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predators in the garden and they attack all manner of real pests including caterpillars, aphids and flies. They feed the chewed remains to their grubs back at the nest. The last five years have been really bad for wasps; either the hibernating queens have

next year my plot will be free of aphids, brassica whitefly and countless other pests that survive mild winters, and multiply with a vengeance in early spring. Mild winters are a boon to many garden pests; pests such as whitefly can shelter in the folds

Surround your roses with strongly scented companion plants, such as lavender, thyme, rue and garlic chives, to help keep aphids at bay. While gardeners are attracted by their beauty, rose pests are deterred by the herbs' strong scents. March - April

Bury blackberry shoot tips and peg down for new plantsFruit & vegWater tomatoes regularlyFeed tomato cropsBe on the lookout for aphids, vine weevils and other pestsGreenhouse20 minutes to plantLearn how to ensure a continuous supply of lettuce through the summer

in the garden. As with that other garden favourite, the robin, wrens are voracious hunters of insects, and with their inquisitive searching into every available cranny, they will get in there now to clear out the caterpillars, aphids and plant bugs before

This Saturday (30 October) is RSPB Feed the Birds Day. To celebrate, I gave my feeders a good wash with hot water and disinfectant and bought some expensive bird seed. The birds, still busy eating aphids from the trees in the local park, are none

cypress aphid (No. 10) with civil words and offers of a cup of tea.

are sprouting and they are adrift with aphids - I shall look forward to the attentions of hoverflies and ladybirds soon. A single specimen of the rose leafhopper Edwardsiana rosae tried to play hide and seek by sidling around to the other side of a leaf

feed on pollen from the open flowers, and hopefully breed and lay eggs. Developing larvae then feed on aphids, acting as a form of natural pest control.When I experimented with the 'square foot vegetable plot' planting technique a couple of years ago, I

have dropped low enough to kill off some overwintering pests such as the woolly aphid I discovered on my apple trees last summer. The problem is that frost isn't that discerning, and unless beneficial insects like ladybirds are even hardier, or have