Comprehensive Guide to Natural Pest Control

Essential Handbook for Utilising Natural Pest Control Methods

Pest control isn’t something you think about until a problem arises.

But in order to keep them away, it’s important to take proactive steps.

That doesn’t always mean relying on your local EPM Pest Control Brisbane team.

There are many natural pest control methods that don’t require toxic chemical pesticides or sprays.

It can be just as effective for keeping pests out of our homes.

So let’s explore the natural insecticides and other ways we can help ourselves with this guide to Natural Pest Control from homemade repellants all the way through to physical controls and FAQs.

Homemade Repellants

1. Liquid Soap

We’ll start with the most common of the homemade pest control methods, liquid soap. Liquid dishwasher or detergent soap proves to be a great repellant for many pests. Making a solution of 2 cups of water and liquid soap in a bottle and spraying it around any places they may reside can help keep them away from your home. If you feel like the mixture is not working, add more soap and thoroughly mix it into the solution before spraying again. You can also adjust it further with different oils such as citrus oil, cinnamon, or mint oil to make it even more potent against pests.

2. Petroleum Jelly

You might be surprised to hear that Petroleum Jelly also works as an excellent pest repellant. While the sight of a cockroach, rodents, birds, or other insect can give you the heebie-jeebies, the good news is Petroleum Jelly will help make them flee in a hurry. Smear it along your baseboards with either your fingers or a paper towel and rest assured that creepy crawlies won’t enter any further. It can even work as an effective barrier against spiders. So don’t forget about putting the petroleum jelly around windowsills or doorways. Anywhere where they like to sneak into our houses.

3. Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil is another great organic pesticide and repellants. All you need to do is mix a few drops of it with water and spray the solution around your house as a barrier against pests like a mosquito repellent. It is particularly useful for keeping ants at bay. As well as being pleasant smelling, too. Ants will hate the pungent aroma of tea tree oil and other plants like lemon grass. They quickly run in the opposite direction. Aside from spraying your home with tea tree oil, you can also add a few drops to cotton balls and place them in areas where pests reside such as cracks and crevices.

4. Hot Pepper

Nothing will make pests pay attention more than hot pepper. It’s a great natural pest repellant and one of the most popular homemade methods people use to keep pesky insects at bay. You can create spray solutions with crushed red hot peppers or capsaicin oil and spray around your home, window sills, and door frames wherever you think pests might be moving through. If you don’t like the idea of getting your hands full of chili peppers then you can also combine garlic cloves and water into a blender or container, strain out the mixture, and use that as an effective solution too.

5. Apple Cider Vinegar

The last of the homemade pest control methods we will discuss is Apple Cider Vinegar. A great chemical-free solution for controlling pests in your home and works by causing them to flee out of their smell. It doesn’t have any active ingredients that cause health risks like negative effects on the nervous system. Mix equal parts of apple cider vinegar and water in a spray bottle, shake it up, then spritz around any areas you think might be a hiding place for pests. Again, if you’re not satisfied with the potency of the mixture feel free to add some essential oils such as peppermint or cinnamon oil to up the ante a bit. Just note, while it may work against many bothersome bugs, this method doesn’t usually work as well on bees or wasps. So perhaps find an alternative solution better suited for those types of bug battles.

Biological Controls

1. Beneficial Insects

Biological pest control is another great way to take an organic pest control approach to manage pests. Beneficial insects are one of the most common forms of this strategy. Namely, ladybugs, green lacewings, and praying mantises are predators which feed on crop-based pests like aphids and mites, keeping them from taking over your garden. That said, it’s important that you know which species are beneficial for which type of pest. Introducing the wrong kind could do more harm than good. So be sure to do your research before committing to alleviate your insect infestations.

2. Fungi

Fungi are natural pathogens that can help target and eventually eradicate pest populations in your garden or other outdoor areas. There are several active fungi that feed on common pests like aphids, whiteflies, mealybugs, and even Japanese beetles. Some work by directly consuming the bugs while others kill them with spores produced by the fungus itself. Either way, it’s an effective form of biological pest control that works effortlessly to help keep your crops safe from harmful pests and prevent the overuse of pesticides.

3. Nematodes

Finally, nematodes are a type of beneficial worm that act as another form of biological pest control against more than 200 different kinds of soil-borne insects including grubs or beetles. These dominant parasites attack unwanted pests. But spare beneficial ones like butterflies or bees. So you can ensure your surrounding environment is kept both safe and healthy from an insect activity standpoint. This nature-friendly method should be done with care as wrong application types can do more harm than good, releasing large numbers into bodies of water for example will result in devastating results for other organisms too. So be sure to follow instructions carefully when implementing nematodes as a form of pest control.

Physical Control

1. Keep Your Home Clean

Now let’s switch gears and look at physical control methods. The first, and most beneficial is the practice of keeping your home clean and tidy. When a house is neat and organised, there are fewer places for bugs to hide or breed which keeps them from visiting your home in the first place. Be sure to vacuum regularly as well as dust and do other general cleaning duties as needed – all of which should be pretty standard household maintenance anyway. Reducing clutter also creates fewer hiding spot opportunities aiding the war on pests tenfold.

2. Seal Up Any Gaps

The second physical control, seal up any gaps in your walls and around windows. Small cracks and crevices are a go-to hideout for bugs. So it is especially important to fill in these areas with caulk compound or insulation foam which makes it much harder for them to get inside. You can also add weather stripping to any doorways or windows that might have leaks as well – trust us, no bug wants to come into a warm house when there’s an easy way out.

3. Fix Torn Window Nets

Windows can pose a great security risk for potential bugs to come in through. So be sure to look for signs of tears or rips in window screens. Any kind of hole is like an open invitation and should be addressed right away with some repairs and a simple patch job. Keep your windows closed or screened whenever possible, and have your curtains drawn throughout the night to deter any unwanted visitors – if you don’t let them see the light then hopefully they’ll stay out of sight.

4. Clean Up Standing Water

Next tip, clean up standing water as pools or puddles not only attract mosquitoes but other pests too. Be mindful of clogged gutters around your home as well as any leaking water sources which could cause dampness leading to an increase in insects – no one likes that situation now, do we? It’s also important to keep pet bowls regularly filled with fresh and clean water – draining old dishes will help prevent flies from settling into the area.

5. Invest in a Dehumidifier

Humidity attracts many household infestations such as cockroaches and mites. Investing in a dehumidifier will help take some of the moisture out of the air to reduce pest attraction as well as improve your indoor air quality in general. Place one in your basement or any other damp areas throughout your home and you’ll notice a decrease in pests right away.

6. Store Food Properly

On top of dehumidifying your home, proper food storage is another great way to discourage bugs from lingering around where they don’t belong. Clean up spilled food, liquids, or crumbs immediately, and make sure all kitchen surfaces are clean and dry before you tuck away for the night. Also, be sure that all tossable garbage is stored properly in sealed bags and disposed of it frequently. Even outdoor trash should also be secured tightly within heavy-duty garbage bins with secure lids. So critters aren’t enticed to poke around what’s left behind after dinner time.

7. Dispose of Garbage Frequently

Speaking of disposing of the garbage – go ahead and make sure it’s gone. Take out ANY garbage and food waste as soon as possible instead of leaving it for later. Pick up your dog’s droppings too or consider keeping your pet indoors, particularly when you notice bugs hovering around them during walks. Pet food is a great attractant for pests. So be mindful of that. Finally, never leave pet dishes with old water or kibble sitting out in the open either. Clean up after your furry friends have eaten to keep pests away from snacking on stuff they weren’t even able to find before stumbling upon it.

Conclusion

In conclusion, managing pests doesn’t have to be an expensive and challenging task.

There are plenty of methods you can use to help prevent or reduce existing infestations without causing harm to the environment around you.

Use homemade repellents such as liquid soap, petroleum jelly, tea tree oil, or hot pepper spray to ward off unwanted visitors from your home or yard.

If it gets too much more consider introducing biological controls with beneficial insects, fungi, or nematodes too.

And finally, couple that with just taking standard physical control measures by keeping your living area clean and tidy.

This goes a long way in providing all-natural pest protection.