permaculture

252 Facilitator’s Handbook for Permaculture Workshops

Field activity : Encouraging pest predators

Method : Practical pest predator habitat building exercise

Tools : See preparation below

References : PC Book MOD 9 – Integrated Pest Management;

PC Book MOD 6 – Home and Community Gardens

PC Book MOD 8 – Forests, Tree Crops, and Bamboo

Objective : Participants practice building pest predator habitats

There are 4 different exercises that are explained here for building pest predator habitats.

The facilitator can choose the number and type of exercises which suit your time frame

and workshop focus. If there are enough participants they can be split into 4 groups and

each group can do 1 exercise. Try to prepare each group so that each exercise runs for

the same length of time.

Preparation encouraging pest predators exercise No 1:

Inter-planting colorful flowers and herbs amongst vegetables

Materials to collect:

• Seedlings and cuttings of flowers/herbs to plant and places to plant them.


• Compost. • Mulch.


• Water. • Appropriate tools.

Preparation encouraging pest predators exercise No 2:

Building homes and habitats for pest predators

Materials to identify for collection by participants:

• Hollow logs. • Old bamboo. • Piles of stones.


• Appropriate tools for collection and to set in place.

Preparation encouraging pest predators exercise No 3:

Building a small pond in the centre of the garden

Materials to collect:

• Clay/thick plastic for pond lining, if needed.


• Water plants and pond edge plants. • Water.


• Soil for planting around the pond edge. • Mosquito eating fish.


• Hollow logs, old bamboo, or piles of stones to place around pond edge.


• Appropriate tools.

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