Pest control just might be the worst part of gardening. You put all your time and effort into growing beautiful and delicious plants, only for them to be bombarded by bugs that will destroy everything. Picking them off by hand is time-consuming — not to mention icky for some — and can only be so effective. Pesticides contain harmful chemicals that can hurt beneficial insects, pets, and people. A simple method you may not have considered before is using a vacuum to suck up all your problems.
You can use the handheld vacuum you already have or get one specially designed for catching insects with sticky linings on the inside. Either way, the bugs will get sucked up, and you won’t have to worry about them anymore, for the most part. It won’t solve the problem completely, but it will at least reduce your pest numbers for the time being and help you gain control over growing populations.
Use a vacuum to suck up the bugs
Your handheld vacuum should have some attachments with a narrow nozzle. This will allow you to access tight spaces on plants and prevent you from sucking up leaves or breaking branches. Target the pests directly and vacuum them up. Look for pests congregating on seed heads like on sunflowers, petals, underneath leaves, and in little crevices such as where branches meet the stems. Do this at least every day during the most active season, which is usually summer.
If you’re not comfortable using your household hand vacuum to suck up bugs, try using a long nylon sock to keep them contained. Attach the sock to the vacuum so that the sock goes into the nozzle. The insects will get caught in the sock and won’t go into the vacuum. You can also try plastic bags as a disposable option. Be careful not to damage your plants while you vacuum them, and avoid vacuuming over seedlings since their young roots might not have them secured in the ground just yet. Try not to let leaves and branches enter the vacuum nozzle. Use the lowest setting if necessary — it should be powerful enough to suck up bugs but not so powerful that it can suck up everything it comes into contact with.
