Eco-friendly Pest Control
I recently finished the book “The Secret Life of Bees” by Sue Monk Kidd. There’s a character named May who is very sensitive to the lives of bugs and refuses to kill any bug, including roaches. Instead, she lures them out of the house by making trails of graham cracker crumbs and marshmallows to spare their lives.
Okay, not many of us would go to such great lengths, but there are things that you can do to keep the pests from invading your home or garden…and they don’t involve bottles harmful chemicals! So beyond using your reusable grocery bags, try to make a green move by following these pest control tips.
1. Keep it tidy. What do you think brings bugs in the house in the first place? Mainly they are after our food. If you keep your pantry, cupboards and floors free of food debris, you are less likely to have a bug invasion. Try not to overstock the pantry which can lead to unused, opened packaging that will attract bugs. Store whatever you can in reusable containers.
2. Even the tidiest home can have unwanted bugs depending on your geographic region. Baby powder will get rid of an overabundance of ants in an environmentally friendly way. The ants carry back the bits of powder which ends up killing the colony. Okay, so they have to die, but at least you’re not spraying chemicals to do the deed. Also, cinnamon deters ants. They hate it! Placing a thin line of cinnamon along the areas where the ants are coming in will keep them out. Not only that, but it smells great too!
3. Outside, use predatory creatures to manage your bug population. If there aren’t a lot of bugs outside, there won’t be a lot inside either. Koi fish can be put in outdoor water features to keep the mosquitoes at bay. Lady bugs and preying mantis can be purchased at garden shops to keep plants free of pesky bugs. If you live in the desert South West, you can attract lizards by keeping plenty of plants in your yard. Geckos also eat the very dangerous bark scorpion so they are really, really beneficial! And, of course, since we’re talking about living green, it’s worth reminding you to bring your reusable bag with you when you go shopping.
Bird feeders and bird baths will keep enough birds in your yard to catch plenty of bugs. And don’t forget about bats. The bat has a bad reputation that stems from vampire folklore to diseases that the bats may carry. Bats rarely carry disease and even more rarely do they infect human beings. Mosquitoes on the other hand are responsible for millions of deaths worldwide including some in the United States from West Nile virus. Bats eat thousands of mosquitoes in one evening’s hunt. Put a bat house on a tree in your yard and watch the amount of irritating mosquito bites plummet!
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mary
