Filed under: Your Home, Gardening, How-To, Storage & Cleaning
It's the season for insect invasions in the home, get ready to get rid of them with natural remedies. Photo: DavidDennisPhotos, Flickr
Gentle ways to repel or get rid of bothersome insects.
Even though movie studios have tried make us fall in love with ants and other insects, most of us aren't thrilled to find ants and spiders crawling around in our cupboards -- no matter how cute they are. Unfortunately, canned, chemical sprays may be deadly in more ways than one (recent studies linked them to Parkinson's disease). Plus, the odor of traditional bug repellents is less than savory. Luckily, there are tried-and-true natural bug repellents and killers that will get the job done without harsh chemicals.
We got some tips for repelling bugs naturally from our favorite bug man, Richard Fagerlund, an entomologist and author of numerous books, including The Bugman on Bugs: Understanding Household Pests and the Environment and his latest on his website about the misuse of pesticides, Deliberate Acts of Madness. To find out about some of his best bug tips, read on:
Ants
Fagerlund says that most ants can be controlled with homemade bait made from peanut butter (two tablespoons), jelly (two tablespoons) and boric acid (one teaspoon). Put the bait in a small disposable container. To eliminate ant mounds outside, try this trick: Dampen the mounds with water, then pour on baking soda and a bit of white vinegar -- the mixture will bubble and kill off the ants.
Mosquitoes
Planting basil outside is known to repel flies and mosquitoes, but Fagerlund says that he is excited about a new natural repellent with the main ingredient of catnip from Preventive Pest Control, a bug control service with locations nationwide. "But, don't try to use catnip alone to repel mosquitoes," Fagerlund explains. The new recipe will be available for consumer purchase on Preventive Pest Control's website, says Greg Hunt, owner, who is feverishly working to have the product available this season.
Spiders
Spiders can easily be killed with a mixture of water (40 percent), alcohol (40 percent) and dish soap (20 percent). Put the mixture in an inexpensive sprayer and spray on the spider, advises Fagerlund.
Flies
To repel flies, fill a one gallon clear plastic zip top bag less than halfway with water, then hang it near the top of your door, on your railings or from your eaves (you can do this by using duct tape, or, by gathering together and tying the top of the bag with rope, rubber bands or tape and then hooking it gently onto a nail without making a hole in the bag). "Flies have compound vision so when they see the water, they will think there are hundreds of flies nearby and they won't be interested in coming around anymore," Fagerlund says of this proven method.
Cockroaches
To control cockroaches, Fagerlund recommends Niban Bait, made from boric acid (it is available only online at Professional Pest Control Products).
Want more natural bug repellent advice? For a list of other natural ways to knock off bugs, take a look at The Dollar Stretcher website, where readers wrote in with their best ideas. Fagerlund says he is also a fan of Green Advantage Organics, a new source of organic bug killers that he says work well. If you are an insect-lover, at least you know that you got rid of them the green way.
Even though movie studios have tried make us fall in love with ants and other insects, most of us aren't thrilled to find ants and spiders crawling around in our cupboards -- no matter how cute they are. Unfortunately, canned, chemical sprays may be deadly in more ways than one (recent studies linked them to Parkinson's disease). Plus, the odor of traditional bug repellents is less than savory. Luckily, there are tried-and-true natural bug repellents and killers that will get the job done without harsh chemicals.
We got some tips for repelling bugs naturally from our favorite bug man, Richard Fagerlund, an entomologist and author of numerous books, including The Bugman on Bugs: Understanding Household Pests and the Environment and his latest on his website about the misuse of pesticides, Deliberate Acts of Madness. To find out about some of his best bug tips, read on:
Ants
Fagerlund says that most ants can be controlled with homemade bait made from peanut butter (two tablespoons), jelly (two tablespoons) and boric acid (one teaspoon). Put the bait in a small disposable container. To eliminate ant mounds outside, try this trick: Dampen the mounds with water, then pour on baking soda and a bit of white vinegar -- the mixture will bubble and kill off the ants.
Mosquitoes
Planting basil outside is known to repel flies and mosquitoes, but Fagerlund says that he is excited about a new natural repellent with the main ingredient of catnip from Preventive Pest Control, a bug control service with locations nationwide. "But, don't try to use catnip alone to repel mosquitoes," Fagerlund explains. The new recipe will be available for consumer purchase on Preventive Pest Control's website, says Greg Hunt, owner, who is feverishly working to have the product available this season.
Spiders
Spiders can easily be killed with a mixture of water (40 percent), alcohol (40 percent) and dish soap (20 percent). Put the mixture in an inexpensive sprayer and spray on the spider, advises Fagerlund.
Flies
To repel flies, fill a one gallon clear plastic zip top bag less than halfway with water, then hang it near the top of your door, on your railings or from your eaves (you can do this by using duct tape, or, by gathering together and tying the top of the bag with rope, rubber bands or tape and then hooking it gently onto a nail without making a hole in the bag). "Flies have compound vision so when they see the water, they will think there are hundreds of flies nearby and they won't be interested in coming around anymore," Fagerlund says of this proven method.
Cockroaches
To control cockroaches, Fagerlund recommends Niban Bait, made from boric acid (it is available only online at Professional Pest Control Products).
Want more natural bug repellent advice? For a list of other natural ways to knock off bugs, take a look at The Dollar Stretcher website, where readers wrote in with their best ideas. Fagerlund says he is also a fan of Green Advantage Organics, a new source of organic bug killers that he says work well. If you are an insect-lover, at least you know that you got rid of them the green way.