Walk into any supermarket or hardware store and you will find shelf upon shelf filled with insect repellants, bug bombs and other chemicals to wipe out the bug population in your home. While this is fine, many natural ingredients can be used to accomplish the same thing, a bug-free home and garden. I’ve listed the little intruders in alphabetical order along with some remedies:
Ants: Although it seems like ants love almost any food, there are a few that they hate or at least regard with disinterest. These foods include cucumbers, cloves and mints. Try leaving small amounts of these foods in certain areas to drive ants away. Cayenne pepper, which also works on many other insects, is the most favored deterrent. Sprinkle the pepper near the point of entry, and the ants will go elsewhere. Leftover coffee grounds and lemon or orange oil will also do the same job. Keep the kitchen scrupulously clean. Avoid leaving sweet products open on the shelves. Store honey, sugar and other sweets in sealed containers.
Cockroaches: Osage oranges, bay leaves, cucumber slices and garlic are all good cockroach repellents. Catnip, which is non-toxic to humans and animals, is another excellent roach repellant. Borax will kill roaches. Sprinkle this in high places, such as on top of cabinets and refrigerators, and behind appliances. Borax can be toxic if taken by mouth, so be sure to put it where children and pets cannot reach. Thoroughly vacuum and wash your kitchen and bathroom with a strong soap. Seal the vacuum cleaner bag inside plastic and throw outside after cleaning.
Fleas: Try any type of citrus oil mixed with water and spray over carpets and floor. Vacuum immediately, and dispose of bag outside. You can also sponge this mixture on your dog or cat to act as a natural repellent. Fleas hate salt. Sprinkle salt in your carpets and on your floors, and allow it to sit overnight. Vacuum the next morning and dispose of the bag.
Flies: Make small cheesecloth packets of cloves, bay leaves and eucalyptus and hang in front of doorways and windows as a natural repellent to flies. Homemade flypaper can be made by soaking cut strips of brown paper in a mix of 1/4 cup syrup, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 tablespoon brown sugar. Allow to dry overnight, and hang near entryways.
Mites: Mites, especially dust mites are in every home. Most people are not bothered by them, but for allergy and asthma sufferers they can be a real problem. To help deal with these tiny creatures you can try vacuuming mattresses and pillows when changing the bedding. Wash all bedding in hot water. Sprinkle tannic acid powder, available in health food stores, on bookshelves or anywhere dust is a problem. Mites thrive on moist warmth; avoid humidifier use if possible.
Mosquitoes: The first step to deterring mosquitoes is to make sure they have nowhere to breed. Look around your property to make sure there is no standing water in pots, buckets, uncovered swimming pools and birdbaths. A 30 percent concentration of eucalyptus oil to water is a natural bug repellent on the skin. Another is 1 part garlic juice to 6 parts water. Spray the mixture lightly over exposed skin. Rosemary and sage are good herbs to throw on the barbeque when grilling to deter mosquitoes.
Moths: The time-honored way of dealing with moths is cedar. This can be done with cedar oil, chips or cedar paneling for large spaces like closets. Other natural deterrents for moths are rose petals, lavender and rosemary. When made into small sachets, these ingredients can be placed in drawers, closets and anywhere moths are a problem. Dried lemon peels can be used the same way.
With a few herbs or essential oils, you can control almost any insect pest problem. If none of these methods work, then you may have to go for the chemical products, especially if your insect invasion is out of control.
