Natural Pest Control Archives - Page 2 of 2

5 MORE Natural Home Remedies For Fleas

June 22, 2017

Fleas are one of the biggest problems any pet owner has. Once your pet has fleas and has brought them into the home they get into the carpets, couches, and even into the beds causing bites and irritation to you, your children and pets. For those of you who don’t wish to use chemical insecticides on their pets, or throughout your home, here are five more flea home remedies to try out to keep fleas out of your home.

Firstly though – be sure to check out our previous post on flea home remedies, as the diatomaceous earth flea remedy and the homemade flea trap in that post are two of the most effective of all the flea home remedies you can try. That said. When using natural remedies, more often than not, you’ll want to combine several natural remedies for maximum protection from fleas. My advice is make the diatomaceous earth remedy your main focus, but then experiment by adding in some of the other home remedies until you find what works best.

Homemade Herbal Flea Powder

This herbal flea powder contains a beneficial mix of herbs that effectively repel fleas. It is made using an equal portion mixture of dried rosemary, eucalyptus leaf, fennel, yellow dock, and wormwood. Crush these herbs together into a powder and gently rub them once or twice per week into your dog’s fur.

Repel Fleas With Mint

This form of deterrent is more of an add-on preventative measure rather than an eliminator. I recommend growing some mint in your garden for a constant supply of mint leaves. The mint leaves can then be crushed to release their fragrant oils and placed in the usual flea hiding places throughout the home – replace the leaves regularly. Mint is known to be an effective flea repellent and will keep your home smelling fresh!

Homemade Flea Collar

Cedar oil and lavender oil are both excellent deterrents for fleas, but it is not recommended to apply these essential oils directly to your pet as they can irritate the skin. Instead, simply take 3 to 5 tablespoons of water and place in a bowl. Place about 5 drops of either lavender or cedar oil into the water. Mix it in until it is completely combined with the water and soak a bandana with the liquid. Tie it loosely around the neck of your animal and you have a natural flea repellent collar. Re-soak the bandana in the mixture every few days, and it can be used over and over again.

Remember, do not tie the bandana too tightly. It needs to be able to slip off over your dog’s head if he gets it stuck on something. If you are concerned about your dog catching the bandana collar and getting stuck, why not sew on a button or a popper and attach the bandana this way for a quick-release collar.

ACV Drinkable Flea Prevention

Flea prevention these days comes in a wide variety of topical treatments as well as some ingestible medicines. The ingestible flea treatments tend to only be available at the veterinarian offices and can be very high priced, but there is a natural solution… This remedy calls for the addition of apple cider vinegar to the dog’s drinking water. The ratio is 1 teaspoon for every quart of water. It may take a bit of time for the dog to get used to the slightly different flavor, but once they do, many owners report this is an excellent flea prevention home remedy and your dog will also likely enjoy healthier skin from the nutrients of the vinegar.

Homemade Flea Dip

Bathing your dog is essential to keeping them healthy and happy, but generic dog soap does not do anything to help prevent fleas. If you are among the many who give their dog a weekly bath, try this remedy. The mixture calls for ½ cup lemon juice, 2 cups warm water, and ¼ cup baby shampoo. Mix these three ingredients together and place in a bottle. Wash your dog once each week with this mixture to keep fleas at bay.

Bonus: Homemade Yard Spray For Fleas

If you feel you have a flea problem in your garden and your pet is getting reinfested when he/she goes outside, check out our recent post about how to make a garlic yard spray for fleas. This garlic spray is very effective as it disrupts the breeding cycle of the fleas.

Fleas may be among the biggest pests, but that does not mean that they should be allowed to take over your world within your home. Your pets are precious and should be flea treated regularly to keep them healthy and happy. It is not essential to spend a fortune on flea treatments. These remedies, and the flea home remedies in our other post, will keep your pet healthy and happy throughout the year.

Homemade Garlic Yard Spray for Fleas

June 16, 2017

We have written a few posts on natural flea remedies and how to deal with fleas without harsh chemical insecticides. Up until now, these posts have focused on eradicating fleas on the pets themselves, and within the home (such as this simple flea trap). The thing is – your garden/yard is an extension of your home. If your pets have had fleas and have brought them into your home, they have also brought them into your garden/yard.

If you treat your pets for fleas directly, but don’t treat your home, fleas in your home will continue to breed, hatch from eggs and re-infest your pet. This is the same with your outdoor spaces. Therefore, it is important to work to eradicate the fleas there too. You can obviously purchase chemical insecticide sprays that will kill fleas in your yard but I have done some research online, and it appears you can make a very effective natural flea yard spray with garlic.

This homemade garlic spray is not recommended for use indoors. Firstly, your home would stink! Secondly, garlic can be harmful to dogs. That said, it takes a lot of garlic in high concentration to present health problems for dogs, so using this garlic flea spray outdoors in wide-open spaces isn’t likely to cause any issues for your dog.

How The Garlic Flea Spray Works

Garlic not only repels fleas – it kills them. It is not really clear how or why garlic is effective against fleas, but it seems to be most effective and works on the eggs and larvae of the fleas to kill them before they reach adulthood; this stops the fleas from being able to breed. Regularly spraying the garlic solution enables you to maintain a barrier around the yard to prevent the fleas from returning to the breeding ground.

How to Make the Garlic Yard Flea Spray

The recipe couldn’t be simpler!

The basic solution calls for just two whole bulbs of garlic peeled, chopped into small pieces, and placed in a jar, covered with boiling water, and left overnight. Additional ingredients such hot peppers and castile soaps can be added in increments of 1 tablespoon for every quart of solution. These ingredients are not necessary, but some add them for additional protection or to make the solution smell better.

Vegetable oil is another ingredient that can be added to the garlic solution with the same ratio. Although vegetable oil is not essential, it can help the solution adhere to surfaces and plants outside.

Note: Depending on the size of the area you are treating, you may need to use the above ratios to make a larger quantity of the solution.

The method for producing the natural flea spray is simple:

Peel and chop the garlic, and then place it in a heatproof container, a jar or pan etc.
Add boiling water to the garlic until the pieces are just covered.
Allow the mixture to steep overnight so the oils to infuse the water.
Strain out the garlic pieces and bottle the water into a spray bottle. This is the time to add any additions to the garlic water. Tip: for larger yards, use a larger pump sprayer rather than a small household spray bottle

How to Use the Yard Flea Spray

Simply spray all over your yard/garden, paying particular attention to areas that animal frequent. The smell will be strong initially, but will fade quite quickly. Spray the solution once a week or every few days if desired for the ultimate flea-free yard.

Precautions

When spraying your garden, it is important that you do not oversaturate the plants. An oversaturation can affect other beneficial insects in the yard as well. It is best to only apply a small amount of the garlic spray solution to the vegetation within the yard. The high concentration of the solution is enough to keep the fleas from breeding with just a small amount of the mixture. An oversaturation will not offer you any extra flea prevention, but can affect the other insects in a negative way.

It takes a lot of garlic in high concentration to present health problems with dogs. They may be curious about the smell and even lick the plants, but unless they graze on a whole load of sprayed plants, which is highly unlikely, there is little to be concerned about.

This natural garlic flea prevention spray is for use in outdoors only. It is not recommended for use indoors.

How To Get Rid Of Carpenter Bees (6 ‘Bee Friendly’ Methods)

March 15, 2017

Before we jump to the ‘how to get rid of carpenter bees’ part, I think it’s important that we learn a little more about these important insects.

These carpenter bees are most commonly seen flying throughout your yard during spring months. While it’s easy to confuse these bees with the bumblebees, they are quite different. A major difference between these two species is their coloration. Carpenter bees have a shiny black tail while bumblebees do not.

Their name is derived from their pesky habit of digging tunnels in wood. With their strong jaws, carpenter bees commonly find a home in the wood of porches, awnings or even in your wood siding. As these bees work their way into the wood, a round entrance hole is usually found on a protected (or underside) of the wood. While raw wood is the preferred home for carpenter bees, painted or treated woods are not immune to the persistent and pesky insects.

Before delving into how to get rid of carpenter bees, let’s take a few moments to further understand our unwanted friends. When you have a solid understanding of these creatures, you can better eradicate them from your home and property.

The Biology of Carpenter Bees

During the cold winter months, carpenter bees are rarely found. This is because during winter carpenter bees morph from larvae into adults. As the short days and harsh temperatures freeze the world around you, baby carpenter bees stay safe and warm in the wooden tunnels they’ve created. However, once winter gives way to spring, carpenter bees emerge from their nests. This typically occurs during April and May. Typically, it’s the males who appear first.

You can easily distinguish male and female carpenter bees by their appearance. Male carpenter bees generally feature a white-colored spot on the front of their face. While these bees can be intimidating due to their size, they rarely pose a threat to humans. In fact, males don’t feature stingers. However, this doesn’t mean they’re not a pest. Male carpenter bees can be quite territorial. It’s not uncommon for these bees to harass other bees and humans should they venture too close to their territory.

Female carpenter bees do feature stingers. However, unlike other bees and wasps, female carpenter bees are not prone to stinging unless provoked. For example, if you were to hold her in your hand or if you repeatedly agitate her. Therefore, it’s important to note that carpenter bees are not a threat to you or your family. Unlike other flying creatures, which can pose a serious health risk to those allergic to their stings, carpenter bees are relatively harmless. Therefore, the primary reason why you should want to eliminate these creatures from your home is not because they’re harmful to you, but rather to your home and property buildings.

The Type of Damage Caused by Carpenter Bees

Generally speaking, carpenter bees can’t cause detrimental harm to your home or property. While they can eat many holes throughout your porch, theses tunnels typically don’t cause serious structural damage to wood. However, if there is a large number of carpenter bees allowed to tunnel throughout the same pieces of wood for years without being disturbed, then that’s a different story. In the most severe cases, a support beam could potentially collapse. Yet, it’s important to note that these are exceptions rather than the average.

When reviewing the wood of your home, there are several visual cues you should look for. Perhaps the most common visual sign of carpenter bees (outside of round holes) is a yellowish-brown stain located directly beneath the hole. As a carpenter bee enters the tunnel, they eliminate their wastes. Therefore, over time there can be a noticeable collection of this strangely-colored material.

Another common sign of carpenter bees are holes and damage to wood caused by Woodpeckers. These birds love to feast on carpenter bee larvae. Therefore, in their search for larvae, they can cause a significant amount of exterior damage. Should you see small holes around the exterior of wood, it’s safe to assume these are caused by Woodpeckers searching for bee larvae.

Perhaps the most damaging consequence of carpenter bees is an indirect result of their infestation. As tunnels caused by carpenter bees and holes caused by Woodpeckers attempting to eat bee larvae, moisture and water can make its way into the inner-structure of wood. Over time, this moisture can result in fungus, mold and other detrimental effects. Generally, when the structural integrity of wood is compromised, it’s not directly because of the tunnels, rather the weakening of wood caused by excess moisture, mold and fungus.

The Environmental Importance of Carpenter Bees

Although it’s difficult to imagine carpenter bees hold a job outside of annoying you during a warm spring day, these insects hold an important job within the environment. Before you take harsh measures to eliminate these bees from your property, it’s vital to understand why they’re there in the first place.

Perhaps the greatest benefit of carpenter bees is their ability to pollinate. With a serious decline of bee pollinators due to pesticides, diseases and malnutrition, the carpenter bee population is absolutely necessary to ensure the health and vitality of countless plants that animals and humans rely on for life. Therefore, instead of using pesticides to kill carpenter bees, the most environmentally-friendly way to ward off these insects is through prevention methods. However, it may be necessary to kill smaller nests. If this is necessary, try to keep the casualties at a minimum to help prevent damage to your local environment.

How to Get Rid of Carpenter Bees Without Harming Them

Instead of reaching for a traditional can of pesticide, how about getting rid of carpenter bees through more natural, bee friendly means? While it may be necessary to kill a small number of carpenter bees, there are many ways of controlling carpenter bee populations throughout your property without using harmful or toxic compounds that can seriously damage the environment, pets and people.

Method #1 | Vacuum Cleaner

This may seem strange, but it’s an effective method for getting rid of carpenter bees, as the bees hate vibration and loud noises. Simply take a vacuum cleaner and place it over the tunnel holes. The bees will often evacuate the hole and fly off. Whilst they are out, block their hole. Should this not work, you can get the carpenter bees out by simply sucking them out (you can gently release them, but be sure to block their tunnel hole). With the smallest nozzle on your vacuum cleaner, place it directly over the tunnel holes. Simply turn it on and suck the bees out. It’s best to do this in the evening, which is when carpenter bees return to their nest for the night.

Method #2 | Block Existing Carpenter Bee Tunnel Holes

Why not stop the bees from entering or exiting their home? This is an effective remedy used by millions. Simply close up tunnel holes by pushing steel wool into the holes. Make sure that you use steel wool, or another material in which the bees can’t dig through, such as putty or caulk. This can be an effective way to control a large carpenter bee infestation without the use of insecticides or other more invasive methods. Be sure that any bees are out of the hole before blocking up (see method 1!).

Method #3 | Install Vinyl Siding To Protect Timber

While this is one of the most expensive options, it’s also one of the most effective. Carpenter bees don’t dig through vinyl. Therefore, covering the exterior of your home with vinyl siding stops these bees from looking at your home as a home for themselves. Of course, this won’t help if you have a large wooden deck; however, if you find a lot of carpenter bees infiltrating the exterior of your home then vinyl siding may be your best choice.

Method #4 | Repel Carpenter Bees with Citrus Oil Spray

There are certain scents that carpenter bees can’t stand. If you’re looking for an effective way to eliminate these insects from your home, but you wish to avoid using toxic chemicals, then a citrus spray may be your ideal choice. To utilize this remedy, simply pour lemon, orange or lime essential oils into a spray bottle. Add 20 to 30 drops in to 8 ounces of water. With the solution ready, spray the tunnel holes with a liberal amount. You’ll be surprised at how quickly this gets rid of the carpenter bees.

Method #5 | Repel Carpenter Bees with Eucalyptus Oil Spray

Essential oils are some of the most powerful methods of natural pest control. Instead of actually killing the insects, these oils work to repel them away from wherever it’s applied. Eucalyptus oil has an incredibly strong scent, which carpenter bees dislike. In fact, many homeowners find that after applying this oil directly to their home carpenter bees disappear. The best part? You didn’t have to kill off an entire colony to eliminate these pests, which is excellent for the environment. To create this solution, pour 8 ounces of water into a spray bottle. Add 20 to 30 drops of pure Eucalyptus oil into the spray bottle. Close the lid and shake well. Liberally spray around the tunnel holes. For added protection, spray the solution along all wooden surfaces each day. While this takes a little time, it’s an environmentally-friendly way to control carpenter bee populations.

Method #6 | Repel Carpenter Bees with Tea Tree Oil Spray

As said above, essential oils are a major way to eliminate carpenter bees from your property. Much like Eucalyptus oil, tea tree oil features a strong scent that repels carpenter bees. Not only are these bees turned off by its scent, but many other insects flee upon its presence. Therefore, if you have a general insect problem, then you should consider utilizing tea tree oil throughout the interior and exterior of your home. For maximum effectiveness, pour 1 tablespoon of pure tea tree oil into 8 ounces of water. Combine these ingredients in a spray bottle. Secure the lid and shake well. Spray a liberally around the carpenter bee tunnel holes. Due to the intense nature of tea tree oil, avoid contact on your skin as this solution is not incredibly diluted.

The Last Resort Method (As It Kills The Bees)

Method #7 | Get Rid of Carpenter Bees with Diatomaceous Earth

Please only use this method if you have a serious carpenter bee infestation, and the previous methods haven’t been fully effective.

Diatomaceous Earth, also referred referred to as D.E., is perhaps one of the most effective natural ways to eliminate not only carpenter bees, but also a wide array of insects (including bed bugs). Made out of the fossilized remains of plankton, this substance works by attaching itself to the bodies of insects and literally drying them out from the inside-out. Because this remedy actually kills the insect, it’s best to use if all other methods have failed to eliminate a carpenter bee infestation. To utilize this remedy, wear a pair of latex gloves. With the D.E., pour it into the bee tunnel holes. Once you’ve filled the holes with the D.E., close the hole with putty. Repeat on all existing holes. This is an excellent remedy if you’re dealing with an overpopulation of carpenter bees. Because it only kills the bees within the tunnels, you won’t destroy the entire population. This is a great way to close up the tunnels to restrict non-trapped bees from wreaking more havoc on your home or porch.

Some Additional Tips to Help Get Rid of Carpenter Bees

There are several essential tips you should follow to help reduce the likelihood of a greater infestation or to prevent future infestations. These include:

Replacing damaged wood once all the bees have disappeared.
Maintain all wooden fixtures with paint or sealants. This is especially important in vulnerable areas of your home or property.
Regularly review exposed wood for new holes. Whenever a new hole is spotted, block them as quickly as possible to prevent the bees from populating and causing further damage.
Avoid using pesticides. While this may be the easiest way to eliminate a carpenter bee colony, it can be disastrous to the environment and other essential insects.

(Carpenter bee image & image)

How to Get Rid of Carpenter Ants | Effective Solutions for an Everyday Pest

September 30, 2016

Whether you’re dealing with a small infestation or a massive plague, learning how to get rid of carpenter ants is much easier than you may consider. The best part? You can effectively remove these pests from your property without the use of harsh chemicals or toxic compounds. Before delving into the steps of learning how to get rid of carpenter ants, let’s take a few minutes and explore these creatures. As with anything in life, knowledge is power. Below you will find out everything you need to know about how to get rid of carpenter ants.

Carpenter Ants | An Exploration Into Their Tiny World

While you may be familiar with these insects, it’s important to hold a solid understanding of these creatures. Perhaps the most important element you need to learn is how to properly identify a carpenter ant apart from any other insect.

Carpenter Ant Identification | Looking Into the Face of These Insects

Throughout the world, especially in more industrialized nations, carpenter ants are among the largest variety of ants. Although there are several different species of carpenter ants found inside homes and other buildings, a standard worker ant measures anywhere from 3/8 to 1/2 of an inch long.

The majority of worker carpenter ants, which are the tiny creatures you see roaming about your porch or on your picnic blanket, are black in color. However, they may also feature a combination of red and black. It’s important to remember not all carpenter ants are black; however, they are never as brightly colored as the more dangerous fire ants.

When trying to identify carpenter ants, don’t solely rely on their size. There are many varieties measuring no greater than 3/16th of an inch long. While you may never see their queen, a queen carpenter ant can measure up to 1-inch, and possibly a little larger. Worker ants may be outfitted with wings, yet this isn’t always the case.

Carpenter Ant Colonies | The Dynamics of the Ant Realm

A colony of a carpenter ant is divided into different sections, which is quite similar to many other insects that live in colonies. There are three primary castes within a carpenter ant colony:

Worker Ants
Male Ants
Queen Ants

The majority of carpenter ants you’ll come in regular contact with are worker ants. These ants come in a variety of sizes based upon their jobs and roles within the actual colony.

Typically, carpenter ants establish indoor colonies. What’s interesting about these creatures is their ability to establish a main colony and multiple satellite colonies. The parent colony, which is like the “mothership” of the ant realm, is generally located outside and is much larger than the smaller satellite colonies. A single parent colony (and subsequent queen ant) can be associated with several smaller satellite colonies. Within the parent colony, there can be up to 40 queens reproducing a massive amount of worker ants. This is one of the reasons why carpenter ant infestations can swiftly bloom out of control.

The Ideal Carpenter Ant Home | Nesting Habits

Although many carpenter satellite colonies are located indoors, it’s important to remember that these hives can be found both inside and outside. These creatures are quite interesting as they tend to prefer a variety of environments.

In general, carpenter ants create nests in both moist and dry woods; however, the typical colony prefers to establish a nest in moist wood. Because of these, nests are generally found in moist wooden beams due to water leaks. For example, around bathtubs, sinks and near poorly sealed windows.

It’s not uncommon to find a carpenter ant colony within hollow spaces of your home, such as chimneys or in the empty space behind your dishwasher or even in a hollow porch column. Because carpenter ants are “sneaky” in their actions, there’s typically no outward visible damage to theses areas. However, screwing a hole into the side of a wooden beam hosting a nest can reveal thousands of ants secretly living inside or around your home. In fact, a single queen can produce over 2,000 worker ants within her reproductive lifespan.

The Damages of Hosting Carpenter Ants

Because carpenter ants enjoy wood, many people mistakenly assume they eat it. These creatures are not like termites, which consume wood. Rather, they excavate wood to make their nests, which are an elaborate network of tunnels and galleries.

Therefore, the primary danger associated with a carpenter ant infestation is the weakening of wood integrity. This is a major concern should carpenter ants delve into essential wooden pillars or beams for the safety of you home or outdoor area.

The Importance of Carpenter Ants

When dealing with a carpenter ant infestation, it’s easy to forget that these tiny creatures play a vital role in the world’s entire ecosystem. As mentioned earlier, these creatures delve into wood to create their homes. In the wild, carpenter ants excavate into living tree heartwood or into the center of dead trees and/or stumps. By creating homes within dead trees, carpenter ants play a vital role in the process of wood decomposition. Therefore, these creatures are essential to maintain the natural balance of Mother Earth.

Because of this, you shouldn’t strive to eradicate carpenter ants along your entire property. Rather, your goal should be to manage a carpenter ant infestation within specific, and isolated, areas. For example, if you have a large yard, place your primary focus on eliminating carpenter ants within your home, not within your entire property. However, if you have a small yard where ants are continuously finding their way into your home, then it may be necessary to move your management techniques out into the immediate surrounding area.

How to Get Rid of Carpenter Ants | Safe and Effective Ant Management Techniques

Now that you hold a more solid understanding of carpenter ants, let’s begin the exploration into getting rid of carpenter ants.

According to the leading ant control specialists, the most effective way to control and eliminate carpenter ants from your home is to locate and eliminate their nests. While, in theory, this seems easy enough, the reality can be much different. Locating carpenter nests is a challenge within itself. These creatures are masters at hiding their nests. Because a single colony can be made out of multiple satellite nests, which are fed by a single parent nest, even if you eliminate one nest, you’ll likely still deal with a massive ant infestation.

Therefore, the most important quality to cultivate when dealing with carpenter ants is patience and persistence.

Step One | Watch Their Patterns

Carpenter ants maneuver throughout your property through a complex scent trail. These insects use scent trails to navigate their way through satellite nests to food and back. Therefore, it’s important to spend time actually following their movement. Look at where they’re going. If you’re dedicated, you can actually follow them back to their nests. This process makes locating all satellite nests (and ultimately, the parent nest) much easier than blindly seeking them out.

An effective tracking method is to place a dab of honey on the nonsticky side of a masking tape. Cut the tape into small squares and place the honey on it. Do this late at night as this is when the ants are most active. Once the ants have found the honey, they’ll take it back to their nests. This encourages the ants to gather and return to their nest, which makes locating it much easier. You’ll likely find that the ants disappear into a concealed location inside or around your home.

Once you’ve located their nest, you must then begin the extermination process. Thankfully, there are ways to do this without using toxic chemicals or commercial insecticides, which pose a serious threat to animals and humans.

Step Two | Treating Carpenter Ant Nests With Boric Acid

Instead of calling upon the exterminating power of toxic chemicals to eradicate carpenter ants, sometimes a more gentle approach is best. Once you’ve located the nests by following the carpenter ants, you should now begin to safely eliminate them by applying boric acid into the nests.

Boric acid is available at most hardware stores. When applied, this powder will disperse within the ant nests and ultimately kill them off. While its use is relatively easy and straightforward, its application must be precise for it to be effective. Let’s say, for example, the nests are located within a wall. Drill several small holes ranging from 3 to 6 feet from the area where you saw the ants disappear into your wall. Pour the powder directly into holes and allow it some time to work. After several days, you should notice the concentration of ants to dwindle. However, if you only attack one nest, don’t be surprised if these creatures aren’t completely eliminated. Getting rid of carpenter ants is a difficult task. Yet, with a little patience, you can safely and effectively eliminate these pests.

Step Three | Create a Natural Carpenter Ant-Repelling Barrier

The next step is to create a barrier along your home to prevent these pests from infiltrating it. One of the most effective ways to do this is to create a solution that eliminates their scent trails. To accomplish this goal, create a solution of water and vinegar (50% water and 50% vinegar) followed by adding 2 tablespoons of eucalyptus oil. Add 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon and pour the entire mixture into a spray bottle. Thoroughly spray anywhere you see carpenter ants congregating or moving. You’ve likely noticed specific trails. Use this solution on all trails of ants. Repeat each day for maximum effectiveness.

Step Four | Controlling Their Presence

Sometimes, the most effective way to eliminate carpenter ants is to actively organize and fix your property to make it less hospitable for these insects.

The first step is preventing moisture from accumulating in the wood inside or near your home. Regularly check your porch/deck wood for moisture erosion or areas near your home that remain moist for long periods of time. Good house maintenance is an effective way to ward off these pests.

The next step is to repair existing carpenter ant damage and then re-seal the area to cut off ant access points. Follow this by doing a thorough investigation of your home and property. With the information you now have regarding carpenter ants, and where they like to nest, search your property for these areas. Remove wood debris and dead tree stumps while sealing hollow pieces of structural wood.

Make sure that you prune branches away from your home. When a branch reaches over and touches your porch or roof, ants use this as a bridge to gain entry to your home. Be diligent with this process, as it’s one of the most common methods of ant invasions. Another effective method is to eliminate potential entries where utility lines enter your home. Use an effective sealant to block these entryways.

When storing firewood, keep the pieces of wood off the ground. Make sure the wood is not only elevated but also stored several feet away from your home or another structure. This is among the most powerful ways to avoid a massive carpenter ant invasion.

Lastly, to get rid of carpenter ants you should eliminate any and all potential food sources. Carpenter ants feed on many things we do. Therefore, never leave food unsecured within your home. Pack away food in sealed containers. Try to keep composting piles as far away from your home or any other structure as possible. If the carpenter ants have no food source, they have little reason to invade your home.

How To Get Rid Of Spiders Naturally (Guaranteed Effective!)

September 20, 2016

My wife is terrified of spiders so we needed to find a safe/natural way to reduce the number of spiders coming into our home. A while back I stumbled on a method using basic white vinegar and peppermint oil. We tried this last winter and the results were amazing. I think I only had to relocate one or two spiders the whole winter! Later I discovered the method using diatomaceous earth. When used correctly, this method is 100% effective. The downside is rather than repel the spiders unharmed, it kills the spiders.

By the way, if you are unlucky enough to get bitten by a spider, here is a great post on spider bite identification. If you are unsure of which venomous spiders live in your state, here’s a handy guide.

METHOD 1: How To Deter Spiders Naturally With Vinegar & Peppermint Oil

Here’s how we did it – get some white vinegar and some peppermint oil; mix 1/2 cup of vinegar with 1 cup of water, and then add around 20 drops of peppermint oil.

Add the mixture to a spray bottle, shake like crazy and then spray around windows, doors, air ducts and anywhere else you think spiders may be entering your home. Another thing you can do if you have lots of air vents or holes in your walls/floors is to soak some cotton balls in the mixture, and place them in the ducts and holes etc.

If you do this once a week, you’ll notice a dramatic reduction in the numbers of spiders entering your home. We tend to have a big tidy up and vacuum once a week or so, and we just sprayed when we did this, it just became part of the routine.

Amazon has a huge range of peppermint oil, some of which have free shipping.

METHOD 2: How To Kill Spiders With Diatomaceous Earth

( ***Also works for ants, cockroaches, and fleas***)

Firstly, to clarify things, bugs are great when they live outdoors, they serve an important and vital purpose in nature. This post is intended for people who have a home infestation or a phobia of spiders etc. Outside I say live and let live, but if you have bedbugs, fleas or cockroaches etc invading your home, in and around your food and kids, it’s a different matter.

What if I told you there is a natural product that will get rid of ALL of the above? In fact, it will kill any bug with an exoskeleton, so that covers most of the other bugs we don’t like too. This product is 100% natural, non-toxic to humans and mammals, and safe to use around kids and pets, it’s also inexpensive. Want to know what it is? It’s called Diatomaceous Earth. Diatomaceous Earth (sometimes called diatomite) is the fossilized remains of hard-shelled algae (known as diatoms). It is 100% natural and looks like an off-white talc powder.

How does it work and where to use it

The way it works is simple – diatomaceous earth sticks to the bugs and absorbs the lipids from their exoskeleton which causes them to quickly die through dehydration. Most, apart from beetles, will die within 24 hours.

To get rid of all these critters from your home, simply sprinkle the DE powder in the places where they are getting into your home and hiding. Some of the best places to use it are around doorways, windows, and air ducts – and sprinkle it under all of your furniture. You can also use diatomaceous earth directly on ants‘ nests if they are too close to the house. Whether you use it indoors or out, it is vital that you keep DE dry as it becomes ineffective when it gets wet.

What to buy and where to get it

When buying diatomaceous earth, you want to make sure you buy ‘food grade’ diatomaceous earth. There are other types of diatomaceous earth such as ‘pool grade’ that can contain added ingredients which may be harmful. ‘Food grade’ diatomaceous earth is totally non-toxic to humans and mammals. In fact, it is often mixed in with grain-based food to keep it safe from bugs.

***Click here to purchase recommended ‘food grade’ ‘Diatomaceous Earth****

How To Get Rid Of Aphids On Plants Naturally & Organically

July 15, 2015

You’ve spent countless hours tirelessly tending to your garden. As spring approaches and your hard work pays off in brilliant blooms and luscious fruit, you begin to notice something sinister. What was once thriving, healthy plants are now giving way to the damages of an unknown source. Leaves turn yellow and foliage begins to adopt a strange, sticky substance. In all likelihood, you’re dealing with an aphid infestation.

Every gardener, either casual or professional, must hold a solid understanding of aphids. If unchecked, these tiny insects can completely destroy a once thriving garden. Stop wasting time, and the health of your plants. Continue reading to uncover vital information about aphids and how to get rid of aphids without the use of toxic, chemically-charged pesticides.

What Are Aphids? An Overview of These Annoying Pests

Aphids are officially defined as being soft-bodied insects identified by their long slender mouths. Their mouths are specially designed to penetrate the most tender parts of plants, such as stems and leaves, and suck out its fluids. Unfortunately, almost every plant species is vulnerable to one or more aphid species. Although there are many different type of aphids, the methods used to get rid of aphids is relatively universal.

The Physical Appearance of Aphids

Looking closely at an aphid, you’d notice it features a pear-shaped body highlighted by an antennae and long legs. Its coloration can vary from red, black, brown, yellow or green. The coloration of an aphid is based upon its species and the type of plant it feeds on. Several aphid species feature a woolly or waxy appearance. This appearance is due to a unique substance it secretes over the surface of its body.

In general, adult aphids are wingless insects; however, there are some species that feature small wings. The winged variety are typically found during spring and fall months. While it’s possible find only one or two aphids, the majority of these insects travel in dense colonies. These gatherings of aphids are generally found on the leaves and stems of plants, which make identifying them much easier than single bugs. A great way to identify an aphid is to disturb the plant. Unlike other pests, such as leafhoppers, aphids tend to stay still when disturbed, which actually makes it easier to remove or kill the aphids.

Life cycle of an aphid

The Life Cycle of an Aphid

Aphids produce many generations throughout a single year. Female aphids give birth to live offspring. The average female aphid can produce up to 12 newborns each day – all without mating. This asexual reproduction can result in a massive colony in a relative short amount of time. Aphid nymps molt, or shed their skin, four times before reaching adulthood. Unlike other pests, there is no pupal stage. In some species, the aphids produce an egg after mating. This occurs during late fall. Its purpose is to ensure the species survives during the harsh winter months as the shell provides extra insulation. These eggs are generally laid on perennial plants to survive the winter.

During warmer months, the molting stages are swift. In general, a nymph can pass through the four molting phases within seven to eight days. Since each adult aphid can produce an average of 80 nymphs within a week or so, aphid populations can swiftly grow out-of-control. This can be a serious problem for gardens and farms.

Damage Caused by Aphids

If you have low to moderate aphid populations in your garden, the damage caused to plants will likely go unnoticed. However, when a population grows large, the damage can be widespread and serious. Because both nymphs and adults feed on the juices of plants, the entire plant can be damaged by their presence. The most notable damage will be on new growth.

If you’re trying to determine whether or not your plants are being attacked by these creatures, check for the following:

Misshapen, stunted or yellowing leaves. If you notice this in your garden, make sure to check on the underside of leaves. This is where the majority of aphids hide.
Check the surface of leaves. A common sign of an aphid infestation is a film of sticky residue. This is caused by aphids sucking sap out of the plant. The waste of aphids, known as honeydew, is a sugary liquid. This secretion often attracts other insects, such as ants. Therefore, check plants to see if there’s an unusual amount of insect activity on or around its stem and leaves.
Check the branches and leaves of plants for a fungal growth. This growth, known as sooty mold, is a byproduct of the aphid secretions. When present, the leaves and branches of plants will appear black or discolored.
Review the shape and size of fruits and flowers. As an aphid feeds on these portions of a plant, their presence can cause the flowers and fruits of plants to become distorted.

Aphid infestation

The Results of Aphid Infestations

Because of the wide array of aphids, the results of an infestation can vary from plant-to-plant. Regardless of what species is attacking your garden, their presence always results in deteroration of plant health and vitality. The following are the most common results of an active aphid infestation:

As an aphid sucks the juices out of a plant, they are doing more than stealing its vitality. These creatures can be carriers to any virus the host plant may currently have. Therefore, when an aphid moves onto another plant, these viruses may be transmitted. Unfortunately, it only takes one aphid to transmit plant viruses. The resulting damage from a plant virus can be far more damaging than the results of an aphid infestation. This is a major concern for many gardeners, as an entire crop can be ruined by disease due to aphids.
As an infestation continues, the entire plant can stop growing. This can occur on almost any plant, such as zucchini, tomatoes, and pumpkins. Once the plant stops growing, and its leaves turn yellow, the yield will be significantly diminished.
In the most serious cases, aphids can attack plant roots. When this occurs, the entire plant may shrivel up and die. New growth and young plants are especially vulnerable to an aphid infestation. Therefore, you must enhance your focus on these plants.

How To Get Rid of Aphids: 10 Organic, All-Natural Aphid Treatments

For years, gardeners and farmers turned to chemically-rich pesticides to control aphid infestations. While this may have killed off these pests, it also damages the environment and can even alter the health of your plants. Because of this, turning to all-natural aphid control options is the recommended choice.

The following 10 all-natural aphid control measures are some of the most effective ways to eliminate these pests without harming your plants or the environment. Use a combination of several methods to ensure your plants remain healthy and aphid-free. You may also want to check out our post on companion plants too.

Method #1 | Physically Removing Aphids By Hand

As mentioned earlier, aphids tend to remain in place when disturbed. Therefore, it’s quite easy to simply remove these pests by hand. Put on a pair of gardening gloves. Inspect the entire plant, specifically the underside of leaves. If you spot an aphid, simply pinch it with your fingers and place in a plastic bag. Continue each day to keep an aphid infestation under control without the use of pesticides.

Method #2 | Repel Aphids With Neem Oil

Dilute pure neem oil in water and pour into a spray bottle. Thoroughly spray each plant, making sure to focus on areas where aphids enjoy hiding. The compounds within neem oil act as natural aphid repellents. This oil also repels other pests, such as cabbage worms, beetles, caterpillars and ants. Another added bonus: neem oil can also ward off a variety of fungal strains known to infect plants.

Method #3 | Kill Aphids With This Herbal Pesticide Treatment

In a small spray bottle, pour equal amounts of rosemary oil, clove oil, peppermint oil and thyme essential oil. Fill the rest of the bottle with water and shake well. Thoroughly spray an entire plant that’s infested with aphids. The active compounds within these essential oils kill adult aphids, nymphs and eggs. It also acts as a general insect repellent without damaging the integrity of your plants. However, always dilute these oils before applying. Non-diluted essential oils can burn delicate plants.

Blast aphids with a hose

Method #4 | Blast Aphids WIth A Garden Hose

Perhaps one of the easiest – and most efficient – ways to eliminate aphids from your plants is by simply spraying them with water. With a standard garden hose, thoroughly spray each plant. Make sure to pay special attention to the underside of leaves and to its stalk. It’s important to note that this method can damage young plants and new growth. However, in adult plants, it’s a safe way to eliminate aphids without the use of pesticides. In order for this method to remain effective, you must repeat on a regular basis.

Method #5 | How To Kill Aphids With Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous Earth is an effective natural remedy for aphids. Spray your plants with water, then follow this by dusting a light coating of diatomaceous earth directly to plants. Make sure to apply this powder on the underside of leaves and along the base of plants. The compounds in D.E. penetrate the shell of aphids and dehydrate the bugs from the inside-out. As many farmers and gardeners already know, this is perhaps one of the most effective all-natural aphid control methods.

Aphid control with Lacewings

Method #6 | Lacewing Insects Love Eating Aphids

If you’re looking for a unique way to control aphids, then you may want to fight insects with insects. Lacewings have a unique appetite for aphids. These helpful insects aren’t harmful to your plants, but can offer great relief. You may purchase lacewing insects from many gardening supply stores. Place these eggs around plants and watch the aphid population soon go extinct.

Method #7 | Grow Aphid-Resistant Plants

Growing plants, such as catnip, oregano or garlic can be an effective means of work warding off aphids. The scent these plants give off are offensive to aphids. Many gardeners find entire infestations are warded off by simply growing these plants near other plants. You can also plant other herbs, such as clover, mint, dill and fennel.

Method #8 | Plant Onions in Garden

Growing onions near your garden naturally repel aphids. These insects dislike organic compounds, such as those found by onions. By growing onions within your garden, you’ll effectively discourage aphids from growing in and around your plants.

Method #9 | How To Kill Aphids With This Homemade Aphid Spray

If you need a powerful way to eliminate an entire aphid infestation, but wish to avoid chemical pesticides, create the following homemade spray. Its compounds effectively kill aphids.

- Warm 1 liter of water and pour into a spray bottle.
- Add a 1/8 of a teaspoon of gelatin into the bottle.
- Add 1/8 teaspoon of ground ginger.
- Thoroughly shake the bottle.
- Spray this mixture around the leave and stalks of plants.
- Repeat every other day until you see the aphids completely disappear.

Kill Aphids with garlic spray

Method #10 | Aphids Hate Garlic: Make This Garlic Spray

While planting garlic is a great way to ward off aphids, sometimes this isn’t enough. By making a homemade garlic spray, you can effectively thwart an aphid infestation. To make this spray, bring 5 cups of water to a rolling boil. Crush 5 cloves of garlic and add to the boiling water. Cover and allow the water to steep for 10 minutes. Remove the lead and allow the water to cool. Pour in a spray bottle, including the garlic cloves. Thoroughly spray each plant, making sure to pay attention to the underside of leaves and along the stalk. It’s best to do this in the evening before sunset.

(Images from: Alvesgaspar, Charlesjsharp, Pollinator & Lee Kindness )

Get Rid Of Fruit Flies With These 6 Homemade Fruit Fly Traps

July 13, 2015

There’s no doubt about it, fruit flies are an incredibly common, and incredibly irritating household pest.

Found in homes across the land, particularly during the summer months, these flies reproduce at a ridiculously fast rate (they can lay up to 500 eggs at a time), meaning once you’ve got one buzzing around your kitchen, it is likely to be joined by swarms of friends in no time at all.

Fruit flies thrive in moist damp places, so they are most commonly found around the sink and garbage disposal drains, as well as close to fruits and other foods (particularly rotting or fermenting foods), but these makes baited fruit fly traps very effective!

Signs of a fruit fly infestation

If you’ve got a fruit fly infestation, you’ll probably know about it as you’re sure to spot both the adult flies and the pupae around your home. The adult fruit flies are often seen flying around the kitchen or trash cans, and are particularly present around decaying fruit and vegetables, as well as liquor and beer bottles.

Once they start to mature, the fruit fly larvae crawl out of the breeding material and into a nearby dry spot where they pupate. Although it is easy to mistake the fruit fly larvae for rodent or cockroach droppings, they are distinguishable by a pair of horns on one end of the pupae.

So, in an attempt to rid your kitchen of these pesky fruit flies, here are our top homemade fruit fly traps that will allow you to kill and remove fruit flies quickly and simply… Getting rid of fruit flies is simple when you use the following traps.

Simple fruit fly bowl trap

Fruit Jar/Bowl Fruit Fly Trap

Fruit flies are huge fans of fruit, so this is the perfect way to lure them into your fruit fly trap.

You will need…

A glass jar or a bowl
Saran Wrap
A toothpick
Some very ripe or overripe fruit
Soapy water
Rubber band

Making the trap…

Take several pieces of ripe, ideally overripe fruit, and place them in the bottom of the glass jar or bowl.

Cover the jar with Saran Wrap, securing it with a rubber band.

Using the toothpick, poke holes in the wrap.

Set the jars around the house, focusing in the areas where the fruit flies seem to congregate. The flies will be drawn to the trap and will successfully find their way in, but won’t be able to get out.

When the jar is full enough, submerge it in a bucket of warm, soapy water and allow it to sit for around 10 minutes to kill off the fruit flies.

Rinse out the jar, then refill it with overripe fruit and repeat the process. Your home will be fruit fly free in no time at all.

Fruit fly Jar Trap

Apple Cider Vinegar Fruit Fly Trap

This is an incredibly simple trap that should help to catch any rogue fruit flies. This fruit fly trap works on the concept that fruit flies can’t resist the smell of fermentation and so flock towards the apple cider vinegar, which is, of course, made from fermented apples.

You will need…

A mason jar (or similar)
A funnel
½ Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
A drop of dish soap
A piece of ripe or overripe fruit

Making the trap…

<Firstly, heat the apple cider vinegar and pour it into the mason jar. The vinegar should be just deep enough for the flies to drown.

Add a couple of drops of dish soap to the apple cider vinegar. This will break the surface tension of the liquid and prevent the flies from sitting on the top and flying away.

Insert your funnel into the mouth of the jar and tape it in place. If you don’t have access to a funnel, simply roll up a piece of paper to make one. The flies will then enter the jar through the funnel, but won’t be able to get back out again.

To make the jar extra tempting, drop in a piece of ripe fruit and allow it to break down in the mixture.

Now all you need to do is wait! If you find that the flies don’t drown when they enter the jar, simply place it in the freezer for around 20 minutes and that should kill the fruit flies.

Red Wine Fruit Fly Trap

Like many of us humans, fruit flies are drawn to red wine and, once you’ve caught them, it’s easy to kill them in their intoxicated state.

You will need…

A small amount of red wine
Wine bottle

Making the trap…

This fruit fly trap is extremely easy to make! Simply leave a small amount (around half a glass) of red wine at the bottom of the bottle.

Leave the open bottle out on a surface, close to where the fruit flies seem to lurk. The flies will flock to the wine, fly into the bottle, and then get stuck.

The flies should drown in the wine, but if they don’t, simply place the bottle in the freezer or fill it with warm soapy water.

Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar Fruit Fly Trap

You will need…

A bottle of apple cider vinegar (it doesn’t need to be full!)
Saran Wrap
Rubber Band
Toothpick

Making the trap…

Firstly, remove the cap from your bottle of apple cider vinegar. Remember, it doesn’t necessarily need to be a full bottle, a nearly empty bottle will have the same effect.

Cover the opening of the bottle with Saran Wrap and secure it in place with a rubber band.

Using the toothpick, poke a hole in the Saran Wrap to allow the fruit flies to enter the bottle.

Put the bottle in the main problem area and then sit back and wait. The flies will be attracted by the scent of the vinegar and, once they enter the bottle, they’ll find themselves stuck and will drown.

Old Farmer’s Fruit Fly Trap

This tried and true homemade flytrap method has been used for centuries. Although it might seem like an unusual recipe, it’s a sure fire way to get rid of fruit flies.

You will need…

1 Pint of milk
¼ Pound of raw sugar
2 Ounces of ground pepper

Making the trap…

Combine the milk, sugar, and pepper in a saucepan and allow the mixture to simmer over a low heat for around 10 minutes.

Next, pour the mixture into shallow dishes and place them around the house, strategically targeting the spots that the fruit flies seem to flock to most. We’re not entirely sure why, but the fruit flies are drawn to the mixture and, once they land in it, will quickly drown.

If you notice that the flies seem to be landing and flying away rather than drowning, simply add a drop or two of dish soap.

The Bottle Fruit Fly Trap

This is another quick and easy way to make a fruit fly trap, which uses things you’ll have lying around your home.

You will need…

An empty 2 litre plastic soda bottle
Heavy duty packing tape
Some rotting fruit or vegetables

Making the trap…

Take a pair of scissors and carefully cut the empty soda bottle into two parts. You should make the cut approximately ¼ to 1/3 of the way down the bottle to ensure that the bottom half is larger that the top half.

Remove the cap from the top of the bottle and turn the top half upside down.

Take a few pieces of rotten produce (potatoes seem to work particularly well) and place them in the bottom half of the bottle.

Take the top half of the bottle and place it upside down inside the bottom half, creating a funnel effect.

Next, tape the two halves of the bottle together to ensure that they stay securely in place.

Prevention is better than cure…

Homemade Lemongrass Fruit Fly Spray

This isn’t technically a fruit fly trap, and it won’t kill the fruit flies, but it should help to keep them away from your home. And we all know that prevention is better than cure.

You will need…

10 Drops of Lemongrass essential oil
A clean spray bottle
2 Ounces of hot water

Instructions…

Start by pouring 2 ounces of hot water into the spray bottle.

Add 10 drops of Lemongrass essential oil and shake well to mix the two ingredients together.

Spray the Lemongrass mixture over windowsills and doorways. This should keep the flies away. If you notice any fruit flies around the house, you can also spray the mixture directly onto them.

As well as keeping fruit flies out of your home, the Lemongrass spray also leaves a nice, refreshing citrus scent around the house.

Eliminate the source of the problem

Cover, or store ripe fruit in the refrigerator

There are a number of simple steps that you can take to eliminate the source of the fruit flies and keep them out of your house.

Firstly, make sure that you don’t leave any ripened fruit or vegetables exposed. Get a fruit bowl cover or keep them in the refrigerator where the flies can’t get to them.

In addition to this, you should also clean your recycling bins regularly and make sure that any bottles or jars you place within the recycling bin are clean and free from food residue.

If you compost your food waste, make sure your compost bin is positioned as far away from your house as possible.

You should also check that your garbage cans are free from any small bits of food or liquids.

The fruit fly traps listed on this post are highly effective at trapping and killing fruit flies. Combined with the common sense prevention advice, getting rid of fruit flies should be easy and your home will be fruit fly free in no time at all.

(Images from: Downtowngal & cheeseslave)

Homemade Gnat Trap – 3 Gnat Traps & 2 Sprays To Try

June 12, 2015

Homemade Gnat Traps

A quick and cost effective way to get rid of gnats is by using a homemade gnat trap. There are a few different DIY gnat traps, allowing you to use what’s in your store cupboard. Whichever trap you choose, making it is a simple process…

Vinegar Gnat Trap

Find a used can or jar. If you’ve got a mason jar, they work particularly well, but any sort of jar or can will do.
Fill your chosen jar or can with apple cider vinegar. If you don’t have any apple cider vinegar in your store cupboard, any type of vinegar will work well. If you’re using white vinegar though, we’d recommend adding a couple of drops of dish soap to make it extra appealing to those gnats (they’re especially fond of lemon!).
Seal the lid, or cover with cling film if you don’t have a lid, and poke several very small holes in the top using a nail or a screw.
Leave the jar in a place that seems to be popular with your gnats (if you have more than one problem area, you can make several jars to cover multiple locations).
The gnats will fly into the jar/gnat trap but will be unable to leave it again – dispose of the jar and your gnat problem will be a thing of the past.

Vinegar Gnat Trap

Wine and Soap Gnat Trap

Take a small container such as a shot glass or a similar sized cup.
Fill the container about ¾ of the way full with red wine (any red wine will do, the gnats aren’t fussy!).
Add a couple of drops of dish soap to the wine.
Stir the mixture gently.
Then, simply leave the mixture out and watch the gnats flock to it! The gnats will try and sit on the liquid’s surface but, because the dish soap breaks the surface tension of the wine, the gnats will fall straight through and drown, making this a simple but deadly gnat trap.

If you don’t want to share your red wine with the gnats, you can also make this gnat trap with vinegar rather than the wine. See the image below. Make the trap in the same way, just substitute the wine for the vinegar.

Sticky Gnat Trap

Cover the front of a yellow index card, or similar sized piece of card or paper, with a thin layer of honey. The key here is making sure that the card you use is yellow as that’s what attracts the gnats.
Next, tape a chopstick, popsicle stick, or straw to the back of the card. Make sure that you don’t attach it to the sticky side!
Place the stick in the soil next to an infested plant, with the honey-coated side facing outwards. The gnats will be attracted by the yellow card and the sweet honey, and will become trapped in the honey.
Once the yellow card is full of gnats, replace it with another sticky gnat trap.

Homemade Gnat Sprays

Gnat Soap Spray

In a spray bottle, create a soap spray solution by mixing together 2 tbsp of liquid dish soap (lemon works best!) with 1 gallon of water. Try to avoid any dish soaps that are particularly harsh as they may damage your plants.
Spray the soil, leaves and stems of any infested plants with the soapy solution. This should kill gnats.
Leave the solution to settle for an hour or so, then spray the leaves and stem of the plant with clean water to rinse off the soap.

Gnat Alcohol Spray

In a spray bottle, mix together a small amount of alcohol (you can use rubbing or drinking alcohol, whichever you’ve got to hand) with water.
To make sure that you don’t damage your plants in your plight to rid them of gnats, spray one leaf with the solution and leave it to soak in for a couple of days. If the alcohol solution does not burn the lead, the solution should be safe to use on your plants. If the leaf is burnt, try diluting the alcohol with more water and repeat the test on a different leaf.
Spray the solution onto the affected leaves, flowers, stems, and soil every three days for two weeks, or until your gnat problem disappears.
If you are worried about damaging your plants, you can also leave the solution in bowls near the infested plants.

Get rid of gnats at the source

Plants

If you’ve got plants in and around your home, they should be your first suspect when identifying the cause of your gnat problem. Gnats love the moisture brought by the soil feeding your pot plants, particularly if you have a tendency to overwater them.

If your gnats seem to be based around your planting areas and pot plants, then they are most likely the source of the infestation. Here’s how to get rid of your unwanted guests…

Firstly, let the infested soil dry out. Gnat eggs are often laid in damp, overwatered plants as the larvae need moist conditions to grow. If you let the top 2 inches of soil dry out, the eggs and larvae should also dry out and die.
Next, re-pot your plants. Remove them from their current pots and plant into fresh, clean pots with new soil. Make sure that you remove as much of the plant matter as possible, so as to avoid transporting any gnats, eggs, or larvae into the new pot.
Once you’ve re-potted your plants, it can be worth covering the surface of the soil with a layer of sand to try and keep the gnats out.

You should also avoid over-watering plants and drain any excess water from your plant containers, as this will almost certainly attract gnats. Additionally you can place gnats trap around the plants.

Funnily enough – you can actually plant some plants that help to repel gnats too!

Vegetable Oil

Gnats can often appear around your drains, particularly in the kitchen. To get rid of gnats from your drains, try using vegetable oil.

Pour ¼ cup of vegetable oil into the drain, applying it around the edge of the drain so that it glides down the pipe and clings on to the sides.
Cover the drain with strips of clear tape to seal it off.
After 24 hours, remove the tape. You should find that there are lots of gnats stuck to the bottom of the tape.
Repeat until there are no longer any gnats hanging around your drains.

Trash

Gnats are attracted to decaying organic material such as fruit and food. Ensure that you regularly take out the trash and dispose of any rotting food or fruit straight away. This will remove the gnat’s food source and deter them from the area. Additionally a vinegar gnat trap can be very effective when used next to your trash cans.

You should also cover your trash cans with an air tight lid and clean them regularly.

Fruit

As well as disposing of any rotten or decaying fruit, you should also move your fresh fruit into the refrigerator or store it in carefully sealed containers. If you leave your fruit out in the open, gnats will be attracted to it before it even starts to decay.

Clean

No one’s suggesting that your house is untidy, and gnats certainly aren’t a sign of that, but if you are suffering from an infestation, it is definitely worth cleaning your house from top to bottom. This may help you to identify and eradicate the source of the problem.

In addition to this, make sure that you wash plates and dishes as soon as they are used. We’re all guilty of putting them to one side whilst we get on with our lives, and returning to wash them later. But this will only serve to attract more gnats and encourage them to gather in your kitchen, so wash your dishes as soon as you’ve used them.

Doors and Windows

Check doors and windows to make sure that they are properly sealed and that there are no gaps through which the tiny gnats can sneak into your home.

If you need to leave windows or doors open for any reason, especially in the hot weather, think about getting a fly screen with a really tight mesh. This should help to keep your home gnat free.

You should also repair any holes in screens or cracks in walls. This will help to prevent them getting in. Once again, a gnat trap can be used to help control gnats in these locations

Dampness

Moist environments offer the perfect breeding ground for gnats. Check your home for damp patches and corners, these are particularly common in kitchens and bathrooms, or other rooms where there is a water source.

Regularly wipe down any damp spots you find using bleach or disinfectant and make sure that you never leave any moist towels or clothing lying around as these will attract the gnats.

Sinks

To get rid of gnats quickly and prevent them from appearing in the first place, pour diluted bleach together with a few drops of dish soap down each of your drains, plug them, and leave overnight. Rinse through with clean water and then repeat each week.

Clothes & Body

There are many different types of gnats, some more irritating than others. Eye gnats are particularly annoying as they tend to swarm around your face, focussing on the eyes and mouth.

Like other types of gnats, eye gnats can be very difficult to control however, if you are unfortunate enough to find yourself being tormented by the creatures, try spraying your clothes and body with a mosquito repellent (make sure it’s one that contains DEET)

Alternatively, you can make a natural gnat repellent using vanilla.

Take one tablespoon of vanilla and pour it into one cup of water.
Mix together well.
Apply to the body (this is especially useful for sensitive areas such as the eyes, nose and throat).

To avoid gnat bites…

Wear long sleeved shirts and pants when spending time near rivers, lakes, streams, and other wet areas.
Whilst sitting on your porch, or in your yard, use a fan to blow the gnats away from you.
Here are 3 home remedies for mosquito bites, that also help gnat bites as well.

Know your enemy – what are gnats?

Gnats, or to give them their Latin name Order Diptera, are small, winged insects that can cause a great deal of annoyance around the home and the garden – you’ve probably suffered an infestation at some time or another!

Commonly known as fruit flies, vinegar flies, or noseeums, gnats can be found in all sorts of locations and there are a number of different types. The most common type of gnat found within the home is the fungus gnat. These thrive around plants and lay their eggs in the moist soil. Midgies (both biting and non-biting varieties) and gall gnats are other common species.

In the outdoor world, thousands of male gnats tend to assemble in large mating swarms, or ghosts, usually around dusk, filling the sky around them.

Gnats are small, and extremely annoying, flies that are incredibly common across the world. They can occur anywhere where there is a water source, and they particularly enjoy moist environments. One of a family of insects that includes flies and mosquitoes, gnats are tiny flies sometimes called blackflies or midges.

Although many people think that gnats are baby flies, they are actually really small adult flies, often fruit flies. As well as being the cause of much annoyance, these little critters can also be biting gnats, causing irritation to humans and pets alike.

Whilst gnats may not be the most feared household pest, they reproduce extremely quickly and infest areas in their swarms, becoming a much larger problem than you might initially suspect.

Close up of a fungus gnat

Whilst most gnats are harmless to humans, some gnats can also bite, often leaving painful sores and unpleasant swellings on their victims.

Where do gnats come from?

Particularly common during warmer months, gnats are most often found around fresh produce and food, as well as moist areas such as over-watered plants and refrigerator drain trays.

Gnats can appear both indoors and outdoors and are attracted by a number of factors including:

Drains and sinks
Remnants of food
Rotten fruits and decaying food
Wet floors and damp patches
Houseplants
Pets

How to know if you’ve got a gnat infestation…

If you notice multiple gnats flying around your home, garden, or workplace, you’ve almost certainly got a gnat infestation!

The good news is that, whilst these little flies may be almost impossible to swat and are notoriously difficult to get rid of, there are a number of ways to kill your gnats and reduce the risk of you falling victim to a gnat bite.

(Swarm of Gnats image from: Joey Gannon & Vinegar Gnat Trap from: AngryJulieMonday)

10 Companion Plants to Ward Off Beetles and Other Pests

May 9, 2015

Regardless of how much you plan and protect, there are many pests capable of infiltrating your garden and ruining the quality and fruit of your plants. Although there are many synthetic treatments designed to thwart damaging pests, these products introduce toxic chemicals into the very core of your plants. If you’re searching for a way to naturally inhibit the proliferation of beetles, mites and other pests, then your solution may be as simple as planting a companion plant alongside primary plants.

The following 10 companion plants feature various natural compounds and enzymes studied for its ability to thwart the ravages of insects and other various plant pests.

10 Companion Plants – Natural and Beautiful Protection

Companion #1 | Basil for Tomato Plant Protection

Basil perhaps one of the most popular companion plants used to deter whiteflies, spider mites and various aphids known to destroy the quality and yield of tomato plants. Gardening experts suggest planting basil around young tomato plants thwarts a variety of pests, specifically hornworm moths.

Companion #2 | Dill for Cabbage and Cole Crops

Dill is known to naturally deter various pests, such as squash bug and cabbageworms, from infiltrating your crops. It’s believed the potent oils produced by dill plants may also repel a variety of other insects by masking the scent of your primary plants.

Companion #3 | Onions for Lettuce, Blueberries, Roses and Raspberries

The bold odor associated with onions is known to deter the proliferation of aphids among many susceptible crops. Plant onions throughout your garden to extend protection into all of your viable crops.

Companion #4 | Garlic for Susceptible Crops

The strong scent produced by garlic plants is a known deterrent for a variety of aphids known to afflict a variety of crops. The use of garlic plants to thwart spider mites away from perennials is a time-honored approach for natural pest control. Plant garlic sporadically throughout your garden for far-reaching protection.

Companion #5 | Catnip for Full Garden Protection

A member of the mint family, gardening experts suggest planting catnip between plants that are susceptible to beetles. Planting catnip between rows offers continuous protection, which can mean the difference between a full yield and one ravished by the damage caused by hungry and persistent beetles.

Companion #6 | Marigolds for Tomato and Fruiting Plants

It’s believed the beautiful marigold plant, specifically African Marigolds, mask the scent of your primary plants, which inhibits pests, such as hornworms, from locating your vulnerable plants. Gardening experts suggest planting marigolds between plants to maximize its protective abilities.

Companion #7 | Lavender for Leafy Crops

Not only does lavender produce high-quality essential oils for medicinal purposes, but when planted among leafy crops, such as lettuce, its heavily scented structure deters the onset of aphids and whiteflies.

Companion #8 | Castor Oil Plants for Mole Prevention

Although castor oil plants should be grown with extreme care as the entire plant is highly toxic to animals and humans, when planted along the border of your garden, its unique compounds prevent moles, voles and other pests from making home in your garden. Its potential is so powerful, many commercially-produced mole/vole deterrents use castor oil as a primary ingredient.

Companion #9 | Borage for Tomato and Cole Crops

Used by gardeners for hundreds of years, this beautiful plant discourages the onset of cabbageworms and hornworms. Not only is this plant easily grown from seeds, but its unique structure is an excellent source of nourishment for Honey bees and other pollinators.

Companion #10 | Tansy for Japanese Beetle Prevention

A Japanese Beetle infestation can destroy the quality and health of an entire garden. Therefore, to ensure your plants remain healthy, gardening experts suggest planting Tansy throughout your garden; specifically among plants more susceptible to Japanese beetles. It’s suggested the strong scent produced by the Tansy plant confuses these beetles, which prevents them from locating the primary host plant.