Eco-Friendly Pest Control Measures That You Can Do at Home
It can't be denied that chemical pest control measures such as pesticides and insecticides have done a lot to help us in terms of controlling not only household pests but garden and farm pests as well. With only one application of the product, it can wipe out most, if not all, pests that inhabit a home or plague a garden or farm. However, it also cannot be denied that chemical pest control products have done their fair share of doing damage to the environment. They pollute the land, water, and air, and they can cause as well as exacerbate medical problems such as asthma, skin allergies, among others. Because of the harm chemical pest control products cause, we are encouraged to use eco-friendly, organic, and safe methods of eliminating pests.
If you're having pest problems at home or if pests are plaguing your flower or vegetable garden, then here are some ways to control their population without doing damage to the environment.
Pest Control Using Household Ingredients
You'll be surprised to know that there are so many ordinary household ingredients that you can use as pest control products. For example, a mixture of dishwashing liquid and water can be used to get rid of roaches. The dishwashing liquid coats the roach, making it difficult for the roach to breathe. If you make use of a dishwashing liquid that contains citrus, the D-Limonene from the citrus will act on the nervous system of the roach, stimulating the nervous system, suffocating the roach, and eventfully killing it.
If you are having problems with mosquitoes and flies, then you can mix essential oil with water in a spray bottle and use it as an insect repellant. Essential oils such as lavender, peppermint, citronella, lemongrass, etc. have strong scent, and this strong scent is what drives insects away. You can spray your homemade insect repellant in the areas where these pests are commonly located, and you can even spray it on yourself to keep mosquitoes away.Boric acid as an ant killer is also very effective, but to make it an attractive ant bait, you have to mix it with something sweet since ants are usually attracted to sweets. In a shallow dish, pour honey or syrup and add in a few drops of boric acid, place the dish somewhere where ants are commonly seen. Of note though; this ant poison should be placed somewhere where your kids can't get it - on top of the kitchen cabinet perhaps. What boric acid does is to dehydrate the ant, killing it. Boric acid as ant control can effectively wipe out a whole colony, including its queen.
