YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED This is your chance to have your questions about Biological control answered! Email us your questions and each week we will answer the most popular questions and publish the answers on this page. But remember we run a helpline where you can contact us direct with any questions (we will also reply directly to as many email questions as possible) , for details of other Biological controls not listed on these pages or to place an order on :- 01394 420087 or Email : Jon@GreenGardener.co.uk. Remember, if you have a question Email it to our expert John and hopefully it will be answered next week. (We will also endeavor to answer directly as many questions as possible.) Jon@GreenGardener.co.uk EMAILED QUESTIONS. 2 most common questions!!!!! Q. I live in the united states and have a slug problem. Is Nemaslug available her? A. Nemaslug is a living product so we are not allowed to export them to countries that have not been approved for them. At this stage there is no approval for America to receive any nematode controls. We are able to supply to some countries in Europe so please email me jon@greengardener.co.uk to find out if we can supply you. Q. Can you dispatch to Ireland and if so what is the post and packing charge? A. We can send some products to Ireland - ring our headoffice on 01603 715096 and speak to John and he can cost delivery for you. Updated for w/c 05/05/08 Q. I have a citrus tree which is suffering from some sort of bug infestation, this causes the leaves to become sticky, and the plant to lose leaves. I have tried non-green pest sprays but these do not seem to work. Do you have a product to beat this bug? A. Scale insects love citrus plants and produces large amounts of honeydew which turns the leaves sticky. CLICK HERE to find out more. Q. My garden is under attack from grey squirrels. I have tried plastic netting, pest sprays & I even have a US wire cage trap which they never touch. Is there any way of getting rid of grey squirrels? A. Have you ever tried an ultrasonic device? They are very effective - CLICK HERE to find out more about the pestclear outdoors. Q. How do you eradicate ant nests from lawns, they are a nuisance in the summer when we want to sit on the lawn. A. We supply an ant nematode which is used to control ants in lawns. They should be applied when the soil temp is above 10c and the ants are present - it comes as a powder which is mixed with water and watered into the ants nests. Please CLICK HERE to find out more. Q. When is the best time to use the nematodes on ant nests. A. Use the nematodes when the soil temp is 10c or above so normally application in between April and October. CLICK HERE to find out more Q. I HAVE JUST ORDERED ONE OF YOUR PRODUCTS FOR LEATHERJACKETS - CAN I USE THE PRODUCT ON NEWLY LAID TURF OR SHOULD I LEAVE IT BEFORE LAYING IT? A. It is better to apply the nematodes after you have laid the turf but make sure you water the nematodes in well so they soak in down to the old grass level. CLICK HERE to find out more. Q. How long before i can cut the grass once i have watered the treatment for Leatherjackets in? A. You can cut the grass as soon as you have watered the nematodes in but I would cut the grass BEFORE if possible. CLICK HERE to find out more. Q. I have a pond in my garden and i would like to know if nemaslug will affect Frogs and/or toads? A. Nemaslug will not affect frogs or toads (it is also safe for children, pets, birds and wildlife). Q. When should I start using your nematodes for slugs? A. Nemaslug® works at temperatures above 5°C/40°F and should be applied outdoors normally between March and October i.e. NOW CLICK HERE to find out more. Q. I will be ordering Nemaslug soon, but I am also about to give my lawn a dose of feed, weed and moss killer. Is this a problem for the nematodes? A. The lawn feed, weed and moss killer will not affect the nematodes but you should not be putting Nemaslug on the lawn, just on the borders surrounding it. Click here to find out more. Q. I do a bit of fishing so I am after a small wormery - what do you suggest? A. We have several wormeries all of which would be suitable for breeding worms for fishing. They all come with everything you need to start breeding worms. Click here to find out more. Q. I’m writing from Ireland and I’m interested in a Nemaslug programme, but have only found one expensive supplier in Dublin so far so it would be more cost-effective to buy from you. A. We can post to Ireland as long as your post is fairly reliable - we need it to be delivered within 3 days as it is perishable. If your post is reliable, we can send it but we would need to charge an extra £2.00 postage per pack. To go ahead, call us on 01603 715096. Q. Last year I planted sunflowers and courgettes but overnight the leaves were all eaten although slug pellets were put down to protect them. Can you suggest what may have destroyed my plants and advise on a solution. A. It is most likely slugs that have done the damage so try using Nemaslug this time. Apply it to the area where you are going to be planting a week before you plant to clear the slugs away and then protect the seedlings while they are getting established. Click here to find out more. Q. I have a bad infestation of vine weevils in my pots - is it really worth going for the extended programme of Nemasys? A. With springs and autumns getting warmer, grubs are active much earlier in the year i.e. they are already active & much later so 4 treatments spread throughout the year will protect your pots especillay if your garden is southfacing or sheltered. Click here to find out more. Q. We have a bad case of leatherjackets and our lawn is now completely bald! We are ordering Nemasys for application in April and September but can you tell us when we can redo our lawn - preferably with new turf? A. Are you going to lay the new turf ontop of the old or remove it? If you are going to lay new turf on top then I would treat with nematodes first and then lay the turf but if you are going remove the old turf first then I would do this first, lay the new turf and then treat with the nematodes. Q. I have a bad problem with leatherjackets in my lawn - if I treat in April should I treat in September as well? A. If you have a heavy infestation then you can treat in April but you MUST treat in September as well. If the infestation is not too bad and you only want to treat once, then treat in September as this is the main time to treat. Click here to find out more. Q. Are nematodes safe to use on an organic veggie patches for veggies that we plan to eat? A. Nemaslug is totally safe to use in organic veg gardens and there is no harvest clearance. CLICK HERE to find out Q. I have an allotment and want to treat it with nematodes. However there is no water supply to attach a hosepipe so I cannot use a sprayer or feeder. Your website says to use a No 7 Haws rose, does that mean I have to buy a Haws watering can for it? A. Apply nematodes with a watering can and a COARSE rose. The Haws rose we supply will fit on any watering can. CLICK HERE to find out more. Q. Quick question: does Nemaslug harm any other useful animals in the garden e.g. beetle larvae? Thank you for your help. A. The only thing Nemaslug will affect is slugs - it is totally harmless to other wildlife, birds, children and pets. CLICK HERE to find out more. Q. I'm a school teacher from Bradford and I am very keen to grow some ladybirds with my class. Will I be able to get hold of the ladybirds larvae to go in it by 31st March? Your help is much appreciated! I look forward to hearing from you. Many thanks A. We have ladybird larvae for the breeding kits available NOW! Adult ladybirds and ladybird larvae for release in the garden are available from mid May. We have now added a BUY button for Ladybird Kit Refills as they are available NOW. CLICK HERE to find out more. Q. I have quite a large lawn, surrounded with flower beds. Should I use Nemaslug on the lawn as well as the beds? If not, and I just use it on the beds, won't the slugs that live in the lawn migrate to the beds? Or do they pick up the nematodes when they travel to the beds? A. There is no need to treat the lawn - any slugs coming off the lawn (they normally do not live in grass) will have to cross the soil to get to the plants and as soon as they do, they will pick up the nematodes so just go ahead and treat the borders. CLICK HERE to find out more. Q. I have a mealy bug infestation on a large bougainvillea in my conservatory. I would like to order your Emergency Mealy Bug Pest Pack, but is it too early in the year? When would be the best time to order? Or would I be better to order the two controls separately? A. Cryptolaemus needs a min temp of 16c so if you do not think it is going to reach that in the next 2 weeks then just use the SB Invigorator for now - it will control the mealy bug until it is warm enough to introduce Crypto. CLICK HERE to find out more. Q. We have a rose hedge and it is already infested with greenfly. Can you suggest anything to combat this problem now, before it's too late? A. There are a lot of aphids about already but the ladybirds and lacewings have not woken up yet after winter. Control these early aphids with SB Invigorator - this natural spray will keep them under control until the beneficial insects have caught up. CLICK HERE to find out more. Q.Will the nematodes kill off the vine weevil adults as well, or just the grubs? Do the adults just have to die off naturally, and the nematodes stop the development to adulthood? A. Nemasys® kills the larvae and not the adults. If you keep the larvae under control, then the number of adults will be reduced but you can never stop them climbing in from your neighbours which is why it is important to treat at least twice a year. CLICK HERE to find out more. Q. My sister's olive tree has been indoors - I have removed 4 or 5 things from it which are tiny (2/3mm diameter) round, brown barnacle type creatures which, when scraped off, are full of a red kind of dust. Can you tell me what these are, will they infect my other plants and how to treat. A. The pest is Scale. It is an immobile pest so it should not infect anything else which is not touching and it is normally imported on plants which are brought in. CLICK HERE to find out more. Q. We have just received the fortego pellets. My plan was to put as many in a seed tray as possible, add water and sow as they have swollen. This should work, shouldn't it? Do we have to add fertilizer? A. You just add water to them and they will swell up to make the ideal growing medium so there is no need to add any fertiliser. I would swell one first so you can work out how many will fit in a tray and then go ahead and make up your trays. CLICK HERE to find out more. Q. Is there anything that you can recommend to keep rats and mice out of the house. I don’t want to kill them. Any ideas. A. The pestclear 2000 which plugs into your electrical sockets and uses electromagnetic interference & ultrasonic sound to drive the pests away including mice and rats without killing them. CLICK HERE to find out more. Q. We have apple and pear trees which we want to treat with your winter tree wash. In the trees we have food for birds; nuts, fat balls and so on. Will the tree wash be harmful to birds? Naturally we will remove the bird feed when the spray is applied. A. Winter Wash is safe for birds so remove the feeders (as you suggest), spray the trees and then feel free to pop the feeders back. Q. I currently have 2 rabbits and 2 guinea pigs which obviously need cleaning out. I was wondering if a wormery would be the answer? Would i be able to put my animal waste, (poo, paper and hay) into a wormery? A. A wormery will not handle the volume of waste that you are generating i.e. 1-2 bags a week. It really needs to go on a compost heap, in a tumbler or earthmaker. CLICK HERE to find out more. Q. Please can you tell me when catapillars are available for use in your kits? A. Caterpillars to go in the butterfly garden / pavilion are available from March (w.c 03/03) this year until September. CLICK HERE to find out more. Q. I recently bought a Bokashi bin from you which I'm pleased with. When you leave it for 2 weeks do you need to keep in indoors? Do you think the 2 week fermentation time will be enough to remove the smell of cooked food so that we don't attract vermin when I add it to the compost bin? A. You can pop it outdoors or in a shed, garage etc to ferment.Two week is the fermenting time and then it is fine to put in a compost bin as it does not attract vermin - if you smell it after this time it will have a sweet and sour smell. CLICK HERE to find out more. Q. Can the Junior wormery has to be kept indoors or can it sustain itself outdoors in winter? A. The Junior Wormery can be kept outdoors but the warmer it is the faster the worms work so if it can be moved into a greenhouse, shed or garage for the winter but if you do leave it outdoors you will need to cut down the amount of kitchen waste you are adding until it warms up. Q. My compost bin is full of woodlice – I know that they break down the dead material but it’s not a pleasant sight. Any suggestions to cut down their numbers would be very helpful. A. Diatomaceous earth is 100 % natural and will control woodlice. CLICK HERE to find out more. Q. Can you use the algae cleaner on moss to get rid of moss? A. Clearway does not kill moss - it is a algae and mould treatment. We are currently testing a moss killer which we hope to have available soon. Q. I have a big problem with slugs in my kitchen. Is it safe to use Nemaslug in the kitchen as I have cats I won't use slug pellets? A. Nemaslug has to be watered onto soil so it would not be suitable for use indoors. We do supply copper barrier tape and flat bottomed slug traps which can be used indoors so these may be of some use to you. CLICK HERE to find out more. Q. I have a small greenhouse which has both an aphid and whitefly problem. I also have a whitefly problem in my conservatory on several orchids and streptococcus plants. The conservatory is open at one end into the lounge and is therefore not enclosed. Can you please advise what I should do. A. I am assuming the small greenhouse is not heated so you would need to use our natural spray - SB Invigorator to kill as many aphids and whitefly before the winter. It is also a good idea to give the greenhouse a good wash out with Citrox (natural greenhouse disinfectant) before bringing in your over wintering plants - CLICK HERE to find out more. I am assuming the conservatory is heated as it is open to the house so you could introduce Encarsia to control the whitefly or use the same spray detailed above. CLICK HERE to find out more. Q. I have had a problem with worm casts on my lawn. I purchased a product from you (can't remember the name) and gave the lawn three treatments which cleared the worms. What was the product and will I have to keep on treating the lawn to prevent their return. A. Wormclear / sulphur worm are the 2 products for driving worms away from lawns. They work by driving down the pH of the lawn which the worms do not like. You will need to use it until the pH is permanently driven down - this can be tested with a pH meter. CLICK HERE to find out more Q. Is there any thing I can do to discourage spiders from making nests around my front door? I know they are good for the garden but are becoming nuiscence now! Please help! A. There is nothing natural available YET but we are currently testing a natural spider repelling spray and the results are looking good. Fingers crossed it will be available next year and as soon as it is we will add it to the range and announce it in the newsletter. Q. I bought a Lacewing chamber from you last year, which came with a change of straw and attractant for use this year. What is the best way of refilling the chamber? Do I literally just put the new straw in and sprinkle the attractant inside? A. Empty the old straw, pop in the new straw and then sprinkle over the attractant. Then position the chamber in the garden until the first frosts, take it down and wrap in a blanket / towel before popping it somewhere frost free i.e. shed or garage for the winter. Q. We may many slugs on our plot, but also are lucky enough to have slow worms. Would Nemaslug be safe for slow worms? A. Nemaslug is totally safe for all wildlife including slow worms i.e. they can eat infected slugs safely. CLICK HERE to find out more Q. My new greenhouse has been plagued with whitefly during the summer and they are now rife in the garden too. Next year, I want to try out Encarsia - how do you keep them in the greenhouse as it would be impossible to keep doors and windows shut? A. Encarisa will stay where the whitefly are so there is no problem with opening doors and vents etc. CLICK HERE to find out more Q. I want to treat the chafer grubs in my lawn but it does not seem to be available at the moment. When will it be available again? A. You can treat for chafer grubs between July / August. You can pre-order for delivery in July NOW. CLICK HERE to find out more Q. Is there an organic method for getting rid of saw flies? They have munched their way through the majority of my roses and there seems to be very little I can do about them. Please give me some good news. A. Our new nematode caterpillar control will control sawfly. CLICK HERE to find out more Q. We used your Nematodes and are delighted to have a hole free crop of beans etc. Now the question is can we use them in a patch that already has something growing in it? For instance we have planted potatoes and need the protection against slugs. A. You just have to make sure as much of the solution gets on the soil as possible but it does no matter if it hits the plants. To protect potatoes, apply Nemaslug after the 1st earthing up. CLICK HERE to find out more Q. I have a half acre plot. Lovely! But.... when I cut the grass it creates so must stuff I'm battling to manage, my local council do not yet have a green waste policy. I think wormeries are a super idea but are they my solution? What should I do for the best? A. Wormeries are for kitchen waste not garden waste so you should compost them in the garden. Grass clippings will go very slimy when they compost so you will need to mix them with other composting material or add a grass rotting additive. CLICK HERE to find out more Q. We have a 20’ bougainvillea in a garden /kitchen room and there are white “cases” on the leaves. I am going to buy a pack of aphidoletes as I think it is aphids - are they safe to use in a kitchen. A. White cases on the leaves are a sure sign of aphids so aphidoletes sounds like a good idea and is safe to use in a kitchen - they are only interested in aphids. CLICK HERE to find out more Q. I have a Virginia creeper growing on a trellis but alot of ants have colonized it. What is going on? A. The ants are probably milking aphids so try checking the creeper for aphids i.e. check the growing tips. If you find aphids then treat them (a natural spray i.e. SB Invigorator will be best CLICK HERE to find out more ) and that should stop the ants. Q. I have used the first sachet of nematodes on my garden a week ago, we have not seen any activity from the ants nests. I am very keen to start to repairing the lawn. Can I plant grass seed even though I will be repeating the nematodes again in 3 weeks time. A. The nematodes will not affect new grass so you can go ahead and start repairing the lawn. Q. Our doors & sills outside are covered with tiny red spiders. I do not want them to get inside because they stain the paintwork when wiped. What can I do to get rid of them once and for all? Please help! A. They are not a plant pest so there isn't anything natural you can do about them other than pressure wash them away. Q. A quick question about the lawn fertiliser. I used it two weeks ago. I was wondering if it could help on controlling weed problem, weeds like Dandelions and Daisy and if it could make the grass greener. Thanks! A. Our natural lawn feeds do NOT contain weedkillers. You either have to dig the weeds out or we do have a green weeder for controlling broadleaved weeds - CLICK HERE to find out more. Q. Are your ladybirds British and not the Harlequin variety? I should like to be certain before I recommend you! A. Thanks for the message and we only supply native British 2 spot ladybirds. Q. Do you have a treatment for getting rid of woodlice? They are eating my strawberries so I need to kill the pests but not people. A. Debug (diatomaceous Earth) is the best control for woodlice. CLICK HERE to find out more. Q. Can you please advise how to get rid of Red Lilly Beetle A. There is NOTHING biological / natural you can do for Lily Beetle so the only organic answer is to pick them off and squash them. Q. I have a major ant problem in my lawn. Do you have a product that will get rid of them but is safe for kids as I have 3 under 5 and they love to roll about on the grass. They have also been known to drop food on the grass then eat it so I don't want anything that will harm them! A. We supply nematodes for controlling ants in lawns which are safe for children, pets and wildlife. CLICK HERE to find out more. Q. We use our shower/bath water to water plants in the garden. Are we going to kill off the Nemaslug nematodes? A. Grey water i.e. shower / bath water will not affect the nematodes. Q. I have used algae pads, pond balance, barley straw extract and an electronic device but I still can't get rid of blanket weed in my ponds. Is there anything at all that works? It is really getting me down. Hope you are able to help. A. Clarity is a natural blend of bacteria which is added to the pond. As they start working they control blanket weed / algae, reduce organic debris, reduces ammonia / nitrates / phosphorous and lowers pond scum / odour in stagnant waters. CLICK HERE to find out more. Q. What to do about the greenfly munching my roses while I wait the ladybirds/lacewings' appearance mid may. Have you any suggestions? A. Use SB Invigorator to control the aphids until the ladybirds / lacewings are available in mid May. CLICK HERE to find out more Q. I have a huge mole problem on some lawns, I understand that the Green keepers use a product to drive away the worms which in turn has an effect on removing the moles. Can you advise if you have a product which does this? A. The product is Sulphur Worm and it drives worms away (so stopping wormcasts) & in turn stop the moles. CLICK HERE to find out more. Q. Hi Jonathan, could you tell me if the nemaslug (nematodes) will also rid me of my snail problem? A. We supply Nemaslug as a Slug control only, BUT alot of gardeners who use it regularly say it reduces snail numbers aswell but it does take a while. CLICK HERE to find out more. If you want a sure fire way of controlling snails you must use the physical trap methods or you can repel snails from pots using snail tape. CLICK HERE to find out more. Q. I already have whitefly in my greenhouse - what should I do? A. You need to introduce encarsia as soon as the temp is 10c but until then, control the whitefly (or any pest) with our natural spray - SB Invigorator until the temperature rises. To find out more CLICK HERE. Q. I do not put kitchen food on the compost heap as it attracts the rats - can I use the Bokashi instead? A. Bokashi bins compost kitchen waste and once it is ready (it only takes 2 weeks) you can then put it on the compost heap without the fear of attracting rats & because the waste is partially composted it will compost much quicker. To find out more CLICK HERE. Q. I have noticed that alot of worms are crawling to the top of my Original Wormery. Can you suggest how I can keep my worms happy? A. Worms are pressure sensitive so during low pressure i.e. when it is going to rain, they instinctively move upwards (this would stop them drowning in the wild) so you will find them crawling up the sides of the bin - this is totally natural so just keep feeding them. Q. Can I use nematodes to control slugs that have already started to munch my potatoes or will they will affect the crop? A. You can use Nemaslug to control slugs in potatoes - apply the nematodes when you do the first earthing up. Q. I am interested in both Nemaslug and Nemasys, can they be applied together or do they have to be applied separately? A. They can be applied on the same day but should be applied separately as they are diluted differently. Q. I am having problems with plants in a conservatory that have sticky leaves. This stickiness goes on the floor. Can nematodes help. A. The stickiness in the leaves, floor etc is the result of a pest excreting honeydew. The nematodes you mention are a control against Scale insect which is one of the pests that does this but there is also mealy bug and whitefly. So firstly you will need to identify the pest. CLICK HERE to find out more. Q. I’ve a smallish pond in my back garden run as a wildlife pond. Unfortunately I’ve had an invasion of blanket weed that is choking the pond. Would clarity help in this situation? Would I have to stop her drinking the water if I put clarity in the pond? A. Clarity will control blanket weed - remove as much as possible i.e. with a rake and then treat the pond once a month for 6 months with Clarity. 500g of Clarity will last for 6 months. Clarity is a natural product so she can keep drinking the water. Click here to find out more. Q. We have a layer of wood chips all over the garden. Do we have to remove it for the Nemaslug to work? A. If they are the large chips about 1" in diameter which are used as a weed suppressant mulch, then this will have to be removed and the Nemaslug watered onto the soil. The mulch can then be replaced. The other type of mulch is the very fine mulch which is used more as a soil improver. In this case the Nemaslug can be watered on top and does not have to be removed. Q. I have used 2 packs of Nemaslug and it was very effective but do I have to use 2 packs again or can I dilute 1 pack down a bit more. A. I understand the temptation to try and water the Nemaslug down that little bit extra to make the packs go a bit further but all you will achieve is to stop it being effective. The coverage on each pack ie 50sqyds/40sqm is the max and if it is diluted more it will stop killing slugs. Q. I like the idea of a wormery but I do go on holiday for 3 weeks at a time, will it be OK while I am away? A. Worms are quite happy if left on there own, simply open the tap at the bottom of the wormery and place a jam jar under the tap to allow the excess moisture to drain away, this way they will not drown.