Pest Control in Organic Gardening in the Philippines

“Do you also eat these with that mask on?”

Here’s sharing natural ways for pest control in organic gardening in the Philippines, some from home farmers (Facebook “Home Farmers Club“), which might be helpful to you.  We don’t want to use chemical fertilizers because they do cause cancer; using organic pest control is definitely one way how to prevent cancer.  Regular updates will be made on this article, so please save this.  Good luck to us!

1. Pest:  Mouse.  Damage:  Causes diseases, eats away materials.  Pest control:  Mouse trap, modified with platform trigger.

We bought a common mouse trap from a hardware store (costing a little more than PhP 100), then placed a fried fish bait inside it.  On the first night that we placed the mouse trap near where the mice were hiding, the mouse just ate the bait and happily got out of the trap.  The trap did not, well, trap.  LOL.  So, my husband modified the trap by placing a platform inside it, so that once the mouse steps onto it, it will trigger the closing of the trap door.  Below is an illustration of platform trigger in the mouse trap, made by my 9-year old daughter, which goes to show that the design is simple and very doable.

2.  Pest:  Rat.  Damage:  Eats my African Night Crawler (ANC) worms for vermicompost, causes diseases, eats materials.  Pest control:  Owl and/or toxic rat poison.

We put up an owl nest last March 29, 2017 in the hope that the Philippine (Negros) Scops Owl, that used to frequent our organic garden, would come back to hunt the rats that attack my vermicompost worms. The nest’s location is where the owl used to perch. The nest also faces north to avoid the sun.  As of March 29, 2017, our helper said that she heard the owl sound starting on the day we put up the nest.   As of this writing, I still see a rat passing through the organic garden, however, and there is still no owl living in the nest.  I’m very sure, though, that an owl will live there someday.  Per research, an owl could eat at least 20 rats per night.

3.  Pest:  Snail and slug.  Damage:  Eats my vegetable leaves and seedlings.  Pest control:  Crushed egg shells, rice hull ash, and regular manual picking.

I first used crushed egg shells, but the snails just walked over them.  Then I used rice hull ash, and the same thing happened.  Also, the crushed egg shells and rice hull ash get washed away when we water the beds, thus, reducing their efficacy.

Finally, we had to resort to manual picking, which actually worked.  My daughter and I went out into the dark garden every evening for 1 week, armed only with a flashlight, gloves, and bin.  We got many slugs and snails after heavy rains.  After 1 week, the number of slugs and snails dwindled.  From a high of 25 in one night, to a low of zero in one night.  Now, we only hunt 2-3 times per week.  My plants and I are happy.

As a side note, after we collect the slugs and snails, I put them in a plastic container with rice hull ash, and expose them to the sun (instead of crushing them, which actually attracted ants and flies, and we don’t want those; saves me time and effort, too).  The rice hull ash kills them, as well as, absorbs the stench of the dead pests.  The sun bakes and kills them, too.  Later on, I will bury these pests so I have additional organic fertilizer.

4.  Pest:  Cabbage Butterfly Caterpillar.  Damage:  Eats our mustard leaves.  Pest control:  Manual hand-picking and/or soap bubbles only application.  Maya (sparrow) birds help, too.

The caterpillar camouflages as a stem or a pod, or it hides among the leaves and flowers.  After we pick out the caterpillar, we feed it to our chicken.

• • How To Make Organic Pesticide – link shared by Nyoual Aaln Eral  

• • “E cut mo lahat ng leaves na kinain ng uod mag sprout bagong dahon.” (Cut all infected leaves, and new leaves will emerge.) – Vc Lim

• • “I used the cutting and spray method … keep doing it that’s all you can do.” – Rhedg Ella

• • “Other thing u can do to drive away pests is to plant marigold, lemongrass and other insect repellant plants.” – Ronilo Montejo

• • “Kung tamad ka po gumawa ng organic pesticide spray much better buy and invest ka po fine net na parang kulambo matagal mo na nman pong magagamit yan ilang taniman na. naka survive ang bok choy ko nong naglagay ako ng net.” (When I don’t feel like making an organic pesticide, I invest on a fine net that’s like a mosquito net.  You can use it many times over.  My bokchoy survived when I used a net.) – Cedai Delfino Villegas

• Organic Pest Solution: 1 Tbsp Canola Oil, mix with a few drops of organic dishwashing liquid, then dissolve in 1 Liter of water. Spray once a month before dawn or after dusk.” – Dolores Villamor Del Rosario

5.  Pest:  Fruit fly.  Damage:  Eats habanero chili fruit.  Pest control:  Manual catching using soapy water.

Since it is hard to catch the flies by hand, wetting and soaping the hand makes it easier to catch the flies.  This is a tedious process, and we hope to find another solution.

We actually tried putting up coconut wine vinegar mixed with soap and placed in a container, but the set-up did not attract any fly at all.

Some inputs from organic gardening practitioners:

6.  Pest:  Various pests on pechay.  Damage:  Eats leaves.  Pest control:  “Believe it or not, we do not need to use pesticides, with the physical barriers plus the good soil preparation.”  – Pamela Henares

Bahay Pag Asa pechay planted April 19, 2017.  Photo uploaded by Pamela Henares.

7.  Pest:  Black bug.  Damage:  Eats tomato, lemon fruits.  Pest control:

• • “Try detergent solution.  I tried the vinegar/orange peelings solution for my tomatoes effective sad   (I put the orange peelings in jar, poured in vinegar & after 1 month, I got 1/4 cup & mix 1 lit water.) – Marilou Go.  

• “PerGaSol (Perla soap, 1 whole garlic. 1.5 L water) na tinuro ni sir Jojo Rom.. effective po xa medjo nwawala na yung mga black bugs.  (Translation:  PerGaSol, taught by Jojo Rom, is effective, as black bugs disappear.”  – Maria Christina Benero Taps

8.  Pest:  Leaf miner.  Damage:  Eats tomato leaves.  Pest control:

• “Ako po manually ko po tinatanggal ang leaf miners para masave ko mga dahon.”  (I manually remove the leaf miners so I can save the leaves.) “Tinutusok ko po sila ng karayom or kaperasong eggshells.”  (I pierce them with a needle or eggshell.)  “Napkaliit po ng leaf miners, titigan nyo po mabuti ang kanal nya at hanapin ang dulo at may makikita ka na parang cheezy-like coverings duon po nagtatago si leaf miner.”  (The leaf miners are very small.  Look through the canal and look for the end, where you will see a cheezy-like covering.  That’s where the leaf miner hides.) – Edwards Luz

• • “Treatment:  First, get rid of those leaves that have leaf miners on them.  Next, in a 500 ml water, mix 2 tbsp vegetable oil and 1 tsp non-chemical dishwashing detergent.  Spray the whole plant with this mixture.  The larvae will get suffocated overtime.” – Kat Isme

• “Leaf miner… Dishwashing liquid, crushed hot pepper, water…” – Rafael A. Casas

9.  Pest:  Fruit fly.  Damage:  Bears holes on bittermelon (ampalaya), and causes decay of fruits.  Pest conrol:

• “Tyaga na lang na balutin ng pouch na plastic samantalang malilit pa ang mga bunga ng sa gayon ay iwas kagat ng insekto upang sipsipin ang katas o mangingitlog sa bunga. Malalago po ang tanim ninyo.” (Persevere by wrapping with plastic while fruits are still young to deter insects from sucking on the fruit and laying eggs on them.  Your plants will prosper.)  – Melvin Cabillo

Please feel free to comment and add more tips on pest control!

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