Cats

Alice, Cats, Insects, Mice & Rats, Pest Control, Slugs & Snails, Spiders

There’s no doubt about it: pests can be the bane of a gardener’s life. There’s nothing worse than growing the perfect crop of tomato plants, only to have them demolished by slugs and insects. Chemical pesticides can be highly effective at deterring and removing unwanted critters, however, these can be detrimental to the environment, and other beneficial wildlife. So here are some great eco-friendly pest control methods that can be equally effective.

eco-friendly pest control

Netting & Cloches

Pigeons, along with many species of insects, enjoy eating flowers and vegetable plants. Protective netting is a great way of keeping your plants safe and sound, however, there needs to be space between the net and the plant, otherwise, birds may land on the net and peck through it if they can. You can support your netting with bamboo canes or upturned pots, however, cloches and grow tunnels provide a ready-made safety system. This set of 3 Victorian Glass Bell Jar Cloches are a stylish way to protect growing plants.

Companion Planting

Companion planting involves growing your plants alongside other species that will disguise the vulnerable plants, or attract predatory insects that feed on pests. This is a great method of eco-friendly pest control, as it is harm-free, increases the biodiversity of your garden, and can also have other benefits such as improving taste and yields. Good companion plants for repelling unwanted insects include dill, fennel, allium, basil, coriander, and marigolds. Check out our full guide to companion planting here. 

Natural Sprays

Sprays have long been used to deter bugs from plants, however, there are plenty of eco-friendly natural alternatives to chemical pesticides. Spraying plants with water or a light soap solution can remove aphids, caterpillars, or similar insects from plants, and creating a herbal water spray from essential oils such as sage, thyme, basil, or rosemary can act as a repellent. You could also spray with a pepper or alcohol solution to deter pests.

Natural Predation 

Your garden can be a great place to support species of animal that are declining in the wild, and many of these creatures have the added benefit of ridding your garden of unwanted pests. Animals such as birds, hedgehogs, ladybirds, frogs, and lacewings are great at limiting numbers of common garden pests such as slugs and aphids. To encourage these critters into your garden, make them welcome by adding homes such as bird nest boxes, hedgehog houses, and ladybird towers. You can also add bird feeders, birdbaths, and leave out bowls of food and water for wild animals.

Organic Deterrents

Many organic substances are great for deterring unwanted pests, and are completely environmentally friendly! Many plant oils can be used as an insect deterrent, along with garlic- you can stick a clove next to your plants to drive unwanted pests away. Slugs do not like the sharp edges of eggshells, so surrounding plants with them can keep them safe from these pesky critters. Beer traps are also a common method of slug protection.

Ultrasonic Repellers

Ultrasonic repellers are a high-tech humane way of deterring a wide range of unwanted pests from your garden. These handy devices emit high-pitched noises that are beyond the range of human hearing but scare away other creatures. They can be used to keep larger creatures such as foxes, deer, and cats out of your garden, but can also be used in your house to deter pests such as spiders and mice. The Advanced Solar Mole Repeller emits low-frequency vibrations into the soil to deter moles from digging up your lawn, and the Advanced Rat and Mouse Repeller combine ultrasonic frequencies with electro-magnetic technology to keep your whole house free of rodents.

What eco-friendly pest control methods are you using? Let us know on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram!

 

Cats, Evie, Pest Advice, Pest Control

Cat in Garden

Cats are great, there’s a reason why there are over 2 million cat videos on YouTube alone! What’s not so great for the neighbours of cats is when they foul in your garden, torment your family of guinea pigs, or attack that sweet little robin that you’ve been watching out the window.  If this sounds familiar and you’d like to learn about our purrrr-fectly safe methods of deterring cats from trespassing in your garden through the use of cat repellents, read on…

What Is The UK’s Best Selling Cat Deterrent?

Have you heard of ultrasonic frequency repellents? 

 

PestBye Cat Repeller

These are our most effective solution for deterring cats from your garden. When triggered by a motion sensor, this type of repellent emits a high frequency sound that cannot be heard by human or bird hearing. Although the sound is rather annoying for your backyard trespassing cat, it will effectively prevent them from wanting to return to your garden. 

But hang on a moment, how long can you expect for this product to officially stop your cat problem? Typically, cats that visit your garden every now and again will be stopped within 7 days of the device being switched on. However, it may take between 14-28 days to break the habit of a regular visitor.

Prevention with Anti-Climb Strips

Are you fed up of worrying about what your neighbouring cat will leave behind after its next visit? Well, our first recommendation would be to prevent cats from entering your garden in the first place. 

An affordable way to do this is to add in PestBye anti-climb strips to your garden walls and fences. These anti-climb strips are easily cut, bent, and attached with glue, nails or screws – making them super easy to install around your garden. Available in a range of colours, you can also disguise the anti-climb strips to match your fencing so that they don’t interfere with your garden decor or design.

These end-to-end strips work effectively to prevent cats from climbing or sitting on your wall, but don’t worry! The anti-climb strips only cause discomfort for the cat, not cuts, scratches, or wounds.  

Protect Your Flower Beds With Deterrent Sprays

If you’re a keen gardener who spends time caring for and proudly designing your flower beds, a neighbouring cat can be quite a disappointment when it fouls on or rips apart your delightful display. A simple deterrent spray containing deterring natural oils could be the fast and easy solution that you have been looking for. 

You can use the deterrent spray around your garden or allotment and it will not harm any animals or your plants. Cats (and dogs) will be off-put by the scent of the natural oil aromas and leave your vegetable patch or flower bed well and truly alone!

Shop the cat repellent range now, or find out more about how to keep cats out of your garden.

Posts you may also like…

Plants that deter cats from your garden

Homemade cat repellents

Evie works in the Primrose Marketing Team.

Growing up in the English countryside, she likes nothing more than to be surrounded by nature’s peace and quiet, with the addition of the family pets of course!

Evie is passionate about all things digital marketing and loves the challenge of combining creativity with online content.

When not at her desk, you’ll typically find her in the gym, posting on social media, or watching a popular series on Netflix!

See all of Evie’s posts.

Cats, How To, Jorge, Pest Control

keep cats off garden
Cute….to some.

Despite being loveable pets to many, cats can also be a gardener’s nightmare, ripping up flower beds, defecating on lawns and killing birds and pets. Primrose stocks a range of solutions, but recommends ultrasonic repellers as a lasting solution to your cat problem.

Ultrasonic Repellers

Tried and tested, Primrose sells thousands of repellers each year with our top selling product possessing over a thousand reviews with an average rating of 4.4/5. We are so confident of its effectiveness, we even offer a money back guarantee.

How does it work?

Ultrasonic repellers work by emitting ultrasound, inaudible to humans, but painful to cats, causing them to flee the area. Cats are adept predators who use ultrasound to hunt for small mammals, who in turn use these frequencies to communicate.

Our device is fitted with a motion sensor and will only activate in the presence of a warm body, which ensures cats will associate their presence with the noise. Thus, a cat will quickly associate your garden with disconcerting ultrasound.  

How long does it take to take effect?

Like many animals, cats can become accustomed to feeding and fouling in a particular area and it will take time for your repeller to take effect. Most will see results within 7 days, however we recommend you wait 30 days before passing judgement.

How do I install it?

Our repellers are small and unassuming. They can be nailed to a wall, attached to a fence or staked into the ground. They are completely weather resistant, so you don’t have to worry about them getting wet.

We recommend, you place your repeller at eye level with the intruding cat and place it away from areas with regular movement as to save battery life.

how to stop cats
I hope your not reading this for pictures of cute cats

Do I need to do anything once its installed?

Sometimes canny cats will find a way to navigate you garden as to avoid the repeller. Hence, we recommend you move it every so often.

Do I need to buy two repellers?

It depends on the size of your garden. Our most popular repeller covers an 80 degree arc up to a distance of 7m (23ft). It is worth noting that ultrasound does not travel well through walls, which ensures your device will not affect your neighbours animals, but also means heavily delineated gardens may need multiple repellers.  

How cost effective is it?

Primrose stocks both battery-powered and solar-powered models. Solar powered models will work indefinitely, while a battery-powered model will work up to 3-4 months with one set of batteries.  

Can my pets hear ultrasound?

Dogs can hear ultrasound, although cannot detect frequencies as high as cats. Hence, if you have a dog that likes to roam the garden, we recommend you set your devices output frequency to the highest range of a cat’s hearing.

Why buy from Primrose?

Primrose has over 10 years pest control experience and has a dedicated team working on innovations, ensuring models are updated with the latest technology to ensure ease of use. Our repeller is the best selling product on both Google Shopping and Amazon and has thousands of reviews. We’d recommend you be wary of buying pest control products on Amazon due to the preponderance of fake-reviewed second-rate Chinese imports.

Other Solutions

Jet Spray Repeller

Just like our ultrasonic repellers, our jet spray will only activate in the present of warm body, automatically giving a short spray of water. Famously, cats hate getting wet, so you can enjoy the feeling of schadenfreude once your nuisance cat is sprayed. Perfect for guarding a particular area, such as a pond, the device is also effective against herons.

Fence & Wall Spikes

Unlike other competitor products, our fence & wall spikes are specially designed to deter cats. With end-to-end spikes, there is no space for nimble cats to place their paws. Spikes are the best solution for those wishing to prevent cats entering their garden altogether. They have the additional advantage of deterring burglars.

Cat Silhouettes

Cat silhouettes are great in that they are a fun garden ornament, but are also effective against repelling cats. While we can only guess why cats are perturbed, we believe it’s because they mimic the look of a cat, but are unnaturally still.

cat repellents buying guide
Cat silhouettes…fun apparently.

Granules, Pellets & Sprays

Unlike other devices, these solutions prey on a cats acute sense of smell, which can detect certain pheromones at less than one part per billion. One such solution, Silent Roar contains lion dung, which even the bravest cat won’t venture near.

Similarly, some plants release pheromones that cats can’t stand. We recommend lavender, an evergreen which remains in flower all year.

Do these solutions work well together in tandem?

Yes, while we are confident the solutions above will work in most situations, there are isolated cases when they don’t. Hence, once you have realised how a cat is circumventing your deterrent, you can update your deterrents as required.

What solution is best for me?

I want the most effective solution: ultrasonic repeller x2

I want to protect the fish in my pond: jet spray

I have a dog that likes to roam the garden: fence spikes

I want my garden to look as natural as possible: lavender & cat silhouettes

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Jorge at PrimroseJorge works in the Primrose marketing team. He is an avid reader, although struggles to stick to one topic!

His ideal afternoon would involve a long walk, before settling down for scones.

Jorge is a journeyman gardener with experience in growing crops.

See all of Jorge’s posts.

Cats, George, How To, Pest Advice, Pest Control

homemade cat repellents

Neighbourhood cats strolling into your garden and fouling on the lawn can soon become an unmanageable problem. If you’re at your wits’ end then it’s time to get creative to keep the kitties away. Our homemade cat repellents are simple to make and are usually very cheap too.

1. Homemade cat deterrent spray

Mix together lemon juice, rosemary and white vinegar – three things cats detest. Put the liquid in a spray bottle so it’s easy to use around the garden. Simply spray near where the cats spend time – on planters, the patio, or even inside.

2. Lemon or orange peel

Cats hate citrus scents, so take your leftover orange and lemon peel and scatter it where you’d like to deter the offending felines. Just be sure to replace the peels once they get old and lose their smell.

lemon peel

3. Sandpaper

Cats have sensitive paws and will avoid treading on uncomfortable surfaces. Placing a few bits of sandpaper around your flowerbeds should keep cats from clambering around where they are not welcome.

4. Essential oils

There are a few scented oils that are known for repelling cats – peppermint, lemon, orange, lavender and citronella. Mix one part oil to three parts water for the perfect deterrent liquid. Pop it in a spray bottle for easy use.

essential oils

5. Cat deterrent plants

If you want to keep your garden looking clean and natural then try planting some cat deterrent flowers – our list includes rosemary, lavender and the scaredy cat plant.

6. Dried herbs

Buy some of the herbs cats find most offensive, like rosemary and lavender, and scatter dried bunches around the areas you’d like them to leave. This works great inside too.

dried herbs

Tips for naturally repelling cats

  • All cats are different and will react better to different deterrents, so try experimenting with all these ideas.
  • A cat’s sense of smell is 40 times more effective than a human’s, which is why these scented options work so well.
  • If you’re using one of the spray methods, make sure to reapply after each rainfall has washed the previous effort away.

naturally repelling cats

We hope you find these homemade cat repellents successful. They’re all natural and non-toxic, so completely humane and won’t harm the animals. If you’re still having trouble with invasive cats then you could try boosting your efforts with our ultrasonic repellers. These are also humane and come with a money-back guarantee!

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George at PrimroseGeorge works in the Primrose marketing team. As a lover of all things filmic, he also gets involved with our TV ads and web videos.

George’s idea of the perfect time in the garden is a long afternoon sitting in the shade with a good book. A cool breeze, peace and quiet… But of course, he’s usually disturbed by his energetic wire fox terrier, Poppy!

He writes about his misadventures in repotting plants and new discoveries about cat repellers.

See all of George’s posts.