Materials

What you’ll need to get startedon your D.I.Y. Project

Protective clothing

Gloves

Face shield

Respirator

Tools

Watering can

Pressure sprayer

Safety

When using pesticides wear protective clothing, gloves, face shield and a respirator where indicated on the pesticide label. It is important to protect skin areas and the eyes at all times, especially when handling the concentrated chemical.

Take extra care when in a confi ned space such as glasshouse.

Wash thoroughly in warm soapy water immediately after spraying and always before eating, drinking or smoking, making sure to scrub all skin areas exposed during spraying, or better still, have a shower.

If poisoning occurs, follow fi rst aid instructions printed on the label and seek immediate medical attention.

Always keep tools and materials away from children.

Read the instructions before beginning your project.

Planning your nextD.I.Y. Project

The Bunnings D.I.Y. brochures are designed to help you step the way through your D.I.Y. home projects.

They’ll give you the right advice on what materials you’ll need,how to get the job done and tips and ideas for achieving

the best result.

For more information go towww.bunnings.com.au

Protect a Garden

BUN

N766 01/08

Expert D.I.Y. adviceIf it’s advice you’re after, come in and discuss the project with

one of our experts. Ask about organising Same Day Delivery, Tool Hire,Installation or even enrol in one of our D.I.Y. classes.

How to protect a garden from insects, snails & slugs

D.I.Y.FREE

How to D.I.Y.Protect a Garden FromInsects, Snails & Slugs

There is a wide range of highly effective and innovative products available for gardeners to care for and protect their plants against insects, snails and slugs. These pests can be combated in the garden by breaking reproduction cycles, getting good insects to eat bad insects, getting other animals to eat pests, and making your vegetables unpalatable to pests.

Please Note:

Information in this brochure is Bunnings’ opinion and we don’t warrant the accuracy or completeness of that information. Bunnings excludes all liability in relation to the statements in this brochure.

whitefl ies, cabbage loopers, thrip, leafl opper, fl ea beetles and scale insects. To get these insects into your garden use companion planting. Start by growing herbs like coriander, fennel, parsley and other fl owers such as daisies, dandelions, marigolds, sunfl owers, thistle, and yarrow (Fig 2). Their fl owers encourage these insects to lay their eggs into grubs, aphids and other pests in the garden. Once the eggs hatch, the larvae feast on the host.

A healthy garden is less likely to succumb to insect attacks. Keep plants well fed, watered and mulched and apply seaweed extract as a preventative measure.

Insect traps are also an option to use as a preventative measure.

Spraying unwanted pests:

Some gardeners make their own organic pesticides that taste so terrible that your pests will move on. Two examples are mixing garlic, chilli and onion or mixing kelp and neem oil.

Pyrethrum sprays, which are made from fl ower extracts, are effective but tend to linger, therefore they can damage new arrivals of good insects.

There are many eco-friendly and chemical sprays available to remove all of your garden pests. It is advisable to confi rm what your pests are and then ask your Bunnings Team Member. Always follow dosage rates and safety instructions.

Snails & slugs

Snail and slugs are your garden’s worst enemies due to their excessive breeding and rapid destruction. They can be particularly damaging to fl ower and vegetable seedlings.

Leaf eaters

Leaf eaters are caterpillars, grubs, leaf-eating beetles, grasshoppers and borers. You know you’re in trouble when you can see holes and missing portions in branches, stems, shrubs, buds, fl ower petals and fruit. It is important that the problem is dealt with as soon as possible before the damage is irreparable.

Solutions

Snails and Slugs:

Snails and slugs are most active just before or as soon as the rain arrives and at night. Here are a few methods to control these two:

Removing the snails and slugs by hand - best done at night with a torch.

Using a container with a small amount of beer which attracts slugs and snails to fall into the dish and drown (Fig 1).

Snail traps are also available through retail outlets.

Sprinkle snail bait around under the bushes, wallings and rock outcrops where they hide.

Using snail pellets is effective, but potentially harmful to wildlife, pets and children. Iron based snail killers are the safest alternative.

Leaf Eaters:

Some eco-friendly preventative measures can be taken to protect your garden from these pests.

Several insect and animal predators are extremely effective at naturally counteracting some pests. These are lace wings, lady bugs, hover fl ies, caterpillar parasites, parasitic wasps and praying mantis. The pests that they pray on can include mealy bugs, mites, moth eggs, caterpillars,

For further expert assistance consult the qualifi ed Team Members at your local Bunnings Warehouse.

Fig 1. Beer attracts slugs. Pour it into a small dish and they will come as fast as a snail can!

Fig 2. Planting sunfl owers, daisies and marigolds will attract good insects which will counteract some pests.