Part of organic gardening is finding natural, non-chemical ways to control bug population. The typical methods are Integrated Pest Management (IPM) which is a method of incorporating plants to attract certain beneficial bugs to eat up the bad bugs and other natural methods, row covers, and a mirage of other home-type remedies; some proven, some not. Other folks use the very, very natural, old-fashioned barnyard method of poultry and foul. Chickens are the favored critter watcher... but they can 
scratch your gardens to the high heavens and back. Guineas and turkeys are another favorite and I imagine they too do their share of scratching. I find it hard to believe, but I could find NOTHING on the Web about my happenstance favored method of bug patrol -- my neighbor's peacocks! (my neighbor happens to be my mother). For several years now, I watched these georgous creatures make their daily rounds through my gardens every day, all summer. They'll spend hours roaming the perimeter of my property, hanging out on the arbor (what's left of it after the wind took most of it this winter), and on the horse manure pile. They like to be up high, and the manure pile attracts them most. If I wouldn't have fences around my gardens, they'd be checking things out in there too. And what are they doing? Eating. And Eating, and eating. They love bugs, and they certainly eat their share from my gardens. the most noticeable is the Japanese Beetles population. Each year when they start emerging, the peacocks consume them as quickly as they come out. Prior to the birds making 
their rounds, the beetles would devour my raspberry patch -- but I haven't seen that happen in years, thanks to my mom's fine feathered friends. The sad part is they like the beneficials too -- especially the brightly colored and beautiful orb weaver spiders. I used to get bunches of these spiders in my herb garden (it was fun "feeding" grasshoppers to them), but the peacocks have been eating them up too. So if you have a neighbor who has peacocks, and they are making their rounds in YOUR garden, let them! You may be pleasantly surprised in more ways than one.
scratch your gardens to the high heavens and back. Guineas and turkeys are another favorite and I imagine they too do their share of scratching. I find it hard to believe, but I could find NOTHING on the Web about my happenstance favored method of bug patrol -- my neighbor's peacocks! (my neighbor happens to be my mother). For several years now, I watched these georgous creatures make their daily rounds through my gardens every day, all summer. They'll spend hours roaming the perimeter of my property, hanging out on the arbor (what's left of it after the wind took most of it this winter), and on the horse manure pile. They like to be up high, and the manure pile attracts them most. If I wouldn't have fences around my gardens, they'd be checking things out in there too. And what are they doing? Eating. And Eating, and eating. They love bugs, and they certainly eat their share from my gardens. the most noticeable is the Japanese Beetles population. Each year when they start emerging, the peacocks consume them as quickly as they come out. Prior to the birds making their rounds, the beetles would devour my raspberry patch -- but I haven't seen that happen in years, thanks to my mom's fine feathered friends. The sad part is they like the beneficials too -- especially the brightly colored and beautiful orb weaver spiders. I used to get bunches of these spiders in my herb garden (it was fun "feeding" grasshoppers to them), but the peacocks have been eating them up too. So if you have a neighbor who has peacocks, and they are making their rounds in YOUR garden, let them! You may be pleasantly surprised in more ways than one. 
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