PUT TO THE PEST TEST: THESE 6 TECHNIQUES CLAIM TO SOLVE YOUR MOST COMMON PEST CONTROL PROBLEMS. WHICH ONES REALLY WORK? RESEARCHERS FIND SOME SURPRISING ANSWERS

摘要

True (mostly). When it comes to deterring what some frustrated gardeners call "wild cows," studies have shown that odor-based repellents consistently work better than taste-based repellents, such as hot pepper spray. Several commonly used products—bars of soap, feline urine, and other scent-based remedies, for example—were effective to a point, states Gary San Julian, Ph.D., professor of wildlife resources at Pennsylvania State University. But the products that offended deer noses the most were those containing the rank, nasty smell of putrefied eggs. Despite eggs' smelly success, San Julian cautions that no one product works all the time under all conditions. Research with putrefied-egg-based repellents on ornamental plants at the University of Maryland and Cornell University in New York found that air temperature matters. "You get better results in warmer temperatures than in colder temperatures, which stands to reason," San Julian says. "Products are more aromatic when temperatures are warmer." The key is to apply products before deer start dining regularly, and to reapply after rain or a plant's growth spurt.