Make Simple Garden Pest Traps With These Common Kitchen Staples

In my garden, I am a hero. I raised these baby plants – I fed and watered them, encouraged them with daily affirmations, and then every day celebrated their progress in the garden with a little “thank you” and cheers. The villains in this story are pests, and when we reach the peak of production, they fail. Aphids, earwigs, slugs, tomato caterpillars, beetles. They are everywhere and they need your vegetables.

If, like me, you can’t follow the general advice of plucking garden pests from your plants by hand ( phew, David ), traps are the answer.

Slugs love beer more than you.

The basic premise of these traps is that you will use a shallow dish (perfectly sized cans of cat food) and place them in the soil so that the top of the can is at soil level. Fill the jar with beer and leave overnight. It’s honestly impressive how much the slugs want that beer—certainly more than they want your kale and beans. The tin will be full every morning; just empty it and refill it.

On the positive side (besides the dead slugs) is that the slugs don’t have an expensive taste. That one can of Natty Light that someone left at a barbecue six years ago? No one will appreciate this more than slugs.

Earwigs like some soy

Nobody talks much about earwigs, but damn they are pests. I don’t see them until I bring a bunch of berries or green beans and some of them crawl out of the bowl. Like slugs, earwigs do real damage to tomatoes, strawberries, and your seedlings.

Just like slugs, you can catch them. They don’t take up much space, so you can use a tin or bottle cap. In the same way, bury it in the ground to the level of the soil. Fill it almost to the end with soy sauce, and then pour a small amount of vegetable oil on top. The soy sauce acts as a lure and the oil is what turns them on. Clean it once a day and you can get your tomato patch back.

Sometimes water and soap is all you need

Color plays an important role in the garden – red is a beacon for hummingbirds. But yellow is a giant “open” sign for aphids and moths. If you have a yellow frisbee or bottle cap, something small and yellow, fill it with soapy water and put it in your garden to trap pests.

Trapping is better than other methods

While there are obviously more severe ways to get rid of pests in retail, you’d be surprised how effective traps and household supplies can be. While some people advise using Epsom salts and diatomaceous earth, I try to stay away from both so as not to harm the beneficial worms in my soil.

If you just keep emptying the traps, you will find that you can economically reduce pest attacks on your baby plants.