3 Safe Ways To Get Rid Of Insects At Home
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Every time we spot an insect inside our house, we tend to reach out for the can of insect repellent. However, these poisonous sprays can cause us harm, especially if we have young children or pets in our house. Therefore, it is necessary to know a few simple and natural ways in which we can keep these uninvited guests outside of our haven – our home.
The following methods are inexpensive as compared to calling in a professional to keep one’s house guarded against insects. Furthermore, there is absolutely no harm that can be caused to you and your loved ones if you opt to use these methods over poisonous sprays and other harmful substances to get rid of insects at your home.
1. Getting Rid Of Cockroaches
Cockroaches are sneaky pests that are known to carry bacteria that are responsible for the spread of diseases such as food poisoning, diarrhea and dysentery (1). They tend to transmit bacteria through their bodies and produce an oily liquid that tends to stain the place that they release it. If that wasn’t horrible enough, this oily liquid often comes with a nasty odor, which could end up ruining your favorite furniture or kitchenware.
In addition to this, cockroach feces contain ‘pheromones’ that attract other cockroaches to your home, which allows them to mate and develop an entire colony of cockroaches. And things get worse. You see, cockroaches are generally attracted to your kitchen. This means that they end up running all over your crockery and build their homes inside your toasters, stoves, mixers, as well as sandwich makers!
How To Eliminate Them: In order to get rid of cockroaches, all you need is a couple of onions and baking soda! Dice up an onion into tiny pieces and mix it with one teaspoon of baking soda (also referred to as sodium bicarbonate). Place this mixture wherever you have noticed cockroaches crawling. Repeat this procedure wherever necessary in order to keep the cockroaches away from your home.
2. Getting Rid Of Ants
Although ants may appear harmless to us humans, they may not be the best guests to have crawling around in your house. Even if the species of ants that you find in your house does not bite or secrete venom, they may still be covered in germs and pathogens, which could contaminate your house and food. Additionally, some species of ants such as the ‘fire ant’ or ‘bullet ant’ may produce an extremely painful sting if disturbed. However, lucky for us, these species are not typically found to invade homes (2), (3).
Furthermore, if a queen ant establishes a colony close to or within your home, you may end up with several hundreds (If not thousands!) of ants crawling all over your home and coming into contact with your children and pets.
How To Eliminate Them: In order to keep the ants away from your home, sprinkle cornmeal in places where you notice ants. Cornmeal is a natural deterrent to ant colonization and will prevent ants from invading your home.
3. Getting Rid Of Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes are the single most deadly animals to us humans. In fact, they are the reason why more than 725,000 people die every year (4). Mosquitoes transmit diseases such as dengue, malaria, Zika virus as well as the West Nile virus (5), (6), (7). All of which cause widespread suffering and even death, especially in places where the weather is warm and humid (8). Yet who would have thought that the world’s most deadly predator would be tinier than our thumb and not bear any sharp teeth or claws!
Female mosquitoes feed on blood in order to make use of the protein in our blood to develop eggs (9). A single female mosquito can lay as many as 300 eggs in a single go. This means that the population of mosquitoes in your home can increase rapidly if you do not take any action to keep them out of your house.
How To Eliminate Them: In order to get rid of mosquitoes, all you need is a few drops of mint, lavender or eucalyptus oil and a sponge. Add a few drops of the desired oil onto a sponge and place it in a jar with a lid on it. Leave the sponge in the jar for a minimum of 24 hours before opening the jar and allowing the smell to diffuse through your room. This will help keep mosquitoes at bay while ensuring your house smell nice and fresh.
These are just a few alternatives to help you keep insects out of your home without having to spend a lot of money on professional exterminators or make use of chemicals toxic to your children and pets. Make sure to share these methods with your friends and family that may be facing insect problems at their homes too. And do give us your feedback on how they worked in the comments below!
