How to stop brush turkeys digging up your garden bed Why brush turkeys rake up gardens in spring, why a raised bed on legs helps, and the humane...
How to keep birds off your veggie garden (without hurting them) Which birds raid an Australian veggie patch, how to tell it's them, and the wildlife-safe netting setup that...
What are curl grubs, and what do they do to my garden? Curl grubs are the larvae of scarab beetles β Christmas beetles, African black beetles and their cousins. They're...
Bugs you can safely ignore (or even thank) β Back to the Garden Trouble CalendarNot every bug in your raised bed is out to get your...
Australian native bees: your best (and cutest) pollinators β Back to the Garden Trouble CalendarYou'll know the blue-banded bee by its shimmering blue stripes and fast,...
Ants: mostly fine β but watch who they're farming β Back to the Garden Trouble CalendarAnts march through every garden, and on their own they're not much...
Spiders: the pest patrol you didn't hire β Back to the Garden Trouble CalendarA dew-strung web across the bed at dawn, or a tiny jumping...
Crickets: noisy neighbours, minor nibblers β Back to the Garden Trouble CalendarThe chirp of a cricket on a warm night is the soundtrack...
Springtails: tiny, everywhere, and totally harmless β Back to the Garden Trouble CalendarLook closely at damp potting mix or a compost heap and you...
Millipedes: harmless recyclers (mostly) β Back to the Garden Trouble CalendarSlow, many-legged, and quick to curl into a neat spiral when you...
Slaters: friend or foe in the veggie patch? β Back to the Garden Trouble CalendarThose little grey armoured bugs that curl up (or scuttle for cover)...
Microbats: the unsung heroes of the night shift Australia's tiny microbats are the unsung heroes of the night shift. Smaller than your thumb and utterly harmless,...
Insect-eating birds: free pest control on the wing Not every bird is after your fruit. Little insect-eaters β willie wagtails, fairy-wrens, robins and pardalotes β spend...
Lizards: the garden's built-in snail patrol Skinks and blue-tongue lizards are the garden's snail patrol. That blue-tongue basking on your path is quietly working...
Frogs: your garden's night-shift pest patrol A frog in the garden is a sign you've got it right. These little hunters work the night...
Ground beetles: the garden's night shift Ground beetles are the night shift. These fast, shiny beetles shelter under mulch and logs by day and...
Predatory mites: fighting mites with mites It takes a mite to beat a mite. Predatory mites are the natural enemy of the two-spotted (spider)...
Parasitic wasps: tiny, harmless, and lethal to pests Don't let the name worry you β parasitic wasps are tiny, stingless and completely harmless to you, but...
Praying mantis: the garden's patient hunter The praying mantis is the garden's patient ambush hunter. It sits dead still, forelegs folded as if praying,...
Bees and pollinators: the workforce behind your harvest Bees are the quiet workforce behind a good harvest. Honey bees and Australia's native bees β like the...
Hoverflies: pollinators and aphid-eaters in one Hoverflies (also called flower flies) earn their keep twice over β the adults pollinate your crops, and their...
Lacewings: the garden's hardest-working predator Green lacewings are one of the hardest-working predators you can have. The delicate, lacy-winged adults are pretty enough,...
Earwigs: friend or foe in the veggie patch? β Back to the Garden Trouble CalendarEarwigs are a mixed bag. Those rear pincers look fierce but are...
Cutworms: how to spot and manage them β Back to the Garden Trouble CalendarCutworms are the fat, soft caterpillars of certain moths. They hide in...
Grasshoppers and locusts: how to spot and manage them β Back to the Garden Trouble CalendarGrasshoppers β including big ones like the Australian giant grasshopper β chew...
Fungus gnats: how to spot and manage them β Back to the Garden Trouble CalendarFungus gnats are tiny dark flies that hover around seedlings and pot...
The 28-spotted ladybird: the one ladybird that's a pest β Back to the Garden Trouble CalendarNot every ladybird is your friend. The 28-spotted ladybird is the exception...
Stink bugs (bronze orange & harlequin): how to spot and manage them β Back to the Garden Trouble CalendarShield-shaped stink bugs, like the bronze orange bug on citrus and the...
Scale insects: how to spot and manage them β Back to the Garden Trouble CalendarScale are sap-suckers that look like little bumps or shells stuck to...
Mealybugs: how to spot and manage them β Back to the Garden Trouble CalendarMealybugs are small, soft, sap-sucking insects wrapped in a white, cottony wax....