Dealing With Pests In The Lawn And Garden

By practicing prevention, you can head off some pests without resorting to pesticides. Here are some simple suggestions:

1. Inspect plants or seeds to see if they are free from insects and disease.
2. Fertilize properly to enable plants to outgrow insect attacks.
3. Keep the garden free of weeds and grass.
4. Rake, remove and destroy all plant debris after the growing season.
5. Buy and grow insect-resistant varieties.
6. Reduce the mosquito population by draining all places where stagnant water stands.
7. Spray aphid-infested houseplants and garden plants with soap-and-water solutions rather than insecticides. Researchers at the University of California say this old remedy still works to keep pest insects at non-damaging levels.