The Bee Kind Challenge Step 3
Switching pesticides for plant teas and other DIY solutions.
Pesticides are an enormous threat to pollinators and of increasing concern to human health. Discover natural alternatives, like plant teas that will help you win the battle against aphids and other garden pests without causing harm to the environment.
The impact of pesticides on the environment and human health and recent headlines about biodiversity loss and global insect declines mean that gardeners are uniquely placed to be hugely important conservationists.
Even tiny actions like allowing daisies to grow in your lawn can make a difference to struggling pollinator populations - but not when we use pesticides. So what alternatives are there for gardeners who want to deal with an influx of aphids or too many slugs and snails eating young plants before they have a chance to grow?
Our top pesticide alternative is nature’s own solution; a hungry predator who will do the work of eating pests without harming the environment or ecosystem. Ladybird larvae, for example, will decimate aphid populations, given the time to find them.
Other natural solutions include spraying plants with DIY soap solutions that kill the pests without using harmful chemicals, or making plant teas and using nature’s own natural insecticides to ward off unwanted pests, both neem oil and tomato leaves work really well for this. Neem is a natural insecticide (non toxic to bees) and tomatoes belong to the nightshade family which produce alkaloids that are toxic to aphids, amongst others.
To make tomato leaf tea
• Soak 2 cups of chopped tomato leaves in 2 cups of water overnight.
• Strain the liquid the next day discarding the leaves.
• Add 2 more cups of water to the solution and transfer to a spray bottle.
Spray affected plants, as soon as aphids appear. Pay particular attention to stems and the underside of leaves, as well as growing tips. Not only will the tea kill the aphids the tomato scent will (hopefully) attract other natural insect predators looking for prey.
The other solution we have found that really works is planting nasturtiums in and amongst other plants. Blackfly and greenfly in particular make a bee-line for the nasturtiums and congregate in dense groups on a particular leaf or stem which makes them very easy to remove, leaf and all. Alternatively you can leave them and wait for a ladybird to lay its eggs nearby.
Whatever you do, if you want wildlife to co-exist with you, don’t use pesticides.
As well as banning pesticides in your own garden you can campaign against the use of pesticides in your town and local council with support and guidance from Make my town pesticide-free by PAN UK which has successfully supported communities and individuals to make the switch to pollinator friendly practices.
Making your garden a safe, poison-free place for small creatures is one of the kindest acts you can take to support nature.
A nasturtium fulfilling its role as an aphid magnet. What a lucky ladybird that finds this feast before we compost it!