Pest Control

This post was long past due. I should've posted it at the height of summer but I guess it's better late than never. I love my flower garden, and like it's low-maintenance but it took  me a long time and a lot of efforts to bring it to what it is today. Why you may ask? Over the past five years I have been battling different types of pests throughout summer months, and luckily was able to keep them under control one by one. 

Thanks to global warming, Japanese Beetles have migrated further and further north and now they are everywhere from June to August. They are particularly fond of fragrant roses and can devour their flowers clean within minutes. Since Japanese Beetles haven't really threatened crop or fruit production, municipal governments wouldn't declare it an infestation. So, it's up to homeowners to win their own battle against these suckers.

This is a picture of a Japanese Beetle on a pink rose, kind of beautiful, right?

 

What about now? Nothing but!

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I tried soap water, beetle traps, everything you can think of that's not harmful to the environment, but at the end I caved in. I yanked out all my rose bushes. So Japanese Beetle one, Michelle zero. The good news is that they are nowhere near my garden any more after all the rose bushes are gone. Whew!

I don't know it's because my garden is so vibrant or what, but wasps also love it here, and year over year they have been very persistent at nesting out of a certain spot underneath my patio awning. We tried sprays, traps and finally this chemical free "Waspinator", not a trap but a simple wasp deterrent that you can hang up anywhere in your garden. The territorial nature of wasps makes them think that the Waspinator is an enemy nest so they fly away! I am happy to report that the Waspinator lives up to its claim - we had occasional sightings of wasp but they were never again so bold as to nest in our garden any more. 

I am sure we all have our fair share of frustration over certain type of pest when the weather is warm. For example, downtown Toronto residents are constantly protecting their home turfs against raccoons, while my cousins in Australia had rabbit infestation (can you believe it? Cute bunnies!). In hindsight, I kinda wish I had left the battles to professionals like Terminix Pest Control. For the efforts I spent on keeping them under control and the time I missed out enjoying summer, it's just not worthwhile. Something should always be left to professional exterminators. Rest assured that if any of these suckers ever show up again in my garden, they will get the professional treatment. :)

What's your story about pest control? Do spill!