Pests and Predators

If you own a livestock farm or just have a homestead with a few animals running around on it, you know how troublesome snakes can be. They steal eggs from chickens, pick off chicks, and panic larger animals. A few snakes are dangerously venomous, capable of hurting or killing man and beast alike. Snakes might … Read more

If you run a farm or just tend a garden, you know you always have to be on the lookout for harmful insect pests. If you live anywhere but in one of the driest climates, you have probably already had a run-in with the Mexican bean beetle, particularly if you grow any sort of bean … Read more

Bugs can be a major source of irritation, and we typically squish or spray every bug that we can get. Unfortunately, that includes the ones that help our gardens. This leads to further issues, and possibly adds more damage to your yard. Letting nature run its course is often the best course of action, despite … Read more

If you live in the American South, along the Gulf Coast, or in some parts of the Southwest, you are probably entirely, personally familiar with the subject of this article already. For the rest of you, today you will learn about one of the most damaging, painful, and tiny invasive species in the United States: … Read more

Mosquitoes, biting flies, and other pest insects are always around and ready to ruin your time outdoors, whatever you happen to be doing out there. Fending them off seems like a full-time job, but lately there has been an uproar about relief from an unlikely source. There seems to be a growing clamor around the … Read more

I’ve always been quite lucky to not have to worry about too many pests in my garden. I’m not sure how I’ve avoided this common predicament – it’s something I hear echoed by so many gardeners near me. They struggle with all kinds of garden pests, including cabbage worms, cutworms, and of course – aphids. … Read more

Damping off is a plant disease that develops from fungi or bacteria in the soil. Also commonly referred to as “dampening off” this crop disease almost exclusively afflicts only seeds and the newly sprouting plants they yield. Damping off disease typically targets vegetable plants and flowers, not fruit crop seeds. Damping off disease causes the … Read more

Leaf miners are a destructive variety of insects that can destroy a garden or orchard in a single season, or harm plants enough to drastically reduce their yield. These tiny black fly larvae leave pale lines or blotches on the plants they carnage. These bad bugs are the larvae of the Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera Diptera … Read more

Flies are as much of a fixture on any homestead as the chicken coop and a compost pile. Getting rid of flies as well as keeping them and other pesky insects off of your family and livestock becomes an everyday battle once the chill of winter gives way to the warmer temperatures of spring. Making … Read more

Moles, those burrowing little buggers can destroy your yard in a day. I have so many raised tunnels in my yard, we have made a game out of who can stomp them back down the fastest. They also drive my dogs crazy. They occasionally catch one but, my yard sure gets destroyed in the process. … Read more

Mice can be a real problem in and around the home. Here are 11 things you can do to keep mice away from your house and out of your food. Your additional tips welcomed!

When I shared with an elderly friend of ours that the deer have demolished our corn this year, he had a very unconventional solution for us to try!

I’m a little late posting my Barn Hop today, but here ya go!! Link up and share what’s new at your place!