Operations | Philosophy: Pest Control III

Vertebrate pests—such as deer, rabbits, squirrels, groundhogs, voles, and birds—pose challenges distinct from those caused by insects or diseases. Unlike small pests, these animals can consume or damage large portions of plants quickly, often in a single feeding. Understanding their feeding habits, preferred foods, seasonal activity, and movement patterns is crucial. For example, deer may browse tender shoots in spring but strip bark in winter, while rodents are more active under snow cover or dense vegetation. Recognizing when and how each animal is most destructive helps in targeting control efforts for maximum effect.

The Importance of Identification

Effective control starts with knowing which species is responsible for the damage. Chewed stems, clipped shoots, stripped bark, burrow entrances, droppings, and tracks all offer clues. Misidentifying the culprit can waste time and money on the wrong countermeasures—for example, a fence built for rabbits won’t keep out deer, and repellents for mammals won’t deter birds. Observing the time of day damage occurs and matching signs to field guides or extension resources can prevent costly trial-and-error.

Habitat Modification

One of the most powerful tools for vertebrate pest control is habitat management. By making the environment less inviting, you reduce the likelihood of persistent problems. This can involve removing dense cover where animals hide, mowing tall grass that harbors rodents, or pruning back trees that provide easy access to fruit crops. In some cases, habitat modification works hand-in-hand with attracting natural predators—encouraging raptors with perch poles or allowing predatory mammals like foxes to hunt the area.

Exclusion and Barriers

Physical exclusion remains one of the most reliable ways to protect plants. Fencing, netting, and tree guards prevent animals from reaching their targets. The design and height of a barrier must match the pest—an 8-foot fence may be needed for deer, while hardware cloth buried underground can deter burrowing animals like groundhogs or voles. Tree guards prevent rodents from gnawing bark in winter. For birds, draping netting over berry bushes or fruit trees is often the most effective strategy, though it must be secured to prevent access from underneath.

Repellents

Repellents work by making plants less appealing through taste, smell, or tactile deterrence. Taste repellents use bitter or hot compounds, while odor-based products mimic predator scents or produce unpleasant smells. Success often depends on rotating repellents so animals do not adapt. Weather can reduce their effectiveness, so reapplication after rain is essential. While repellents can provide quick, nonlethal relief, they work best as part of a broader integrated plan rather than as the sole measure.

Frightening Devices

Visual and auditory scare tactics—such as reflective tape, predator eye balloons, noisemakers, and motion-activated sprinklers—can startle and temporarily deter animals. Their effectiveness usually declines over time as animals habituate, so combining them with other measures is critical. Rotating devices, changing their position, and combining sound with movement can prolong their usefulness.

Trapping

In situations where exclusion or deterrence fails, trapping can help manage persistent problem animals. Live traps allow for relocation where legal, while lethal traps may be necessary for species that cannot be relocated due to regulations or ecological concerns. Safety, legality, and humane practices are essential considerations. Before setting traps, confirm local wildlife laws and obtain any required permits.

Integrated Vertebrate Pest Management

No single control works universally for all vertebrate pests or all situations. The most effective strategy blends habitat modification, exclusion, repellents, frightening devices, and, when necessary, trapping. The key is to start with preventive measures—designing gardens and landscapes with protection in mind—while being prepared to escalate controls if damage exceeds tolerance levels. Continuous monitoring and flexibility in tactics help maintain a balance where both plants and local wildlife can coexist without severe losses.

Appendix

CULTIVATION INSIGHTS

Unique Germination & Propagation Techniques

1. Ginkgo - Seeds must not be dried; dry seeds hardly ever germinate. Store seeds wrapped in vinyl/paper in refrigerator.

2. Narcissus - Dig bulbs every 3 years when roots tangle in pots to maintain plant health; otherwise can remain planted for several years in gardens.

3. Japanese Snowbell - Put cut stems in water for 2-3 hours before planting to promote rooting.

4. Korean Plum Yew - Seeds can stay viable in soil for up to 20 years due to protective spornioderm; germinate only when exposed by disturbance.

5. Knotgrass - Seeds have photoblastic characteristics and diapause periods; germination occurs over extended periods rather than all at once.

6. Turmeric - Develop tuber nibs to uniform size in greenhouse before transplanting; limestone should be added once per year or every two years.

7. Tea Plant - Shading increases amino acid content (savory taste) but decreases when exposed to sunlight, which increases catechin (bitter taste).

8. Horsetail - When using spores for propagation, cut stems in May before sporangia swells and spores fly away; sow immediately.

Seasonal & Temperature-Specific Practices

9. Apricot - Autumn planting results in faster rooting and growth than spring planting.

10. Kobushi Magnolia - Seeds should not be dried; collect in autumn and sow immediately or store in open field.

11. Chinese Catalpa - Earlier cutting period produces better root seating (early March-April optimal).

12. Securinega - Alkaloid content maximized in flowering season, decreases in harvesting season.

Soil & Environmental Requirements

13. Lavender - Add limestone or dried/ground eggshells when repotting; prefers alkaline soil.

14. Dalmatian Chrysanthemum - Plants grown in moist/fertile soil or shade lack pyrethrin; requires slope, gravels, and lime soil.

15. Jerusalem Artichoke - Consumes soil fertility considerably; repeated cultivation produces unsound tubers.

16. Garlic - Extremely sensitive to pesticide/herbicide; avoid use entirely.

MEDICINAL USE INSIGHTS

Toxicity & Dosage Warnings

17. Digitalis - Alkaloid content increases when leaves are taken after stems dry up; estimated lethal dose of digitoxin is 5mg per kg body weight.

18. Aconitum - Toxic alkaloid content increases when baby root emerges from mother tuber (June-July), grows until autumn; estimated minimum fatal dose is 1g.

19. Yew Tree - Fruit flesh is safe to eat but seed causes poisoning; in plant poisoning accidents in US, yew ranks consistently high.

20. Lily of the Valley - Child died from drinking water from vase where cut lilies were placed; demonstrates extreme toxicity through secondary contact.

21. Wormwood - Absinthe containing thujone destroys brain cells; habitual drinking causes absent-mindedness, mental deterioration, optic neuropathy.

Processing for Safety

22. Arisaema - Must boil with ginger extract or alum water until fully cooked inside to neutralize toxicity before internal use.

23. Pinellia - Toxicity must be neutralized; boil with ginger extract until fully cooked and dry; throat seriously irritated if eaten improperly.

24. Taro - Toxicity dissolved in water; historically people soaked bulbs or boiled them; 20% of bulb is starch but improper processing caused deaths.

Synergistic & Antagonistic Combinations

25. Cinnamon - When administered with ginger, has high curative value with little side effect.

26. Lilac Daphne - Avoid using with licorice roots; combination decreases moist-discharging effect but increases toxicity.

27. Potato - Quercetin and kaempferol prevent spoilage when added to food; can prevent fungi generation and oxidation.

Time-Dependent Medicinal Properties

28. Sophora Root - Matrine content highest in roots; cytosine mainly in seeds.

29. Royal Azalea - Andromedotoxin content highest in flowers (13mg%); in leaves: high in spring (12mg% in May), gradually decreases through summer to almost zero by September.

30. Horsetail - Tannin content lowest December-February, gradually increases to highest concentration June-August.

31. Great St. John's Wort - Toxic components highest when flowers bloom or fruits borne; hypericin has phototoxicity—activated by sunlight in body.

PEST CONTROL USAGE INSIGHTS

Processing & Application Methods

32. Derris - Half-life of rotenone is 1-3 days; activated component decomposes in 5-6 days in spring sunlight, 2-3 days in summer. Use immediately after preparation.

33. Dalmatian Chrysanthemum - Natural pyrethrin easily broken down by oxygen, water, or alkaline substances; must dry well, seal air-tight, store in cool/dark place.

34. Coffee - Caffeine content in robusta twice that of arabica; robusta better for pest control.

35. Mustard - Antibacterial activities weak initially, increase after 12 hours, peak at 24 hours; dissolve in water and leave one day before use.

Specific Pest Targets

36. Common Cosmos - Jadam received reports of repelling stinkbugs; test confirmed stinkbugs driven to opposite corner from minced cosmos in bottle.

37. Jerusalem Artichoke - Especially powerful for larvae of moths/butterflies including common cabbage butterfly, spodoptera exigua, lyonetiidae, helicoverpa assulta.

38. Taro - Mixed into drip irrigation, effective for agrotis segetum larvae, white grubs, mole crickets; leaf spray kills aphids, mites, oriental tobacco budworms.

39. Japanese Rush - White grubs do not eat the root, indicating strong insect-repellant/insecticidal effects.

40. Marigold - Secretion from root exterminates nematodes and repels whiteflies.

Compounds & Mechanisms

41. Red Spider Lily/Narcissus - Lycorine is water-soluble; lethal dose about 10g; glue made from starch repels insects from paintings for long periods.

42. Japanese Snowbell - Large amount of egosaponin in fruit skin; causes hemolysis and hemocatheresis—egg yolk mentioned as treatment but not fundamental solution.

43. Nandina - When leaf placed on cooked rice with red beans, generates small amount of hydrogen cyanide preventing spoilage, but amount too small to be harmful.

44. Tobacco - Nicotine produced in root meristem, moves upward through vessel; upper leaves contain more nicotine; topping develops rootlet, increasing synthesis.

45. Manchurian Walnut/Persian Walnut - Juglone secreted from root prevents growth of other plants while producing disinfection/anti-insect effects.

46. Chinese Pepper Tree - More mature the fruit, more strong-scented estragole; use immature fruits for tea/cooking, matured seeds for sterilization.

47. Decumbent Bugle - Contains insect metamorphosis hormones (ecdysterone, cyasterone, ajugasterone, ajugalactone) that disturb insect growth when consumed in large amounts.

48. Japanese Chaff Flower - Insect metamorphosis hormones inhibit normal growth when insects consume large quantities.

49. Japanese Royal Fern - Contains molting hormones (ponasterone A, ecdysone, ecdysterone) disturbing insect growth and metamorphosis.

Application Timing & Conditions

50. Hinoki Cypress - Essential oil content higher in leaves than wood; phytoncide antibacterial effects similar to or higher than copper sulfate.

51. Temple Juniper - Essential oil content highest in fruits when harvested in November.

52. Turmeric - Curcumin has anti-tumor, anti-oxidation, anti-inflammatory effects; turmeric-dyed materials repel insects; houses with turmeric planted around had reduced termite damage in Okinawa.

53. Firethorn - Fruits and leaves contain hydrogen cyanide (HCN), which helps digestion and improves respiration in small amounts but causes death in large amounts.

Multi-Purpose Applications

54. Ginkgo - Leaf placed in book prevents moths from eating paper; leaves in house corners chase away cockroaches.

55. Garlic - Allicin has excellent sterilization effects on tubercle bacillus, vibrio cholera, dysentery bacillus, N.gonorrhoea; heat destroys enzyme and eliminates efficacy.

56. Hot Pepper - Capsaicin not only paralyzes insects but also inhibits bacillus; even 1/10,000 diluted solution has antifungal effects.

57. Shiso - Perillaaldehyde 200-2,000 times sweeter than candy; has antiseptic effects; used for cookies, beverages, toothpaste, tobacco.

58. Curly Dock - Sustainable prevention and treatment effects on powdery mildew.

59. Horsetail - Spore succus most effective (more than leaves) for downy mildew, rust, frosty mildew; dry reproductive stems 2 days, collect spores, boil in water.

Novel Discoveries

60. Castor Oil Plant - Ricin considered major bio-chemical weapon along with Bacillus anthracis and Clostridium tetani; used in WWI, WWII, and 1978 Bulgarian dissident assassination.

61. Greater Celandine - Yellow latex causes tongue paralysis when touched; chelidonine performs same local anesthetic action as morphine without addictive quality.

62. Datura - Contains tropane alkaloids that cause hallucinations; Alfred de Musset, Toulouse Lautrec, Van Gogh lost lives/killed themselves due to Absinthe containing similar compounds.

63. Clematis - Protoanemonin stimulates central nervous system in small amounts but causes dermal inflammation and cell necrosis; has antibacterial effects on wide range of microorganisms.

64. Asian Cooperleaf - Minimum lethal dose of infusions (10-20%) or decoctions (1:40) for cats and rabbits is 20ml/kg; doves most sensitive to toxicity.

Resistance & Environmental Factors

65. Knotgrass - When used as pasture, toxic components cause eczema and stomach disorder in horses/sheep; minimum lethal dose documented.

66. Rough Cocklebur - Fresh or young leaves more toxic than dried or aged; fruits have highest toxicity; pigs especially susceptible when eating young sprouts.

67. Japanese Pagoda Tree - Rutin content highest in flower bud, drops considerably once flowers bloom; up to 40% rutin in fruit after flowers fall.

68. Tree of Heaven - Spot clothing wax cicada (fruit tree pest) uses tree as host; do not cultivate on property but collect from wild ones.

Unique Formulation Insights

69. Lacquer Tree - Sap best collected 60 days after monsoon rain (July 10-September 10); noon of clear day optimal; sap withstands acid, alkali, heat over 70°C.

70. Chinaberry (Neem) - Grind fruits, boil in water twice the amount of ground fruits in low heat for 6+ hours; mix with salt or 30% alcohol; or squeeze oil like Neem oil.

71. Common Gardenia - Rotenone content found in highest concentration in 26-month-old Derris elliptical plants.

72. Cinnamon - Studies show antifungal effects on vegetable pathogenic bacteria among 11 types of vegetable oil tested; most effective of all.

73. Clove - Antifungal effects similar to or higher than copper sulfate; as natural substance, will not develop resistance within disease organism (stark contrast to conventional antibiotics).

74. Japanese Pepper - Pungent taste substances cause local paralysis; fruits exterminate swine large roundworm in test tube; recently unsaturated fatty acid amid compounds found to have anti-insect and anthelmintic effects.

75. Picrasma Quassioides - Contains quassin, picrasmin, and multiple nigaki compounds with bitter taste; effective for stomach improvement and anti-allergic actions.

76. Common Fig/Japanese Fig - Milk-like latex has anthelmintic effects for roundworms and flagellates.

77. Euphorbia Humifusa - "Jigeumso" (made by repeatedly extracting in alcohol) has stronger antibacterial power: 0.002-0.63mg/ml shows antibacterial effects; 0.005-1.25mg/ml shows sterilization effects.

78. Sweet Flag - In India, sweet flag tea used to exterminate parasites in children; asarone has tranquilization, pain killing, antibacterial, and anti-insect activities.

79. Sasa Borealis - Decoction contains considerable potassium and magnesium; has antioxidation, anti-diabetic, antibacterial effects; effective for tubercle bacillus, colon bacterium, tinea pedis bacillus, virus, trichomonas, dental caries bacillus.

80. Bracken - Rootstock 5 times more toxic than leaves; recent research searching for new pesticide ingredient from brackens.

Fumigation & Smoke Applications

81. Oleander - Can be used as fumigant in greenhouses by burning; toxicity present in smoke.

82. Juniper - Burn juniper in sealed space to use smoke; aromatic essential oil components have sterilization and anti-insect effects.

83. Dalmatian Chrysanthemum - In greenhouses, mix powder with sawdust and fumigate by burning.

Concentration & Dilution Guidance

84. Derris - Extract juice from root/whole plant or infuse/decoct in organic solvents like acetone and chloroform (not just water or alcohol).

85. Mustard - Dissolve in water and leave for one day before use; antibacterial activities peak at 24 hours; take caution as acidity increases.

86. Coffee - Simply dilute coffee with water for use; caffeine, trigonelline, and chlorogenic acid provide anti-insect and antibacterial effects.

Storage & Stability

87. Japanese Rush - Essential oil generates pleasant scent; add to bath water to treat feeling of cold or itchy skin; tranquilizes mind, stops pain, improves memory.

88. Wormwood - After extracting, anti-insect effects decrease over time; use as soon as possible after preparation.

89. Rosemary - Not soluble in water but dissolves well in ethanol; soak in ethyl alcohol for use.

Warnings & Contraindications

90. Mint - Do not decoct for long time; brief preparation preserves volatile compounds.

91. Potato - Solanine hardly soluble in water but solanine hydrochloride (dissolving well in water) used as agricultural pesticide.

92. Lopseed - Grinded root or root extract added to steamed rice kills flies; also used in squat toilets to exterminate maggots.

93. Water Pepper - Pounded whole plant released to stagnant water paralyzes bronchial nerves of fish, causing them to float.

94. Japanese Aralia - Fish float due to respiratory failure when pounded leaves released into water (similar to Japanese Snowbell).

Ecological Observations

95. Castor Oil Plant - Birds eat seeds safely but harmful to humans; demonstrate selective toxicity based on organism type.

96. Hot Pepper - Capsaicin prevents animals from eating peppers but birds (which help spread seeds) are unaffected; seeds travel far in bird excrements.

97. Japanese Hop - Hardly ever suffers from pest insect damage despite being common weed; indicates strong natural pest resistance.

98. Lacquer Tree - Sap protects plant from insect/animal attacks and heals tree wounds; demonstrates dual-purpose defense mechanism.

Synergistic Plant Combinations

99. Rosemary - Planting with cabbage, beans, carrots, or Small Flowered Sage helps repel pest insects (cabbage worms, bean weevils, carrot flies).

100. Marigold/French Marigold - Sometimes planted with tomato, eggplant, bell pepper, tobacco, potato; root secretions exterminate nematodes and repel whiteflies.