Having pests is similar to having unwanted guests unwillingly at home. Pests are usually insects seen in unauthorized places, an area where they are not supposed to go for retaining safety. For example, a fly on fruits can leave behind pathogens (that fly carries) to risk your health, while the rat in your home can eat up wire to cause short circuits.
To overcome these risks, we usually take help of the chemical-based pest sprays or pesticides. Most of them work by killing these pests. While this might seem a relieving task, it is backed by other harmful causes such as environmental pollution and the spread of several chronic diseases including the nervous system, respiratory system, and cancer issues.
Above all, there is no guarantee that the annoying insects will not come back after using these harmful sprays; they are simply not a permanent solution. Therefore, it is best to control pests with some easy and natural methods that can permanently obstruct insects from being in the wrong place. Let us check the easier ones now!
Add Physical Barriers
This method simply enables you to exclude pests from your residential area. Keep mice and rats at bay by finding and sealing the promising entry points such as holes in walls or gaps around the eaves. Similarly, you can keep flies away by covering the door and window space with nets or fly screens or by keeping them closed.
Crawling pests such as ants can be kept away by filling their narrow crawling lines with salt, pepper, and chili powder. You also need to seal the gaps with a sealant containing natural capsaicin from chilies. You can even use steel wool for bigger holes or add a wire mesh before sealing. Doing so even seals up small air leaks that pull away valuable heat from your home during the winter.
Similarly, many insects that love to live in damp and dirty places can be avoided by keeping your home clean, especially in kitchens. Cleaning the countertops with vinegar and storing grains and other eatables in airtight containers keep roaches, ants, spiders, wasps, and many pests away.
Use Traps
Several insects such as bugs, slugs, and crawling critters such as spiders, crickets, roaches, and stinkbugs can be kept away through traps. Most bugs and slugs have one thing in common, which is they love to stay in damp, shady places when the sun shines. You can take advantage of this behavior by attracting them through appealing trap nests such as broken crockery, seashells, pieces of paper, and boards. You can then take these trapping wastes far from your home instead of killing them, as their remains can be hazardous for your health.
Vacuum Clean!
At times, it is impossible to seal each hole or gap in different corners of the home. However, if you do not do something about them, it is much like giving an invitation to every crawling critter to play in your home. Therefore, a smart and easy solution is to vacuum clean your home at least once a week. This handy solution traps any crawling insects indoors before they leave behind stains (ladybugs) or are crushed.
