Gardening pests come in all shapes and sizes

Gardening pests are, of course, not really a groups of things that can each be dealt with in the same way. They include everything from small insects to large mammals and each presents a unique problem of its own.

Although we may strive to use organic methods and be self-sufficient, gardening pests have no respect for the fences that divide one garden from the next. For instance, one of the most frustrating pests in my own garden is a local flock of Sulphur-crested Cockatoos that are fed and encouraged into the area by a neighbour. These birds range over a wide area, but return to my neighbour's garden every afternoon. Consequently, I had no fruit at all from any of my trees last year.

Of course, Cockatoos are wildlife - not vermin - so trapping or killing them is not a solution. Our new puppy on the other hand may help deal with the problem by chasing and barking at anything that comes into the garden.

Of course at times, he can be a bit of a pest himself, but that's another story.

Another garden pest we have that is a bit more difficult to deal with is the local Brushtail Possum - who has a particular fondness for my apple tree. Although the dog enjoys barking at it, this generally has no effect and it just goes on with its nocturnal munching, unperturbed.

Possums can be trapped and relocated, but another will soon move into the vacated territory and the relocated possum usually dies due to conflict with resident animals in their new area. The only possibility is often to isolate the tree. Unfortunately, in my case having the tree so close to a fence, this is not a realistic option.

To get a quick start on this issue, have a look at this page about finding and using some remedies for gardening pests.

There are also many similarities between pests and weeds, in fact the only real difference is that pests are animals and weeds are plants. So you may well find some useful ideas on our Weeds page.