Image by Beverly Buckley from Pixabay
In recent years, more and more people realize the true nature of chemical pesticides and how harmful they can be both for nature and for people, as well. So naturally, people are looking for alternatives in order to protect their home from all kinds of pests.
In this article, we will show you the most effective methods in keeping pests away from your home and garden, as well as some natural repellents that will help you out.
Keeping pests away from your home and garden
Seal your house and garden like a fortress
There are many ways to protect your property inside and out, mostly by restricting the access of pests and making sure they don’t get what they need to survive.
Flyscreens everywhere
If you don’t have – install them. If you already have, make sure they are all functional and not ripped.
They will prevent the bigger part of insects and other pests from entering your home. If you only have flyscreens on your doors, install them on all the windows, as well, especially the ones that are open frequently.
Check them every few months and ensure they are in peak condition.
Seal every gap in your home
Flyscreens will do a great job in protecting your home from the bigger pests, but they will not be good enough to stand in the way of the tiny ones. Go around your house and seal all the gaps around the doors and windows, electrical sockets and fixtures, holes that are made for wires, ducts that lead outside, light switches, and recessed lighting.
It might seem a bit absurd but small insects really do infiltrate properties through these entry points so it’s important to make sure there aren’t any.
Cover your plants
Polypropylene row covers above the seedlings and short plants will do wonders in protecting them from nasty pests that will eat them away. It will also keep them safe from harsh weather conditions.
Another thing you can do is to plant carrots and other plants in toilet paper rolls. This will keep cutworms away and will not harm the soil underneath.
Maintain your garden and home tidy and clean
By doing so, you will make your property extremely unappealing to pests since they won’t have places to hide, breed, and no access to food sources. Trim your garden, clean up the debris, and rake the dead leaves.
That’s not all, though. Here is what else you can do to protect your home from pests!
Clean up food leftovers
Both inside and out, no candy wrappers, no bowls half-full with cereal, and especially no meat. Insects and rodents don’t need a lot of food to be full, so even if you think that leaving a bit outside won’t do any harm, you’re wrong.
Clean up immediately after eating, especially after a barbecue.
Store your food in solid containers
Pests can easily eat through cardboard boxes, so make sure everything that is not in your fridge, is stored in either metal or plastic containers.
Empty your bin regularly
An annoying, but quite important task, that needs to be completed regularly. And it goes for your inside bins and the ones in your garden, as well.
Many rodents and insects eat rubbish and debris, so they would not hesitate to invade your home if they find enough food sources, and bins are part of them.
Tidy up everywhere
Storage rooms, garages, and garden corners filled with old wood and cardboard boxes are truly heaven for rodents, termites, and many other pests. Make sure all your stuff is stored properly, again in plastic containers, bags, whatever.
Just make sure that they cannot be accessed easily and used for nests, shelter, and food. Crumpled up rooms also tend to retain a lot of moisture which is another thing that attracts pests.
Protect wooden furniture
Speaking of moisture, keep your furniture dry, no matter if it’s outside or inside. Wooden furniture, if left exposed and unprotected, will bring mostly termites, but other pests, as well.
You can apply protective timber polish to make sure water doesn’t penetrate the wood that easily. Clean your furniture only with detergents made for cleaning the timber and don’t use water.
Place it in the sunniest area of your garden as warmth and light kill insects and keep the dark loving termites away from your favorite coffee table. Also, remember to carefully inspect all second-hand bought furniture for termites, bed bugs, etc.
Natural pest repellents
- Boric Acid Powder – This acidic wonder works as a stomach poison for ants, termites, cockroaches, and many other pests. It’s not toxic to people and pets. Just sprinkle around the nest or high-traffic areas, the boric acid will stick to their legs, the bugs will bring it back to the colony and ingest it while they are grooming each other.
- Spiders – Spiders such as Huntsman and Daddy Long-legs are completely harmless to your home and family, and they actually hunt other insects like mosquitoes and flies. No need to kill them, they can only help.
- Diatomaceous Earth – Quite popular in killing all kinds of insects, both inside and outside your home, Diatomaceous earth is made from skeletons and shells of tiny sea creatures. This interesting substance is lethal to most bugs and insects since it tears their bodies apart and kills them instantly. Sprinkle some around the most endangered places and wait for results.
- Nicotine tea – Used to repel various leaf-chewing insects, nicotine tea is quite easy to prepare. Just soak 1 cup of dried tobacco in a bucket of warm water and half a spoon of dish-soap. Wait around 30 minutes, strain it, put it in a spray bottle, and apply to the leaves.
- Distract them with beer – Sounds absurd but it works. Slugs and snails love beer, so having a few saucers with beer around your plants will actually keep the slimy creatures away from your green babies.
- Grow repellent plants – There are many plants that do a great job in keeping most pests away. The most popular ones are lavender, peppermint, cedar, basil, garlic, catnip, citronella, rosemary, tea tree, and lemon weed.
