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Natural methods for controlling the 10 most common insect pests in and around the home for a pesticide-free living environment.
With the official start of summer here, I thought I would summarize my go-to natural methods for pest control for the top 10 common insects that thrive during the warmer months of the year.
Mosquitoes
While mosquito plants are by and large a scam, you can repel mozzies with this homemade yarrow tincture spray.
The only catch is that you need to reapply it often to skin, clothes, and even your hair.
Another tip is to eliminate eating refined sugar as sweet sweat really seems to attract them!
I also highly recommend a Dyna-Trap (3 different sizes) for outside sitting areas like patios or porches for bite-free outdoor enjoyment.
Ticks
The yarrow spray above works to repel ticks as well.
Should you get a tick bite despite your best efforts, be sure to remove the tick safely.
Also, it is smart to treat the bite immediately with a natural antibiotic to prevent the corona, which is a risk for Lyme disease.
For those who get a corona, my personal suggestion would be to look into a round of ivermectin ASAP.
Fleas
There are a number of things you can do to keep your home and pets free of fleas without resorting to chemicals!
Diatomaceous earth and flea traps are two of the best ways I’ve discovered over the years.
Here is an article that details these and other tips and tricks for chemical-free ways to a flea-free home.
Wasps
Knocking down wasp nests used to be a scary task for me during the summer.
Now, I just use the paper bag wasp removal method that is safe for both the wasps (important pollinators) and me!
Note that this strategy only works for wasps that build large nests and live in colonies. Solitary wasp nests will still need to be removed by hand.
Ants
There are many types of ants if you haven’t noticed! Thus, different strategies are important for success in dealing with them.
Below are the most common methods for ant pest control that I’ve used over the years (and continue to use!).
Sugar Ants
Sugar ants are attracted to…you guessed it…SUGAR.
Thus, making a homemade trap that consists of sugar and boric acid works extremely well.
Here’s the DIY recipe for making a sugar ant trap. I’ve kept our home free of these pests here in buggy, humid Florida for decades using these without any chemicals.
Carpenter Ants
Carpenter ant traps are similarly made with boric acid as the active ingredient.
Simply mix 1/3 cup powdered sugar and 2/3 cup boric acid (where to find).
Spread out the mixture in one or two large lids from discarded jars and tuck away where you’ve seen the ants trailing.
Over the next few days, you will see fewer and fewer carpenter ants, until they are completely gone!
Fire Ants
The best way I’ve found to get rid of a fire ant mound is to pour a tea kettle full of boiling water slowly and directly into the hole in the center of the nest.
It might take a couple of treatments to eliminate big colonies, but this method works very well!
Bed Bugs
Bed bugs have become a big problem at hotels and even 5-star resorts in the past few years.
Never ever put your open luggage on a bed while traveling, or else you might bring more home with you than just your holiday memories!
If you find that despite your best prevention efforts an infestation occurs at home, these bed bug removal techniques really work without having to resort to toxic chemicals.
Roaches
Roaches thrive in hot, humid Florida, but (believe it or not), I’ve never had to call pest control service to deal with them.
These homemade roach cookies work safely and effectively to keep roaches away from your kitchen, bathrooms, and other living areas (even the garage).
Just tuck one discreetly wherever you might need one and forget about it.
They last for years!
Caterpillars
Caterpillars can destroy your garden faster than anything I’ve ever seen.
They particularly like the leaves of fruit-producing trees too, in my experience.
I’ve sustained attacks on my tomato plants, avocado trees, and passion fruit vines.
The best natural caterpillar defense is to use a Bt spray that uses the natural soil microbe Bacillus thuringiensis to keep them at bay.
Simply dilute 1/2 teaspoon in a pint of water and spray the leaves regularly.
Spiders
Spiders are very difficult to deal with no matter what method you employ.
The absolute best method for eliminating spiders from your home is to get a small flock of chickens that roam your property.
Chickens eat up any and all insects and egg sacks they come across as they are aggressive omnivores…not the vegetarians that Big Food would have you believe.
Within a few months, you will notice that you simply don’t see spiders anymore!
This was such a relief for me when I discovered this over a decade ago when we first started keeping chickens for eggs.
Not only do we get the best quality eggs possible for our family, but a very scary nuisance pest has been taken care of as well by my feathered friends!
Flies
Depending on the type of flies, a different approach is needed.
Here are the three I suggest for the most common fly pests you may encounter.
Deer (Horse) Flies
“Deer flies” are part of the subfamily Chrysopsinae within the Tabanidae family, which includes both deer flies and horse flies.
These extremely annoying insects thrive in my community during May and June, and wow, do they ever pack a wallop of a nasty bite!
This homemade deer fly trap is something I set up in early May near my front porch and back patio so that we can sit out in peace to enjoy the mild spring weather.
This easy hack really works!
Fruit Flies
Fruit flies in the house often come from a batch of homemade kombucha gone wrong.
These tips on eliminating a fruit fly infestation (including how to make a fruit fly trap) will take care of the problem in a hurry!
Houseflies
With houseflies, there are a couple of different approaches.
This penny in a bag of water for repelling flies works well for covered, open-air barns, playgrounds, and similar structures.
Another option is to make these homemade fly traps from plastic bottles.
Strategically placing them around the outside of the house to keep flies away from patios, porches and barbecue areas works extremely well!
