There’s nothing worse than building a beautiful garden oasis, only to find that your outdoor sanctuary has been invaded by pests. It’s enough to make you want to pull your hair out and purchase the deadliest pest control treatment available at your local store. But there is another way. Natural pest control remedies are inexpensive and easy to make – a win-win for any green thumb.

What’s more, they’re also free from chemical pesticides, making them much better for you and the environment. So if you’re looking for a backyard with no more pests and no more toxic residues, here are our top five pest control remedies.    

Use milk spray

If you’ve got a fungus problem in your backyard, then it might be that you didn’t correctly space out your plants. Add rain to the equation and then you’ve got a humidity issue on your hands – and that’s going to cause black spots and mildew in and around your garden. However, the good news is that it’s nothing that some homemade milk spray can’t fix. 

You just need to mix one part milk with 10 parts water. If you can, try to use full-cream organic milk for better results. Then just put it in a spray bottle and give your plants a good squirt to attack any black spots and mildew. Once every three days should be enough. You can also use milk spray as a preventative before disaster strikes.

Make a garlic & chilli pesticide

While it may sound more like a dipping sauce, a garlic and chilli pesticide is blooming marvellous for warding off lots of different bugs – such as caterpillars, aphids and slugs. Why? Because both garlic and chilli are natural insect repellents. Garlic is also good for deterring larger pests, such as rabbits.

Just grab a bowl and crush up about five cloves of garlic and three large chillies (or use one tablespoon of powdered chilli) with a tablespoon of vegetable oil and a teaspoon of washing-up liquid. Leave the ingredients to soak overnight, then strain and dilute with about half a litre of water.

Pour the homemade pesticide into a spray bottle, then mist onto your plants while avoiding contact with your skin and eyes. It’s best to spray every few days until all visible pests are gone, and then about every week to 10 days for any eggs or larvae that may have hatched.

Create an eggshell barrier

While a piece of eggshell doesn’t feel that sharp to a human, the edges are like razor blades to small pests. And soft-bodied insects like slugs and caterpillars aren’t too fond of going near plants that are surrounded by sharp edged objects. With that in mind, you can create an eggshell barrier to stop them from nibbling on your shrubs and undergrowth.

Simply get some eggshells, crush them up roughly and place them beneath and around your plants. Make sure the barrier is about a centimetre thick, and

The eggshells will stop pests wanting to get too near and send them on their way without actually killing them.

Plant lavender

When you think of lavender, you probably envisage a beautiful purple plant with a relaxing scent. Well, while that calming aroma is very pleasant for humans, that isn’t the case for many insects.

Fleas, moths and mosquitoes hate the smell and go to great lengths to stay well clear of it.

So, the next time you’re out in the garden, plant some lavender in a flower bed to create a natural repellent. Not only will it keep pests away just as well as more harmful chemical repellents, but it will look great too.

Attract ladybugs

Struggling with an invasion of aphids? It’s no surprise, especially as they are born pregnant and multiply pretty fast. That said, you can try to combat these tiny critters by attracting ladybugs into your garden. Ladybugs consume aphids, mites, whiteflies and scale – and in fact it is said that they can eat as many as 50 aphids a day. With that kind of appetite, they can definitely help to keep the bad bugs away from your beloved plants.

Plant members of the daisy family, as well as sunflowers, fennel and dill to entice ladybugs into your garden space. It’s also worth mentioning that aphids tend to shy away from strongly scented plants like catnip, basil and yarrow.

Need professional help with maintaining your dream garden? Browse Yellow Pages today and find landscaping/gardening professionals in your local area.