Potters Blog » Pests & Pest Control

Great Idea… Too Bad It’s Not Available In Canada!!!

Scott — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:17:01 +0000

The primary ingredient in Mole-Med is castor oil, a material that moles despise; both its smell and its taste. As soon as the mole detects the presence of Mole-Med, it will move immediately to a territory that does not have Mole-Med. While Mole-Med is designed to repel moles, tests have shown that it is an effective repellent for rabbits, squirrels, woodchucks, raccoons, and skunks.

*Currently Unavailable in Canada

Information obtained from:http://yardener.com/YardenersToolshedofProducts/PestAnimalControlProducts/MoleControlProducts/MoleMedRepellent

I’m Not A Bad Bug!

Tia — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 15:17:44 +0000

The other day I received a letter in the mail asking me to put the word out… so I am posting it here! I have to say a little tear was in my eye by the end..

To whom it may concern,

Please send a message out into the world that I am not a bad bug. I am simply the younger form of a ladybug. I may not be pretty, but I will be when I grow up. I am eating all the aphids I can and will continue doing my job as long as you don’t squish me or buy a spray to kill me.

Yours Truly,

Lady

Squirrels, Squirrels, Go Away

Tia — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 14:06:28 +0000

And stay away from my bulbs! Every fall I spend a small fortune on bulbs for the spring and I actually keep them over the Winter! I am going to share my secret with you on how I have come to actually enjoy them blooming in the spring. I plant all my bulbs in pots and cover them with a fine screen (window screening) and tape down the edges. As my tulip and daffodil bulbs pop up in the spring I take off the screening. The squirrels seem to leave them alone once they have popped out of the soil! I will beat them at their game yet!

The Scarecrow

Scott — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 08:31:30 +0000

” I’ve just built a pond in my backyard and the raccoons are destroying it!” I hear this everyday, and really there isn’t much you can do about. I’ve seen a lot of time and money wasted on techniques that are either useless or just stink (a client of ours use to bury fish waste at the other end of his yard to attract the raccoons there rather than his pond… it didn’t work). Although one item that does seem to be effective for both raccoons and herons is called The Scarecrow. The Scarecrow works by creating sudden and unexpected noises and movements which spooks off any trespassing pond pest. This product will also work on hungry husbands.

Interesting Fly Facts

Scott — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 08:12:49 +0000

I’m your host, Scott “Buzz Buzz” Pasternak and I’m here to tell you, flies are interesting! Did you know the following facts about flies?

Flies are in the order Diptera.

Flies, unlike most winged insects, only have one pair of complete wings. Their hind wings are reduced and modified to structures called halteres which help them to balance and manoeuvre when flying.

A dipterist is an entomologist who specializes in flies.

Flies don’t grow. They are born full size.

There are over 150,000 species of flies in the world which is 14% of the world’s know insect fauna.

Forensic entomologists use the predictable nature of flies to help solve crimes.

A fly’s wings beat 200 times per second.

Flies smell with their antennae.

The largest fly in the world, Gauromydas heros or the Midas fly, can reach a length of 6 cm (2.4 in) and a wingspan of 10 cm (4 in).

Salt n’ ….?

Chris — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 08:38:22 +0000

Do you know one household item that is a GREAT weed killer? Good old fashioned vinegar. It’s an acid that plants don’t like and basically burns the heck out anything it’s sprayed on. Keep in mind that it kills almost any plant where it’s sprayed so don’t spray it on the ones you want to keep. But it’s great for spot weed treatments in the garden, getting rid of liverwort in pots, killing mushrooms, killing horsetail, etc, etc. Also, f you have a big bowl of piping hot chips, well, you know what else vinegar is good for…

Holes In My Leaves!

Tia — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 07:45:57 +0000

Walking to work the other day I noticed a lot of damage in the trees…as in caterpillar damage. The best solution is called BTK. This is a product that you spray on your trees, and when those little pests start eating it takes care of them! It will be their last meal! Oh, that sounds mean of me… but they really should have picked a better meal… like a plate of lasagna.

Slugs n Snails in BC

Chris — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:39:16 +0000

I’m still getting a lot of people coming in with damaged leaves from slugs n snails.. apparently they’re still hungry! A good way to get rid of the slimy little buggers is the old stand-by, Cory’s Slug n Snail Bait. But in this day and age where we’re doing our best to move away from pesticides, an even better way is Safer’s Slug & Snail Bait. The Safer’s product is not harmful to pets, wildlife and children (but the Cory’s is!) Both products are very effective but for my money, the one that is effective and safe gets my vote over the poisonous pesticide anyday.

Good Bugs ‘n Bad Bugs

Tia — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 15:49:58 +0000

I came back from a weekend away to a lady coming at me with a bag… “What was in the bag?”, you may be asking. Well, she was shrieking that bugs are killing her plants and upon close inspection I saw that they were lady bug larvae. “These are GOOD BUGS”, I told her. I don’t think that she really believed me so I am putting a picture on here so people stop killing these guys… ladybug larvae are beneficial and eat aphids, spider mites, thrips and scale. The first picture is the larva stage, the second picture shows its metamorphosis from larva into an adult.

Aphids On Dahlias In BC

Tia — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:04:23 +0000

The question of the week is… “I have black bugs on the stem of my dahlias, what are they?” The answer is APHIDS. They love this time of year when things are putting out bulbs and the sugars are flowing inside plants. A solution to this is the product End-All by Safer’s. It takes care of all the life cycle stages of the aphids. A good web site for pest solution is http://www.saferbrand.com. They have garden recipes, product instructions, gardening 101, and much more!