This is from a fellow EcoBroker in the Austin area that I know. Tricia talks about Organic Pest Control. Some of which happen to be our pets!
Going green in the country is nothing new – country folk have been doing it for centuries. However, they haven’t done it alone – those of us who live in the country have partners in living the green rural lifestyle, and I thought I’d introduce you to a few of them.
Our organic pest control managers are pictured at right. That’s right, chickens. Free range chickens on our place most years cut the fly population down to, oh, four or five house flies a year. And that’s considering that we have horses and cows! (More on them later.) They run around and take care of the fly larvae before they have a chance to turn into flying menaces.
Our cats and dogs are also members of this team. The dogs keep predator pests such as raccoons and possums away; the cats are on rodent and rabbit patrol and do an excellent job of keeping the place vermin-free. (The only rats or mice I've seen in a decade are those that the cats bring to me to demonstrate what a good job they're doing to earn their keep.)
Other members of our organic pest control squad are goldfish. We keep the watering tanks stocked with goldfish, who not only keep them algae free, but also assure that no mosquito larvae escapes to drink our blood. Native fish in the creek and pond serve a similar function.
Our cows and horses and donkeys are our mowing and fertilization team. Because of them, we don’t often have to shred the fields, using precious diesel, and they daily produce fertilizer for those same fields. They are aided by the chickens, of course, when we clean out the coop and use the contents to improve the soil for the vegetable garden. (Amazing stuff – plants grow twice as large, sometimes, when that fertilizer is used to enhance the soil. The cows of others also contribute when we have our hay pasture fertilized using soil biology through Sustainable Growth Texas, and we’ve found that weedkilling with chemicals is no longer necessary using soil biology.
These are just a few of the partners we have in going green in the country. When moving to your place in the country, don't forget your partners!
