Whether you’ve bought a farm or inherited land, it’s the beginning of something special. Many opportunities come from farm life: you can be more self-sufficient, you feel more active every day, and it’s a chance to make extra money with a side business.
Regardless of what you grow on your farm - or even if you don’t grow anything and keep livestock for fun - you must be aware of some common pests. They’ll make your life a misery, so here are five of the worst you’ll find and what to do about them.
Beetles
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service lists three types of beetles as the top invasive pest threats for US farms and crops. To be honest, any beetle is a problem when you have a farm. They love feeding on flowers, leaves, fruits, and so many common things you’ll plant. This can ruin your crops and make it incredibly hard to grow anything on your farm.
What’s more, if you have animals living on the farm, beetles can ruin their food too! They’ll eat the fruits or plants your animals graze on, meaning your poor pets are underfed. There’s not a huge amount you can do to deal with beetles other than using insecticides to ward them off. It’s probably not your dream way of dealing with things, but it will control the beetle population.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service lists three types of beetles as the top invasive pest threats for US farms and crops. To be honest, any beetle is a problem when you have a farm. They love feeding on flowers, leaves, fruits, and so many common things you’ll plant. This can ruin your crops and make it incredibly hard to grow anything on your farm.
What’s more, if you have animals living on the farm, beetles can ruin their food too! They’ll eat the fruits or plants your animals graze on, meaning your poor pets are underfed. There’s not a huge amount you can do to deal with beetles other than using insecticides to ward them off. It’s probably not your dream way of dealing with things, but it will control the beetle population.
Spiders
A strong spider population can be problematic on your farm - especially around barn areas where they make loads of webs. Unlike other pests, spiders won’t eat things and cause havoc. Instead, they make it harder for you to keep your home neat and tidy. Spiders will spin webs in your barn and leave it looking much older and dirtier than it should be. This can also cause problems for livestock in these areas - horses may constantly wander into spiderwebs, or some may even bite them.
Dealing with this pest is a simple case of finding the best spider killer. It’s harsh, but you can’t let spiders run amock on your farm. When you don’t deal with them, they will spin webs everywhere and lay babies. It’s too easy for areas to be overrun with cobwebs and end up looking like a permanent Halloween decoration!
A strong spider population can be problematic on your farm - especially around barn areas where they make loads of webs. Unlike other pests, spiders won’t eat things and cause havoc. Instead, they make it harder for you to keep your home neat and tidy. Spiders will spin webs in your barn and leave it looking much older and dirtier than it should be. This can also cause problems for livestock in these areas - horses may constantly wander into spiderwebs, or some may even bite them.
Dealing with this pest is a simple case of finding the best spider killer. It’s harsh, but you can’t let spiders run amock on your farm. When you don’t deal with them, they will spin webs everywhere and lay babies. It’s too easy for areas to be overrun with cobwebs and end up looking like a permanent Halloween decoration!
Rodents
No matter where you live or what farm you run, rodents will always be a problem. Mice and rats are two of the biggest culprits as they come rooting around for food. Some rodents will nibble away at your crops, but the bigger issue is when they find stored grains. This could be harvested crops or grains you keep to feed livestock. Either way, they’ll sniff it out, chew their way through the bags and contaminate your grain.
It’s a massive issue as you can’t sell this grain, nor can you feed it to animals. You end up with a waste of money - and a huge waste of time if you grew the grains yourself. The best way to deal with rodents is to ensure your grain storage area is tightly sealed and rodent-proof. You could consider laying some traps around or using ultrasonic sensors to play high-pitched sounds that keep them away.
Deer
It’s funny because deer don’t seem like pests, yet they can cause trouble on your farm. Deer look cute and tend to be friendly, but they’re also wild animals that need something to eat. If they’re near your farm, the chances are they’ll be grazing on the grass or trampling their way through your crops. Some may even get close enough to your livestock to spook them or steal their water.
As beautiful as deer are - and they don’t mean any harm - you need to stop them from entering your farm. Drastic measures aren’t necessary; simply erect a sturdy fence around your boundary, and the deer can’t come in.
It’s funny because deer don’t seem like pests, yet they can cause trouble on your farm. Deer look cute and tend to be friendly, but they’re also wild animals that need something to eat. If they’re near your farm, the chances are they’ll be grazing on the grass or trampling their way through your crops. Some may even get close enough to your livestock to spook them or steal their water.
As beautiful as deer are - and they don’t mean any harm - you need to stop them from entering your farm. Drastic measures aren’t necessary; simply erect a sturdy fence around your boundary, and the deer can’t come in.
Slugs
Lastly, slugs are a major issue on farms during the wetter seasons. They thrive in damp conditions and will be all over the place. Slugs gnaw through leaves, plant stems, and fruits - which means your crops are at risk of being destroyed.
Get some slug bait to move them away from your crops, and this should solve the problem. You should also consider building a mini barrier around your plants using sand or crushed eggshells to ward them off. It’s not 100% effective, but when combined with slug bait, it should stop them from causing issues.
Did you think farm life would be stress-free? Think again! So many things can cause problems, but if you stay on top of the pest issues, then you’ve got one less thing to worry about.
Lastly, slugs are a major issue on farms during the wetter seasons. They thrive in damp conditions and will be all over the place. Slugs gnaw through leaves, plant stems, and fruits - which means your crops are at risk of being destroyed.
Get some slug bait to move them away from your crops, and this should solve the problem. You should also consider building a mini barrier around your plants using sand or crushed eggshells to ward them off. It’s not 100% effective, but when combined with slug bait, it should stop them from causing issues.
Did you think farm life would be stress-free? Think again! So many things can cause problems, but if you stay on top of the pest issues, then you’ve got one less thing to worry about.
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