Whether it’s mice, ants, termites, or wasps, no one likes uninvited pest guests in their home. Pest control is a huge business with many commercial companies that offer in-home services to rid your house of pests. However, many of these practices are questionable and even dangerous because of the chemicals used. This is especially a big concern if you have kids or pets in the house. Even if you don’t, synthetic pesticides used in some pest control products are known to trigger everything from headaches to hormone imbalances in humans.
To take a more natural approach to pest control solutions, here are some strategies and advice for chemical-free pest control.
Borax and Powdered Sugar Pasty Balls
If you get a lot of ants and rats where you live, try mixing equal parts borax and powdered sugar and then add a few drops of water to the mixture to create little pasty balls. These will make ants bring the food back to their nest and kill off the colony. Then after a couple days, you should not have an ant problem any more. This mixture also works with rats but is most effective with ants. Just make sure to keep this natural pest solution away from dogs and kids in the house because even thought it’s chemical-free, it’s still not good for them.
More Natural Solutions for Ants
Ants also hate soapy water, so you can keep a spray bottle with a mixture of soap and water handy and spray ants when you see them and ant prone areas as a preventative measure. It also helps to leave mint tea bags in ant-prone areas and to set out slices of cucumber in the kitchen because ants dislike these things too. Other natural solutions for ants are placing lemon juice, coffee grounds, or cayenne pepper at ant entry points to deter them.
Here’s a natural insect repellant that you can make at home to deter ants, spiders, flies, and other insect pests.
INGREDIENTS:
DIRECTIONS:
- Mix all of the ingredients in a spray bottle and spray areas that have insect activity
- Store the spray bottle in the fridge when you’re done until the next use
More Mice and Rat Natural Solutions
Mice and rats are resilient little critters that are able to live pretty much anywhere. They enter homes looking for warmth and food and cause contamination that affects humans and pets.
You can humanely trap mice and rats in your home with small bits of bread or cheese and then release them back out in the environment. There are also ultrasonic devices that can keep mice out of areas of your home by producing sounds that affect mice but that are inaudible to humans. Prevention is your best bet with rodents, so keep food containers tightly closed and crumbs off the floor so that you aren’t welcoming them in without realizing it.
Using Diatomaceous Earth
A product that has become popular for natural pest control is Diatomaceous Earth. This product is not a chemical or a poison but rather a powder that is created from the fossilized remains of marine phytoplankton. It contains food-grade substances and is 100% organic, so it’s safe to use around kids and pets. People use it to kill ants and other crawling insects by sprinkling it in cracks, crevices, and behind areas where insects live.
A Note About Pest Control Companies
However, it is important to note that not all commercial pest control companies are the same and that some actually specialize in eco-friendly and humane pest control practices. This is largely in response to the growing demand for chemical-free solutions in homes, so you may be able to work with a local company to find a professional and non-toxic way to get rid of pests. Sometimes an infestation is too overwhelming to handle yourself, so it’s definitely worth a phone call or two to ask about a company’s “green” practices and natural methods to get the situation under control.
Hi! What about cockroaches? Would boric acid balls work?
Hi Nadine,
Probably, but we cannot tell you for sure. So far I have successfully used it on rats and different species of ants. If you try it and it works, please let us know. Thanks