Trying to get rid of a pest infestation can sap the energy out of anyone. Not only is it hard work to track down the source of an infestation, it’s also hard to feel at ease once you’ve seen a line of ants in your home, a scattering of rodent droppings in your kitchen, or a handful of spiders in your basement.
You may be tempted to use insecticides to quickly eliminate the pests you see, but insecticides aren’t always all they’re cracked up to be. Not only can they be dangerous to children and pets who spend a lot of their time close to the ground, they also aren’t always effective. For example, when insecticides are used on ants, they can actually cause them to scatter and form multiple new colonies.
Instead, try these natural preventative pest control methods to help keep your home pest free.
Start controlling pests before they even get the chance to enter your home. Regularly inspect for gaps and cracks along your doors, windows, and foundation. Seal as soon as you see an opening, and you’ll save yourself plenty of hard work down the road.
You also need to keep your house clean. Sweep away crumbs, wipe down counters, take the garbage out every day, and dust and vacuum regularly. This will prevent bugs and rodents from ever finding an opportunity to take up residence in the first place. But for those who slip through the cracks – and it happens, no matter how clean you are – try these natural remedies suited for specific pests.
Basil will keep flies away because they hate the smell. Place a pot of basil at doorways, windowsills, and on your kitchen counter for delicious aromas – sans flies.
You can also leave sachets of bay leaf, crushed mint, or eucalyptus throughout your house to keep flies away.
There’s no sweeter way to keep spiders away than citrus. Mix water and unsweetened lemon or lime juice in a spray bottle. Use the mixture on your counters, doorways, and windowsills. You can even keep spiders out of your garden by leaving lemon, orange, or lime peels around.
Spiders also hate peppermint. Add a few drops of peppermint essential oil to a squirt of dishwashing liquid in a spray bottle. Fill with water, and spray around doors, windows, and anywhere else you find spiders.
Since ants leave a scented trail for other ants to find food, destroying that scent will prevent ants from following each other’s paths. Vinegar will get rid of the scent trail that ants are using to go back and forth between your pantry and their nest. Use a 50/50 solution of vinegar and water wherever you have seen ants – on your countertops, your floors, your pantry shelves, and more.
Your cat will appreciate catnip growing in your garden, and mosquitoes will steer clear as catnip has been proven to be very effective at repelling mosquitoes. Rosemary, marigolds, citronella grass, and lemon balm can also be planted to keep mosquitoes away. You can also try adding sage or rosemary to your grill when you barbecue to repel mosquitoes.
And when you’re away from home, you may want to try a natural insect repellent spray to keep mosquitoes away while on the go.
Kill flea eggs by sprinkling salt on your carpet and then vacuuming it up. Do every day for nine days, vacuuming on the third day.
A delicious-smelling way to get rid of dust mites is to mix cinnamon oil with water and denatured alcohol in a 50/50 solution. Spray your bedding, carpets, and curtains.
Keep your fruit to yourself by trapping and killing fruit flies with a mixture of vinegar and dishwashing liquid. Pour vinegar into a glass, three-fourths full, and add six to eight drops of dishwashing liquid. Then fill the glass to the top with warm water.
While these pest control tips may help you control certain pests, chances are even after doing all you can on your own, you may still have problems with unwanted pests. If this is the case for you, contact a good local pest control service such as Spott Pest Prevention in Austin, TX to help get rid your home of all unwanted pests. Contact Spott today at (512) 402-7121 or request a pest control quote online!
