Natural Insecticides and Remedies

Summer is a great time of the year when everyone is excited to get outside, enjoy the nice weather, and make the most out of their time off. There are many pros that go along with summer, but like anything, with the pros also comes the cons. As you would expect, humans are not the only forms of life that relish those summer rays. Pesky insects and rodents come to life in the summer and try to claim their territory wherever they so desire. Nobody enjoys having a home infested with ants, flies, spiders or any other insects. That’s why it’s important to become aware of the different natural remedies and insecticides/pesticides that are at your disposal to help ensure you won’t have any unwanted visitors in your home this summer!

Type of Pest

1) Mosquitoes

Any damp moist area is a spot where mosquitoes like to hang out and breed. Most of your interactions with mosquitoes will occur outside because they enjoy swamps, ponds, marshes, and other wet areas. When they do happen to make it into your home, check your bathroom, potted plants, and air coolers because these are environments where they are most comfortable. Adult female mosquitoes have different diets than males. Females bite humans and animals to consume blood that helps provide essential nutrients for laying eggs, whereas adult males consume nectar from flowers.

Natural Remedies

• Coffee Grounds – sprinkle this in stagnant water near your house and it will cause the mosquito eggs to rise to the surface. This will deprive the eggs of oxygen and kill them before they hatch.
• Rosemary is a plant that is a natural mosquito repellent, so just plant a few in your garden.
• Mint oil, lavender oil, and citronella oils repel mosquitoes

2) Ants

Warm, damp locations around your home are an ant’s favorite spot to make their own. Often times this means you will find them between walls, underneath floorboards and buildings, along sidewalks, or near heating system components. They also like to hang out near their favorite sources of food, which includes fruits, seeds, nuts, other insects, and sweets.

Natural Remedies

• Mix 1 cup of borax with 1 cup of sugar water and then pour the mixture into small containers or jars. They will be lured to the sweet smell and drown in the water.
• Simply sprinkle coffee grinds around windows and doors to keep ants away
• Seal the entry points where ants are getting into your home with caulk or petroleum jelly

 3) Spiders

There isn’t a specific place where you will always find a spider in your home because they aren’t very particular about where they live. However, they do tend to hang out in cupboards, closets, woodpiles, chests, and underneath your furniture. As for their diet, spiders are carnivores and enjoy eating other insects, smaller spiders, and various tiny invertebrates.

Natural Remedies

• Vinegar Spray – Place 1 cup of white vinegar into a spray bottle and mix it together with 2 cups of water. Now you have an effective Vinegar Spray that can be applied around your house.
• Liquid Dish Soap – Mix liquid dish soap together with a bit of water and spray this in areas around your kitchen where spiders may be present. It’s especially recommended to use lime scented liquid dish soap.
• Garlic Spray – Mix garlic juice in a spray bottle along with water. You only need 10 cloves of garlic to extract juice out of it.
• Tea tree oil, lavender oil, and peppermint oil are also good spider repellents.

4) House Flies

House flies prefer the corners and edges of your home. During the day, they often rest on floors, walls, ceilings, and near your garbage. You may ask, “Why would anything want to live next to a garbage can?” Well, house flies swear by, “One’s man trash is another man’s treasure.”  They enjoy eating garbage, animal excrement, and rotting foods. This sounds disgusting to you and me, but flies look at garbage like it’s a five course meal at the fanciest restaurant in town.

Natural Remedies

• Soda Bottle Trap – Take a 2-liter soda bottle and empty it. Then cut off the top third of the bottle, and be sure to keep the top piece you cut off. Next, pour sugar and water into the bottom third of the bottle. Now take the top half you cut and flip it upside down and place it into the remaining two thirds of the bottle so it appears as if it’s a funnel. Flies will enter into the tunnel but will not be able to get out.
• Vinegar and Dish Soap Fly Trap- Fill an empty bowl in your kitchen with 1 inch of apple cider vinegar and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Next, add some fruit-scented dish soap and then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Poke a few holes in the wrap to allow the flies to enter.

5) Meal Moths

As you may have guessed due to their name, meal moths prefer areas in your home where food is present. Cupboards and pantries are a couple of their favorite hangout spots. You can find products such as rice, pasta, cake mixes, spices, and pet foods in these locations which make up part of a meal moths diet.

Natural Remedies

• Lay bay leaves or lemon peels on the top of your pantry or food cabinet. Then sprinkle cinnamon, black pepper, or coriander on the shelves. These ingredients repel meal moths.
• Continually throw old items out of your pantry, restock your pantry, and clean out the cupboards to help prevent and get rid of meal moths.

Last but not least, there are a wide array of pesticides, insecticides, live insect traps, and insect baits that you can purchase at Blain’s Farm & Fleet to get rid of the insect problem in your home. Also, check out our fly swatters, citronella candles, flypaper, bug lights, and much more under the pest control category on Blain’s Farm & Fleet.com.