in the lawn, moth balls and smelly cleaning products all claim to be effective. However mole trapping is the only sure fire method and there is an art to it! Check out this video that shows the process.
Comments
Ive tried many things to get of moles, we used to have loads and have quite a large lawn so it soon looked like a landmine war zone! None of the results were particularly effective, i wanted to be humane as well (as much as possible with these things), but reluctantly I turned to a professional mole catcher who only charged me for moles that he actually killed. He did so using mole traps which kill instantly and are apparently the most humane way of doing so. I live in Carmarthenshire, so anyone looking for mole & pest control services in Carmarthenshire, Swansea & South Wales (best contact him to see how far he is willing to travel) get in touch with Justin Lake, a really nice guy and highly recommended, his website is www.gowermolecatcher.co.uk, all contact details are on there I think and also other services, he's a real outdoor person so has many related skills. Anyway he's done me proud so wanted to praise him for his good work - Will