Predators.

I prefer not to use any Herbal sprays at all, as they kill, not only the bad bugs but the good bugs too, the predators, the ones that eat the bad guys. Some herbal sprays are also harmful to humans, but they are less toxic than most Chemicals. Bugs and grubs on your vegetables wont kill you, some Chemicals might.
One of the main assets of an organic garden are the bugs and grubs which are part of the ecosystem. They eat each other and are eaten by other predators such as birds, lizards and frogs. Without one or the other the system wont work. This is one of the many reasons why you should not use any Pesticides sprays; you will kill the predators too and the bad guys will move back in, munching on your garden. You will have killed the ecosystem in your garden and lost natures way of protecting you and your crops.
To attract natural predators in your garden you will need to plant native trees and shrubs which will attract the bees, birds, insects, frogs and lizards.
Insect eating birds such as the Butcher, Mickey Peewees are good to have in the garden. Kookaburras, they eat too much, they eat legless lizards, snakes and frogs, but it’s also part of the system.

Lizards.

They will need a place to hide, - a hollow log, low lying shrubs, rocks, trees.

The Frilly lizard.
They like to sit on top of a compost heap soaking up the sun as they feed on anything that moves.( They also like young vegetable seedlings ! ) so leave a couple of weeds around for them to munch on.

The Blue Tongue lizard.
These feed on snails, slugs, insects and fruits.

Spiders.

Spiders kill and eat all insect pests. (hornets eat spiders)

Stick Insects.
These eat aphids, caterpillars and other insects.

Wasp.
Wasps enjoy the cabbage moth grubs, mealy bugs, scale insects and a number of other pests. Some wasps lay their eggs in grubs, so do not grab the Mortein when you come across a nest.

Pest Control

Crop/ Pest.

Brassicas
white butterfly, cabbage moth, aphids
Pick the grubs off the plants and jump up and down them, *G* or molasses spray, companion planting.

Beans
aphids, green vegetable bug, looper caterpillar, whitefly
Wash off with hose, distract with tinfoil, companion plant, soapy water spray, garlic spray.

Carrots
aphids
Wash with hose, companion plant.

Cucurbits
aphids, spider mites, whitefly
Wash off with hose, brush off, soapy water spray, wormwood spray.
aphids

Potatoes
looper caterpillar, potato moth
Wash off with hose, soapy water spray, crop rotation.

Tomatoes
aphids, looper caterpillar, tomato grub, whitefly
Foliage spray, (comfrey), pick off grubs and affected fruits, (hygiene) companion plant, use traps, white pepper, garlic spray.

Corn
earworms, earwigs,
Squash grubs under corn silks, wash off with hose
Cutworms.
They will cut young seedling plants off at ground level and chew leaves.

Solution,

(1) a molasses solution on and around plants
(2) a match stick or a tooth pick directly against the plant,(the cutworm must encircle the plant before they cut it off and the hardwood will prevent this).
(3) a margarine container; cut the bottom out and place over the plant and push 20 mm into the soil. Leave for a week or until the plant is established.

Traps

Fruit Fly.

Fruit fly affect fruit by laying their eggs inside the fruit (stinging). The fruit fly maggots feed inside the fruit and make it unpalatable or cause it to rot. Infected fruit should be disposed of either in the rubbish bin (in a plastic bag) or by pouring boiling water over the infected fruit to kill the maggots.(hygiene comes first)

Solution. Cover fruit with rags, paper bags or panty- hose, (fruit fly only fly down to the fruit not up) or home made traps (dak pots) which only kill the male fly.

Snails and Slugs.
Hunt for snails, slugs and the cutworm at night with a torch; you can either jump up and down on them to squash them or put them in a plastic bag and then the freezer; then on rubbish bin day throw them out.

Snail Pellet Trap ( safe for dogs and predators).

Cut a u-shape door with a top out of the side of a cordial bottle,(by cutting the two sides and the bottom of the door so that the door has a top flap to keep the rain out. When completed, place a small hand full of pellets inside the container and then find a place in the garden. A hollowed out orange skin, a wet newspaper or a wet rag and up-turned flower pot on the ground are good hiding places for snails and slugs and can be collect the next morning.

Beer Trap. (a good snail and slug trap)
Recipe - beer diluted with water. Half fill a jar and bury it up to the top of jar in the soil. Snails and slugs like the smell of beer, they fall in the jar party and then drown in the beer.

Toads are OUT.