Prevent Household Pests Now

Reader Contribution by Samantha Collins
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As I walked into my kitchen the other day, I noticed a small movement in the corner of my eye. They’re back–the bugs are back. After a long, cold winter of pest-free living, I don’t want to even imagine creepy crawlers lurking through my house when the weather is nice and warm. If you’re like me, you’ll want to prevent them from getting inside the house now without the harsh chemicals of insectides.

First you can try this recipe for Safe, Natural Ant Control that I found from our website:

• 1/4 cup dried peppermint leaves
• 1/4 cup cayenne
• 1/4 cup borax

Combine the ingredients then sprinkle the mixture in an area where smaller insects can enter your house.Don’t touch your eyes after using this mixture; the cayenne will burn!

Cayenne is a great ingredient to repel bugs.
Photo by godutchbaby/Courtesy Flickr

You can also try using dried tansy leaves. Most bugs, such as ants, hate this stuff, so placing a few leaves around the house should help keep them out.

Another way to help get rid of a potential infestation is to use essential oils. Most small bugs don’t like the smell of some mints. So, you can try placing a few drops of peppermint, spearmint or citronella oil on a cotton ball. Place these cotton balls in areas with possible openings to the outside to stop bugs from entering your home. But you’ll have to reapply the oils to the cotton balls every few days to keep the scent strong.

Or you can actually make an ‘ant trap,’ which can work for other insects as well. In a screw-open jar, mix 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar and 4 teaspoons boric acid. Then poke a few holes in the lid and place the jar near the ant trails. Make sure that children and pets keep away from this ant trap!

I hope these tips will help you prevent those little bugs from entering your house this spring! But keep in mind that some insects, such as ants, are good for your garden. Ants are beneficial to ladybugs, lacewings and the preying mantis that help control other pests. 

What do you use for pest-control?

  • Published on Mar 18, 2011
Tagged with: Reader Contributions
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