Saturday, April 27, 2024

10 Household Bugs and Natural Remedies For Ridding Them

how to keep bugs out of house

A bonus method is use of various essential oils, especially clove, lemongrass, spearmint, and ylang-ylang, which can discourage stink bugs from coming in. Another option is to mix a few teaspoons of garlic powder with a few cups of water and spray the solution around entry points. "Keeping food in sealed containers, keeping trash containers closed, and making sure window screens are in good working order can help reduce housefly activity." If you're an animal lover, you likely have pet food in your house.

Repel those pests

In the full heat of summer, pests tend to rear their ugly heads and make every attempt to infiltrate our homes. But, no matter what kind of pest you’ve spotted, you’ll want to deal with the problem as soon as possible. Pests are unhygienic to have in the home to say the least, and can easily carry disease with them. An alternative way to debug large amounts of potting soil at once is to submerge it completely in slightly warm water.

Things in Your House That Are Attracting Bugs and Rodents

For large outdoor bins, just clean them with the hose, sponge, and some dish soap. After rinsing, turn them upside down to dry and keep a portion elevated for air flow. For cleaning inside trash bins, some cleaning spray should do just fine. Ladybugs commonly enter homes through small openings such as foundation cracks, gaps in siding, or holes in window screens. The best way to keep ladybugs out of your home is to ensure these openings are sealed.

Check screens for holes.

Commercial insecticides may kill off some of the stink bugs in your house, but these toxic methods are generally ineffective and don’t offer a long-term solution. “Their shield provides them with protection against many insecticides,” Price says. Even after treatment, bugs can migrate from other areas of the house or emerge from cracks and crevices, including gaps around baseboards and molding. Insecticides do nothing to prevent more bugs from coming in, either. If you’re trying to figure out how to eliminate stink bugs, the most effective approaches are physical removal and deterrence.

But a few common houseplants are known to repel bugs and keep ants, flies, moths and mosquitos from taking over your kitchen. A range of herbs and essential oils can also deter ladybugs from gathering or entering your home. Be sure to check if these items are safe for pets and children if they are in an easy-to-access location. The white powder can typically be found online or at your local home repair store. Sprinkle the powder around your colony or at the edges of common entry points to both deter and eliminate new infestations.

Keep ants away with baby powder

Fleas are able to jump nearly a foot, so they are commonly spread by jumping onto people or pets. If you have any utility or plumbing penetrations in the walls of your home, you may have gaps that could become an entryway for bugs during the winter. Here are 30 surefire ways to keep pets out when the weather turns cold. If you have fruit trees in your yard, make sure all the fruit is cleaned up before the snow falls. Fruit, such as apples, pears and plums, can attract bugs and spiders and if the fruit is near your home, these pests may make their way there over the winter. Bugs can find a way in to your home through even the smallest of cracks.

‘The first step in ladybug prevention is to seal all potential entry points in your home. Check weatherstripping around doors for wear and tear, such as missing pieces and other damage. Periodically, and certainly before fall kicks in, check a home’s siding for gaps and holes. Disorganized messes are difficult to keep dust free and clean, and they also create hiding places for little creatures. Books and papers piled on an office desk are an invitation for silverfish and dust mites. Random boxes of stuff in an attic or basement invite squirrels, rats, and other small mammals to nest.

Clean Up Fruit Trees

We’ve found 7 plants that repel roaches, as well as 9 plants that repel mosquitoes and even 7 plants that repel moles. If rodents are a problem, check out 7 plants that keep mice and rats from invading your home. Should you have pets at home, just make sure the plants you choose are non-toxic to keep them safe. Your windows and doors are obvious points of entry, but there are likely others which are less tell-tale. Something as small as a crack in your wall can provide an entrance for curious pests.

One thing bees hate is vinegar, which makes it a good, safe alternative to store-bought or professional-grade chemical deterrents. Consider filling an empty spray bottle with a homemade vinegar solution of equal parts water and vinegar for an instant bee deterrent. Spray this in areas where you frequently see the flying insects to keep them away.

Some common bugs that love these opportunities are ants, cockroaches, flies, fruit flies, etc. If you notice a lot of bug activity around your recycling bins, it's probably due to the residue you have left in the containers. From tomato hornworms and mites to aphids and beetles, bugs can be a major nuisance in the garden. But rather than treating them with chemical pesticides, you can deter unwanted pests from disturbing your garden by growing plants that naturally repel bugs. Many plants have special properties, like a strong scent or compounds, that are unappealing to common garden pests.

how to keep bugs out of house

Fill cracks around windows and doors, both indoors and out, with caulk. It’s best to clean household drains every 2 weeks by pouring a mixture of baking soda and vinegar into them and then rinsing the drain with boiling water. This should clear out and disinfect the area, making it much less appealing for drain flies. Many LED light bulbs emit cool, white light, and should be avoided if flying insects are an issue at your home. Concrete slabs, poured or block foundations, and even masonry veneers are subject to cracking.

That’s why we’ve roped together 7 ways to keep bugs out of your house, so you know the best methods to repel such pests in the first place. Like all creatures, bugs have their rightful place on this earth, but most of us don’t want that place to be in our homes. Like it or not, insects and creepy-crawlies do make their ways into our houses, but we don’t have to let them stay. Learn which types of bugs are sneaking into your indoor spaces, and how to get rid of bugs in house areas in which they could do some real damage.

How about a easy-to-make bug spray to prevent ants from invading your home? Simple soapy water both kills ants and wipes away their chemical trail to prevent future intruders. This is particularly attractive to mosquitoes looking to lay eggs, so remove such sources. An overly wet yard encourages pests as well as disease, so make sure it’s not overwatered.

Clogged rain gutters allow moisture to build up close to the roof line. In addition to structural problems, clogged gutters provide a water source for insects and snakes to breed. Lavender boasts calming properties that help us drift to sleep at night, but it has the opposite effect on insects like moths and beetles. Snip a few purple stems and incorporate them into an elegant flower bouquet to ward off any unwelcome visitors. You can buy live lavander plants on FastGrowingTrees.com and other sites.

How to Keep Spiders Out of Your House, According to a Pest Expert - Real Simple

How to Keep Spiders Out of Your House, According to a Pest Expert.

Posted: Fri, 15 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Clean your recycling bin thoroughly, and repeat this every six to eight weeks, especially if you store the bin in your house. Next, be sure to rinse out all bottles, cans, and jars before tossing them. Additionally, if your recycling center accepts lids and caps, recycle them attached to their original containers, rather than separately. You can also sprinkle some diatomaceous earth around and inside the bins for some extra help. If you do find a nest, remember to keep a safe distance so as not to rile the insects and risk getting stung.

How To Get Rid Of Lady Bugs Without Harm - Forbes

How To Get Rid Of Lady Bugs Without Harm.

Posted: Wed, 03 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

You can vent the space by opening up the windows after you’ve showered, or use one of the best dehumidifiers to drop the moisture levels. It’s also worth getting one of the best water leak detectors to check on the conditions of your pipes. Keep your home as dry as possible to make it less inviting to moisture-loving pests.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Tried & Tested: The 12 Best Conditioners For Dry Hair In 2024

Table Of Content The Best Coconut Oil–Free Hair Products Drybar Detox Clear Invisible Dry Shampoo Best Overall Shampoo for Dry Hair Bumble a...