There are many birds, animals and insects that are a gardener's joy both for their beauty and for the help they give us in the garden. But there are also many that are pests and can ruin a beautiful garden. Life would be so much simpler if we could just wave a magic wand and get rid of those we don't want, but it's not that simple. To begin with, we need to identify them. One of the best ways to keep pests away is good garden hygiene. Keeping your yard free of rubbish will reduce problem spots where pests can breed and gain a foothold. It is a very simple remedy, but one of the most effective, especially against snails. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay There are some creatures that really help keep pests away, the common earthworm is a powerful ally in its constant wanderings through the soil which keeps it open to air and water. Many of our common garden birds feed on garden pests. Many insects feed on their harmful relatives. Toads and frogs can demolish large numbers of insects in a single meal and are a joy to have in the garden. Making your yard attractive to birds and toads is one of the best pest control methods. A good bird feeder or nest box, scattered food in spring, and some water are invitations for birds to stay in your yard. If you want toads and frogs, make sure there is some moist shade. A few reasonably sized stones in the shade of a shrub with perhaps a few damp leaves would be a luxurious residence for a toad. At night they venture out to get food, which they prefer to live on. Snails are a particular bane of my life: they come out and munch on all your tender plants if given the slightest chance. Again the birds will help you and you can use safe pellets that will not harm the birds or hedgehogs. There are all sorts of mulches and even snail fences you can get, the worst damage is often done by the ones you can't see that are hiding under the ground. If you want to use a biological control, you can obtain nematodes from specialized suppliers that inhabit the soil and prey on slugs. It's a longer process than using some chemicals, but much kinder to your garden. Munching Insects with heavy jaws are particularly destructive and can tear through a vegetable garden in the blink of an eye: last year I lost countless cabbages and sprouts to caterpillars. This year I am working hard to encourage birds to counteract this phenomenon. You can use sprays, but make sure they are bird and fish friendly if you have a pond. This type of insect is killed by introducing the spray into its body as it nibbles on your plants. Vegetables are especially susceptible to pests: they like to eat them as much as we do, and many of our crops have their own particular pests that feed on just one plant. Tomato worms, for example, burrow into the young fruit and eat it from the inside. You can often harvest a particularly succulent-looking crop of potatoes only to find the tubers inhabited by yellow-and-black-striped potato bugs. My particular hate is the little green caterpillar that devastates cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower. Generous applications of soapy water with a spray gun are quite effective in eliminating this particular nuisance. There are some pests for which the only defense is to get rid of the severely infested plant before it spreads. The plant must be destroyed or removed completely from the garden. A couple.