Earthworm Friendly Pest Control

For those of us who appreciate working in the garden and enjoying a lush green and colourful yard whether ornamental or a vegetable and herb patch at home, will also appreciate the benefit that Earthworms in the soil beneath can provide to our plants. Earthworms also bring benefits to grass lawns and turf.

Earthworm’s primary benefit to plant and grass life is their function of breaking up and aerating soils allowing plants root systems to find and utilise nutrients.

They also add additional fertiliser whilst breaking down nutrients into a form easily digested by plant root systems.

Earthworms and pesticides

Pest control operations in Auckland will often require the use of insecticides being applied to grassy lawn, turf, garden soils, and tree and shrub trunks. These methods are often employed when controlling outdoor Cockroaches, Ants nests and trails and ground dwelling spider control such as White tails.

Earthworms are not insects, however insecticides used to control insects in Auckland can still disrupt Earthworm activity.

Can pest control be done without harming Earthworms?

Preserving Earthworms in soils treated with pest control products in Auckland requires understanding two factors in pest control method.

Soil binding qualities of the choice of insecticide

Soil binding qualities of insecticides is the ability of the active ingredient to fix to the soils treated. The degree of soil binding ability of insecticides varies greatly from one group of products to another. For instance common Pyrethroids, depending on the type used may have incredibly strong soil binding qualities meaning it will never leach from the soil treated – it will not mingle with other soils and will not run off even during heavy rain.

The opposite may be true with different variants with some product becoming mobile during rain events and they can mingle and transfer to other soils not initially treated. These products can spread to other areas of the garden after the treatment and may absorb deeper into the soil.

The toxicity of the chosen insecticide on Earthworms

Various groups and sub variants of insecticides can be used for likes of Cockroach control, Ant Control and Spider control in Auckland. Selecting the right product is key the preserving Earthworms growth and productivity.

Some types of insecticides are quite toxic whilst the other may be minimally toxic. Selecting the appropriate product can make a significant difference in maintaining a healthy stock of Earthworms in the garden or grassy area being treated.

Method of application

Most applications of pest control in Auckland where Earthworms work should be applied to just the first few centimetres of soil from the top. Deeper penetrating treatments such as in the case of Ant nests in Auckland should be applied in specific manner where necessary.

In combination of strong soil binding products with a lower toxicity profile for Earthworms, pest control sprays in gardens and turf areas should not negatively affect Earthworm numbers or their beneficial productivity within the garden areas.

Call EcoSan today for Eco friendlier pest control services in Auckland.

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