Some Bt formulas also kill butterflies, so use them with care. Milky spore disease, a combination of two bacteria, is another biopesticide that effectively controls the grubs of the Japanese beetle and its close relatives but is harmless to other organisms. According to experts at the Environmental Protection Agency, yards treated with milky spore disease in the 1950s rarely have grub problems today, unlike yards in newer residential areas. Teach Tolerence Last but not least, be tolerant. A natural yard is not a monoculture but an abundant variety of pests, predators, weeds, and our favorite plant species.
Some weeds are even beneficial.
White clover fixes nitrogen, which benefits grass, and the much-maligned dandelion provides food for tiny parasitic wasps that attack garden pests. Plus many of the bugs we think of as pests are dinner for birds. Put out a bird feeder and a birdbath. Chickadees spend much of the winter eating aphid eggs, while Baltimore orioles can eat 17 tent caterpillars a minute. These and other natural ways to control pests are part of a growing movement known as integrated pest management, or IPM, nature s solution to pesticides.