What are Biological Controls?
Biological controls are the employment of other creatures to control a pest population. A good example of this is using ladybugs in your garden to kill off aphids. Ladybugs are what entomologists refer to as a generalist in that they target many smaller pests, not just aphids. Here is a short list of some biological controls and the pests they control.
- Mites – Predatory mites are a great tool to help control red spider mites in your garden.
- Ladybugs – These little bright rays of sunshine are great for controlling aphids and scale insects, they can also help with other pests, such as white flies and stink bug nymphs and eggs.
- Praying Mantis – These are veracious predators that will eat whatever they can catch including small birds and snakes. Like the ladybug, they are generalist so keeping them on target is difficult.
- Bats – Installing a bat box in your home garden is a great way to help protect your garden from moths. It is the moth larvae that is most damaging, and bats do a very good job of eating the adults before they can lay eggs. Bats work at night, which is when the adult moths fly. In the daytime, if you can stand them, paper wasps will dutifully comb your garden and eat the moth larvae that do hatch.
There is a long list of biological controls that also include mud dauber wasps that prey on black widow spiders. In fact, there are many benefits of having some insects around. The problem with biological controls is that they take a while to work. If you have a pest control problem that needs more urgent action, just give us a call. Our professional pest control technicians offer quality, experience, and safety all at affordable prices.
