Certain insects and wildlife can damage your garden and threaten the health of your plants. It’s important to know which garden pests are dangerous to your garden, and which are friendly. Common causes of garden damage in Arizona include aphids, weevils, ants, bees, beetles, birds, squirrels, javelinas, and rabbits. In this guide, we’ll help you find the best way to recognize harmful insects and wildlife and protect your garden from unwanted pests in Arizona.
Determining What is Damaging Your Garden
The first step in pest and wildlife control is determining what is causing damage to your garden. Some clear signs that will help you identify the culprits are:
- Chew marks or holes – Birds may peck holes in fruit and squirrels, rabbits, and javelinas may chew fruit or plants up.
- Garden damage – Javelinas, squirrels, and rabbits can cause major damage to gardens in a very short time period. If you have trampled plants, smashed fruit, and torn up plants, it’s likely due to one of these animals rather than insects or birds.
- Droppings – Rabbits may leave small pellet droppings in your garden. Javelinas leave scattered droppings that have seeds or pellets in them.
If you can’t tell who caused the damage or if you think there might be multiple culprits, you can set up a camera to catch them in the act.
Consider Putting Up a Fence or Planting in Pots and Raised Beds
Putting up a fence is the simplest and fastest way to keep larger wildlife, like javelinas and coyotes, out of your garden. If you want to keep squirrels and rabbits out, you will have to use chicken wire, hardware cloth, or rabbit fencing. The fence should be at least five feet tall, and you may need to put bird netting over the fruit to keep the birds away.
Using pots and raised beds can sometimes keep smaller pests like rabbits and squirrels out of your plants. However, raised beds won’t deter javelinas, insects, or birds.
Using Eco-Friendly Pest Repellents
There are some eco-friendly, non-toxic repellents that can keep certain pests out of your garden. Peppermint and rosemary oil or plants may repel some beetles, birds, and bugs. Some flowers, like daffodils and marigolds, can deter squirrels. You can also buy organic, non-toxic pest and insect repellents online or in garden stores. The most common ones used in Arizona are:
- Neem oil
- Peppermint oil
- Spinosad
- Beneficial nematodes
- Pyrethrins
- Diatomaceous earth
- Other products certified by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI)
At Horticulture Unlimited, our experienced landscaping specialists can help you get rid of unwanted garden pests in Arizona while attracting beneficial pollinators. We specialize in landscaping maintenance, tree pruning, irrigation, erosion control, and insect and pest management in the Tucson, AZ area. We know exactly how to identify what is damaging your garden or landscaping, and the best ways to stop the damage from happening again. If you have tried natural remedies without success, call us today at (520) 321-4678 or contact us online to get professional help.