Using Nature as your Pest Control

Frogs
Building a pond near your garden will encourage amphibians.  Frogs are a asset to your garden as they eat many flies, moths, snails, slugs and flying insects. A pond also encourages dragonflies which eat mosquitoes.
When starting out your pond it is a good idea to have some sort of bubbler in it to discourage mosquitoes before the pond has a good supply of frogs.  A small pond is all that is needed and the kids will love it.

Bees
Bees are great insects for your garden and should be encouraged. Fruit trees that require pollination cannot live without bees! Encouraging bees in your garden is easy since they love flowers. Plant basil, lavender, rosemary, daisies, cosmos, heather and marigolds just to name a few around the outside and amongst the other plants of your garden. Native plants are four times more attractive to native bees than exotic flowers. Flower colors that particularly attract bees are blue, purple, violet, white, and yellow.

Birds
Birds are another great form of natural pest control. Birds and bats live off of bugs.  Plant your garden near tall trees so birds will establish nests in them and visit your garden to eat pesky beetles, moths and flies. Having a bird bath no deeper than three inches at the center will help to.

Diversity
The very best way to encourage a diverse collection of life in your garden is by planting a variety of plants. Some plants will attract the friendly insects as some might attract the pesky ones. The more plant diversity in your garden, the more insect diversity.  Remember not all insects are bad and we really need the good ones.  Adding native plants to your area is always a good idea to.