Controlling an insect infestation without contaminating your environment with poisons can be a challenge. This is especially true if you live in a region where swarms are particularly aggressive. Fortunately, there are a number of proven alternatives to harsh chemical sprays and pesticides.
Make Insect Poisons out of Produce
The acidic qualities of some vegetables and plants make them suitable for use as pesticides. Your normal dietary routine may already provide enough source material for you use. Start saving the clippings of your onions, peppers, and garlic.
A basic organic pesticide can be created by mixing your extra onion clippings in warm water. Gather up your leftover pieces and set them to soak in the sun for about a week. When the solution is ready, you may use it to kill most household pests including ants and cockroaches.
A poison made from chilies and garlic works well against garden pests like aphids and caterpillars. Crush up fresh chili peppers and add your left over garlic clippings to a solution of water and liquid soap. Avoid using soaps that have harsh detergents. After steeping, strain the fluid from the pulp and spray down your infested plants. Insects that eat anything covered in this substance will become sick and die.
Suffocation Sprays
Insects need fresh air to survive just like any other living thing, so cutting off their oxygen supply is lethal. This can be accomplished with a spray that covers their bodies and prevents them from absorbing air through their abdomens. There are two different solutions that are effective.
Water mixed with a little glue works well in gardens. Use mostly water and about one twentieth parts of glue to create a mist that spreads evenly. Avoid adding too much glue to your spray, or you may accidentally end up with things stuck together.
Create an alternative suffocating spray by mixing water with liquid soap and oil. Standard vegetable oil works effectively. Avoid using soaps with harsh detergents. This spray is safe to use indoors and can kill ants, cockroaches, and other household vermin.
Employ Confusion Techniques
Sometimes manipulating an insect’s natural behavior is more efficient than extermination. If you understand what a species is after or what they are likely to avoid, it is possible to alter their environment in a way that restrains their activities.
Aluminum foil wrapped around the base of plants works well to reflect light and confuse some insects. Instead of climbing up the stems of your garden plants to eat your vegetables and flowers, bugs move on to the next most likely target.
Cleaning up trash and other attractants helps to reduce the risk of an infestation in your home. A colony cannot survive without an adequate source of food or water. Take out your trash regularly, fix leaky pipes, and wipe up spills as soon as they occur.
Certain aromatic plant species are known to repel different varieties of insects. Mint, sage, wormwood, lavender, and other varieties of herbs deter the movement of bugs through your home and garden. Some gardeners also plant sacrificial species of crops. By putting an alternative source of food for insects to consume, the plant being cultivated is spared.
There are many ways to control insects and pests, but sometimes your problems can still get out hand. If this is the case, do not despair. Professional exterminators have developed advanced methods of insect control that do not involve the use of harmful unnatural chemicals. Seek out the help of a qualified expert in your area for a consultation.
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