Natural Solutions to Things That Bug You (82 page)

PRAYING MANTIS

    
Identification:

One of the best insects to have around your garden is the praying mantis. They are large, about 5 inches long and usually green but may be found in brown. They have enlarged front legs, which work great for grasping prey.

PRAY FOR THESE INSECTS

The praying mantis eats its meals of insects while they are still alive then proceeds to groom afterwards. It is capable of consuming large numbers of insects including aphids, bees, wasps, beetles, caterpillars, grasshoppers and even a small frog, salamander or other small lizard.

However, it is not too fussy and sometimes and may eat a beneficial insect for dessert. Another problem is that the praying mantis may also eat its own kind.

You can purchase praying mantis egg cases by mail order. They need to be attached to a low-growing twig in the fall. They will hatch in the early spring and disappear into the foliage immediately. They are very delicate when they first hatch resulting in a large number being eaten by ants and lizards.

If you place the eggs in a brown paper bag and allow them to sit on a windowsill, they will hatch. Be sure the area is not too hot or you will have
“fried mantis.”
It takes about 8 weeks for them to hatch then release them as soon as their skin dries and hardens.

Praying Mantis is found throughout the United States and Canada. They can easily be tempted into your garden if you plant raspberry canes.

TACHINID FLY

General Information:

    This fly looks like an ordinary black housefly, however, they may be seen in yellow, red or brown colors. They feed on nectar and honeydew secreted by other insects. These are a potent pest control parasite. Their larvae are deposited on the host and feeds on European corn borers, cutworms, armyworms, Mexican bean beetles and Japanese beetles. They love buckwheat and will be drawn to the grain.

WHEELBUG

General Information:

    This is a real ugly bug that makes his home in your shrubbery. He is one of the good guys but not one you want to mess with. He has a wheel shape on his back to identify him, however, I don’t think that you want to be that close. They eat other insects that do not have a hard shell and just sit and wait for a bug to go by. They do have a temper and will give you a stinging bite if bothered.

CHAPTER 15

SNAILS & SLUGS

SNAILS & SLUGS

SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEM

SLUGGING IT OUT WITH SNAILS

    The preferred meal for a slug is a succulent plant, especially their favorite, pansies. They feed different from any other insect in that they eat the leaf from the middle to the end, leaving you half a leaf. They do not like dry, cold weather and daylight and will hide under boards or debris. They feed at night and they are easy to track since they leave a trail of slime.

Snails are hermaphrodites; which means that they contain both the male and female sex organs and do not need another snail to mate. Snails are capable of producing over 300 eggs per day, which can lie dormant in the soil for up to 10 years.

Their breeding seasons are spring and fall. They love moisture and the dark, which is where they will nest. Plain “cheap” beer seems to attract them and when they consume it, it has the ability to dry them out thus killing them.

JUNGLE RAIN WORKS GREAT

The following ingredients will be needed:

             
1¼              Tablespoons of brewer’s yeast

              1              Quart of very cheap beer

              1              Quart of apple cider vinegar

              1              Tablespoon of Jungle Rain™

              1              Cup of warm tap water

2              Tablespoons of granulated sugar

1              One-gallon bottle

Place the cheap beer and vinegar in the gallon bottle and shake. Add the brewers yeast and the water with the sugar dissolved, to the beer and vinegar solution and mix. Add the Jungle Rain™, mix well and pour into small lids or holders that can easily be placed where the snails frequent. This will attract every snail in the neighborhood and do them all in.

Snails and slugs prefer a near beer and go crazy for Kingsbury Malt Beverage®

HAVE A SNAIL-PICKING PARTY

One of the best methods of eliminating or at least reducing the snail population in your garden is to pay a neighbors kid anywhere from a penny to a nickel per snail. They need a flashlight and prowl your garden after dark and pick the snails up by hand. Have rubber gloves available for the pickers and a bucket with salt, soapy water to drop them into.

ESCARGO FOR CHICKENS

If you don’t want to kill the snails immediately and you or your neighbor has chickens, just feed the snails to the chickens. Chickens love to feast on snails.