When it comes to household chores and responsibilities, pest control is one of the ones that we look forward to the least. It is, however, one of the most important tasks to keep your home and family safe from bugs, rodents, and an array of other pests. If you’re looking to prevent and treat infestations without breaking the bank, check out these great ways to keep bugs away with items you most likely already have in your house! The best part is you won’t have to spend a fortune, and chances are you won’t have to leave the house to get supplies!
You may not know this, but there are many different household items that you can use to control and keep bugs away from your home! Check them out below.
How to Keep Ants out
Ants are some of the most prolific and common household pests that homeowners deal with, and a lot can be said for general cleanliness as a deterrent for these pests. Aside from keeping your kitchen and other home areas clean of food and other things that attract ants, there are many different household items that you can use to get rid of them. Just a few of these items are listed below:
- Cucumber: You can use slices of cucumber to keep ants out of your home quickly and easily. Simply place slices of cucumber around your kitchen, around windows and doors and other areas where you have noticed ants. The insects have a natural aversion to the vegetable and should stay away.
- Cornmeal: Using cornmeal to combat ants is an efficient and cost effective way to control ants in your home. To use this method, simply place cornmeal piles around where you see ants in your home and areas where ants could be traveling in and out of your home. While this method may take two weeks or more to take full effect, you can rest assured that it’s safe for your children and pets.
Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Mosquito Control
Nothing ruins a backyard barbecue or party faster than a swarm of mosquitoes. Having these pests around your home isn’t just a nuisance; mosquitoes carry diseases that can harm your loved ones, so it’s best to have preventative measures in place to avoid potentially harmful bites. Check out these easy tips below to combat mosquitoes in your yard:
- Keep your landscape dry: Mosquitoes need pools of water to breed, so take the time to ensure that your landscape doesn’t offer any suitable breeding grounds. This means you should drain any puddles or ponds and ensure any pools or water features on your property are properly covered to ensure mosquitoes can’t get to them.
- Garlic: For effective mosquito control, as well as insect control in general, use garlic! Crush garlic and add it to a spray bottle with water. Then, spray the garlic spray all around your garden-- it’s completely safe for pets and kids and will deter pests!
Kick Flies to the Curb
Flies both inside and outside your home are a pain in the butt, and they are unsanitary too! There are many easy ways to control flies that are both effective and efficient. Check out a few of them below:
- Use herbs: One great and natural way to get rid of flies is by using natural herbs to repel them from your home. Just a few herbs that present a natural repelling effect on flies include mint, bay leaf, clove, and eucalyptus.
- Use eucalyptus oil: While the plant itself may repel flies outside, coat squares of cheesecloth in eucalyptus oil and leave around the areas of your home plagued by flies to help control them indoors. This oil is safe for pets and for kids, so you won’t have to worry about their safety.
Take Care of Spiders
While spiders can actually help you control other insect populations inside your home and in your garden, it’s understandable you don’t want to share your home with them. There are many different natural ways to deal with spiders that you can try if you’re noticing an influx of them in your home. Check out the options below:
- Try peppermint: Spiders avoid peppermint like the plague, so you can use this natural aversion to your advantage. Dilute peppermint oil in water in a spray bottle and use this peppermint spray wherever you find spiders in your home. Be sure to spray spider webs too!
- Use citrus oils: Did you know that spiders taste through their feet? Use citrus oils anywhere you find spiders to keep them away. While this method won’t kill spiders, it will keep them away from areas where you use the oil.
Let the Professionals Help!
Keeping pests out of your home can be a hassle if you want long term results. These DIY methods can be successful if the infestation isn’t too severe, but if they fail to help, it might be time to call in the professionals. If you’re looking for pest control that is minimally invasive, affordable and produces guaranteed results, Defense Pest Control can help. From roaches to mosquitoes to termites and everything in between, we can take care of all of your pest control problems, so you have one less thing to worry about.