The Guide to Humane Critter Control: Natural, Nontoxic Pest Solutions to Protect Your Yard and Garden

by Theresa Rooney

Keep critters and pests out of your yard and garden with heart!  The   Guide to Humane Critter Control keeps unwanted guests away safely and organically.

It takes a lot of work and a fair amount of money to grow a garden, and a top fear of every gardener is having their investment wiped out by deer , rabbits , and insect invaders . The Guide to Humane Critter Control  is filled with clever ways to be proactive and stop pests from feasting on the bounty you've been working on all season.

The  Guide to Humane Critter Control  shows many ways to incorporate protective barriers without ruining your sight lines, outsmart the invaders using insect behavior , use scent to your advantage, and more. With methods and products that are not only kind to wildlife and insects but also healthier for children and pets, this is the blueprint for creating a safe backyard for play, beauty, and healthy fresh-grown foods.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Nature

144 pages, Paperback

Published December 12, 2017

Reviews

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool Springs Press and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Guide to Humane Critter Control: Protect Your Yard and Garden from Deer, Rabbits, Woodchucks, Rodents, Invasive Insects, and Other Pests. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

In this publication, the author set out to encourage readers to find alternative and natural solutions to combating the issue of unwanted visitors in their yards and gardens. To this end, Theresa Rooney did exactly what she detailed in her introduction. With an eye toward embracing the environment and providing a diverse haven for all critters, big and small, the author gives information on a variety of topics. These include how to identify the source of garden and yard issues, organic pest control, selecting effective products, creating a healthy garden, and attracting beneficial insects and animals.

In Guide to Humane Critter Control, the author stresses working within the confines of nature and providing a haven for those critters who live in your area. The biggest lesson that the book teaches is to let go of unrealistic expectations and grow what will work within your particular environment. There are strategies that the author tries to impart on readers, especially in regards to gardening in areas where creatures such as deer, rabbits, and small rodents are plentiful. I thought that the author did not go quite far enough, though, as I would have liked more instructional details. Guide to Humane Critter Control is a book that I would recommend to readers who are looking for more natural solutions to yard and garden issues, but with the understanding that I have not personally tried very many of the methods that are explained within its pages.

[Gaby F. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am all for Theresa Rooney's approach of dealing with pests in our own backyards without using toxic chemicals. A very important point Theresa makes is that not all critters we encounter in our gardens are really pests. Some of them either cause only little damage or are actually beneficial for our gardens and all we need is a little adjustment of our attitudes toward them. For all pests that are actually bothersome she suggests different strategies to deter them and keep them away from the plants we would like to protect. Among those strategies are improving the yard's general health to better withstand pests, inviting beneficial critters into the yard, installing simple physical barriers, using sound and scent deterrents, and clever plant arrangements. Every method targets a specific problem with the least negative environmental impact possible. I cannot wait to put some of the methods in this book into action in my own backyard.

[Jonesy.Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Guide to Humane Critter Control is your complete guide to handling and preventing all manner of critters from our property and gardens including insects, animals, and even people. Lots of great tips and techniques to deal with pesky critters while still maintaining a heathy and environmentally friendly habitat for all the beneficial critters we need to keep our yards and gardens thriving. Equally useful for a patio gardener in the city or a large property owner in a rural area!

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good-humored, readable, and helpful ways to keep various creatures from destroying one's beloved yard/garden (and all that hard work!)

I'm planning to buy a copy for reference. I don't want to kill creatures if possible (except maybe wasps and their ilk) but I want my vegetables and herbs!

[Jessica Traver cashen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very informative book. I have not yet tried any of the recipes for critter control. But I will definitely be tring a few of them. I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from Netgalley.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love how she starts out her introduction by saying that “what you will not find in these pages is the advice to kill or destroy the pest.” Yes!

First we identify the problem with simple questions as to what you have found. Then critter by critter remedy, if indeed needed. It’s really full of good advice, such as preventing the invasion to begin with, on to learning to just share the land.

Many of the deterrents are new to me, as are some of the critter characteristics.. (skunks can swim?) I’ve kept a note pad handy for some pests I’m not so thrilled with, but most I welcome and plant for.

This is a good resource to keep handy and it offers up a tidy summary with adjacent columns for easy reference as to who, what, where, why & how.

Colorful illustrations are another plus.

[Critterbee❇ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the idea of Human Critter control. It really is better for everyone and everything NOT to sprinkle poison about our food supply.

This guide helps identify troublesome pests and plan a course of action using organic products and other non-lethal methods.

An approachable book, great illustrations, appropriate for all ages, with a great message and practical advice.

*eARC Netgally*

[The Quarto Group · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book offers great tips for managing your garden while protecting it from nibblers. It has great preventative measures that are easy to set up.

[OneDayI'll · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're just getting into gardening and haven't had any experience with pests this book is a good guide. But it's very basic ideas. It does provide good clues on how to tell mold/fungal damage from storm or animal/insect, though.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must-read for every gardener and homeowner. It had a lot of information that I already knew, but enough new info to make it worth while.