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PEST CONTROL THE NATURAL WAY

By Contributing Editor Chris Clark

Interested in doing things yourself? Check out more articles in our Make-Your-Own Guide.

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If you have a bug problem at home, whether it’s ants in the garage, wasps on the deck or ladybugs in the bathroom, it is tempting to grab some chemical concoction and take care of it right away. No one wants to deal with bugs.

There are some simple, natural alternatives to those chemicals that will be safe for your kids and pets. The first thing to do is to make sure you keep your home clean. Make sure sticky spills are cleaned up, crumbs are taken care of and the kids aren’t sneaking food into their rooms and leaving it there.

If you’re still finding pests in the house, or need to get them out of the yard, try some of these tips to get the pests under control.

Ants
Ants do not like cucumbers, mint, cloves, cayenne pepper, citrus oil, lemon juice, cinnamon or coffee grounds. You can place one or several of these ingredients around the edges of your home, around a garden or sand box, or around ant holes to deter the ants. I’ve made a mixture of finely chopped citrus peels and coffee grounds and sprinkled it all around the edges of my garden and landscaping beds to keep the ants away. You can also spray ants that you see with a bit of soapy water.

Dust Mites
If you have allergy sufferers at home, keeping the dust mites at bay can really help those allergy symptoms. One place to be really proactive is in the bedroom. Even if you normally wash in cold water to save energy, wash bedding in hot (130F) water to kill the dust mites. Invest in some good pillow covers as well to keep the dust mites out of the pillows. Make sure your heating ducts have a filter and make sure you change it regularly. If you’re still having problems, look for tannic acid powder at pet and health food stores. Tannic acid neutralizes the allergens found in dust mites and animal dander. Sprinkle it over problem areas.

Cockroaches
The best way to avoid seeing a cockroach in your house is to make sure the kitchen and bathrooms are kept clean. If they’ve gotten in somehow, vacuum (and then get the vacuum bag out of the house) and clean with a strong soap. You can use the same spray bottle of soapy water from the ants on cockroaches. You can also leave out bay leaves, cucumber slices or garlic as deterrents. Catnip also works well as a deterrent, but only in homes without cats!

Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes look for calm places where the air is still, so in the early morning and evening hours, keep doors closed and make sure your screens do not have any holes to let the mosquitoes into the house. Mosquito larvae need standing water to grow so make sure things like bird baths, wading pools and even buckets and watering cans are frequently emptied and cleaned out. If you are cooking on the grill you can put some sage or rosemary on the coals to keep the mosquitoes away. Planting marigolds around your yard, or the area where you spend the most time, can help to naturally repel a wide variety of bugs, including mosquitoes.

Flies
Flies always show up to the picnic or barbecue even with no invitation. If you’d like to eat in peace you can put a few drops of eucalyptus oil on a cloth and place it in the area you want to be fly free or you can use small sachets of mint placed around the house to keep flies away. You can also make small packets of bay leaves, cloves and eucalyptus to hang by open doors or windows to keep the flies out.

Fleas
Fleas brought into your home by your pets or finding their way in on their own can be treated with a heat trap or with sesame and rosemary oil diluted in water and applied to the infested area.

Grow and Make carries a number of organic pest and insect control products as well.

Whatever method you choose, there are many ways to keep your home and yard pest free without resorting to chemicals. If the first method you try doesn’t work, go on to the next option. Eventually you will find the right combination for your particular home. It takes time and patience but keeping toxic chemicals out of your home is worth it.