Can Plant Pests Be Electrocuted?
Home gardeners often find their plants infested with damaging insects. Whiteflies, mealybugs, scale insects and aphids are all common pests of garden plants. While outdoor electrical bug lights will kill some plant pests, they may also kill beneficial insects. Using a combination of cultural control methods along with insecticides will control plant pests in your garden. Does this Spark an idea?
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Types
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Electric bug killers are one way to eliminate outdoor garden pests, as well as flies and mosquitoes. However, the University of Arizona suggests home gardeners use another forms of pest control because electric bug lights also kill beneficial insects. Lacewigs and parasitic wasps are beneficial insects often killed by electric bug lights. Damaging insect populations rise when there are not enough beneficial insects to keep them under control. Instead, use yellow sticky traps, which attract insects such as fungus gnats and whiteflies. Cheesecloth or plant screens protect individual plants from damaging pests such as Japanese beetles or caterpillars. If you choose to use electric bug killers, they are most effective when combined with cultural control methods to keep insect populations under control. Without proper sanitation, insect populations will rise to unmanageable levels.
Natural Controls
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Washing your plants with a forceful stream of water can keep damaging plant pests under control. Use a spray nozzle and rinse plants two or three times a week to knock pests from plants. Cotton balls soaked in alcohol will remove insects such as mealybugs or aphids from plants. Wipe insects away from the plant with the cotton ball and repeat once each week for continued control.
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Soaps And Oils
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Soap solutions can keep damaging insects to a minimum on garden plants. Combine 2 tablespoons liquid dish soap with 1 gallon water and apply it to infested plants. Rinse after an hour or so and repeat once each week until insects are under control. Horticultural oils are available at your local garden center for insect control on outdoor plants. These products work by coating insects with oil and disrupting their breathing, causing them to die. Both soap solutions and horticultural oils must completely coat plant leaves to be effective because they must come into contact with insects to kill them. When applying soap solutions or oil products, always check your plant's sensitivity to the product on a small portion of the plant before applying all over. If your plant shows no adverse effects after seven days, apply the product to the entire plant.
Sanitation
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Keeping your yard and garden free from weeds is an important aspect of insect control. Many damaging plant pests breed in weedy areas and move to infest plants in close proximity. Stink bugs, whiteflies and cutworms all overwinter in weeds and use these areas as food sources. Slugs seek protection during the day in patches of weeds and come out at night to feed on your garden plants. Remove weeds regularly for best results.
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