Pesticides

A no pesticides sign

We all love to see ladybirds and bumble bees, and they will be appearing soon in our gardens.  So why do people poison their gardens with pesticides, which also kill these beautiful and helpful creatures?  Bumblebees and other insects pollinate flowers, fruit and vegetables, and we cannot do without them.  If allowed a few days, ladybirds will find the whitefly on your roses, and eat them.

So what about slugs?  There are many flowers which slugs do not eat.  And not all slugs are harmful, for some eat decaying vegetation and are useful in the compost heap.  Besides, slugs are a sign of a balanced ecosystem.  Slugs need to keep cool and damp, so on a hot day they hide, perhaps under a cabbage leaf near your lettuce plants, from where they may be caught.  To track them down, go out after dark and shine a torch on your plants and seedlings.  You may find them hanging out there.

For detailed advice on how to garden without pesticides, go to https://www.rhs.org.uk/prevention-protection/controlling-pests-and-diseases-without-chemicals