Wild Birds Eat Garden Pests

Attract Them With Seed Mix or Fat Cake

Jul 17, 2009 John Blatchford

Aphids and other insects can damage garden plants, but their natural predators can easily be enlisted to control them organically.

There is no need to use pesticides when birds can be brought into the backyard to eat a variety of harmful insects.

Bird Diets and Natural Pest Control

Some birds are specialist feeders, while others will eat anything going. Hummingbirds, for example, are only attracted to nectar sources, while many of the common garden birds of America and the UK will eat bread, kitchen scraps, seeds, and insects.

Insectivorous birds will only eat fat and protein-rich materials, insects in the wild, but sometimes other artificial offerings.

Both omnivores and insectivores will help reduce the numbers of harmful insects, controlling the population in a natural way. They will not eliminate the pests (when most are gone the birds will move on), but they will usually limit the damage significantly.

Many species of bird can be attracted by the regular provision of suitable food.

Insectivorous Bird Food

Many insectivorous birds will eat fat-based bird cakes, and these can either be purchased or made at home. They will be good for the insectivorous birds, but will also be enjoyed by less fussy feeders. Mealworms can also be purchase (or bred at home), and even the most finicky of insect eaters will go for these. If they are offered live they obviously need to be in a shallow container they can’t crawl out of!

In addition to eating these foods the birds will go on to have a look around the rest of the garden to search for more tasty morsels (the pest insects).

Wild Seed Mixes for Omnivorous Birds

Many small birds will eat seeds, and wild bird seed mixes can be bought cheaply in bulk. Omnivorous birds will eat the seeds (of course), but they will also forage in the vicinity for useful protein supplements to this diet. In doing so they will remove many insect pests.

Wild Bird Feeders

A bird feeder needs to protect the seed or cake from the elements (and squirrels in some parts of the world!), and allow easy access for the birds. They can either be purchased ready-made, or constructed from the simplest of materials.

There are many bird feeders on the market (‘Duncraft’ and ‘Yankee’ are but two examples), but a simple feeder can be made from nothing more than an old plastic milk jug.

Advantages of Natural Pest Control

Avoiding pesticides means that beneficial insects will not be harmed.

A rich community of birds (and insects) will gradually build up, and this will not only provide interest, but also help the species involved to ‘hang on’ (many bird and insect populations are under great pressure).

Food that is produced will be free of harmful chemicals, and will possibly taste better too!

Attracting birds (and insects) into the garden helps avoid the use of pesticides.

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