Summer is the best time of year for many of us in Asheville, including our insect friends that really seem to enjoy getting all up in our business. For our May Blog post, we’ve decided to give you all some natural pest control tips. We think it’s totally understandable to not want insects in our homes, but we also like the idea of doing as little harm as possible to both ourselves and the nature around us. So without further ado, here’s some natural pest control strategies, broken down by the bug!
Bees & Hornets: Garlic Powder, Peppermint, and Cinnamon are all substances bees do not enjoy the smell of. While they are not lethal to bees, if you sprinkle some once or twice a day around where you’ve seen them, it will provide a gentle push away from where you don’t want them. Another option is to hire a live removal service. Especially if they are honey bees, it can be important to not harm a colony, and many bee removal services will painlessly remove a hive from your property and take it safely away.
Ants: When ants have settled into your home, they can be one of the MOST difficult pests to manage. Trust me, I’m speaking from experience; they drive me absolutely crazy. If you don’t want to harm the ants, you can try using chili flakes, coffee grinds, paprika, or cloves to repel them by sprinkling one of these near where they come out of the walls. Honestly, I am not sure how effective it would be. If you want to bite the bullet and use something to eliminate the ants, consider spraying white vinegar on and around where the ants are located, as well as wiping any surfaces in the general area with it (as long as vinegar does not damage those surfaces). Tea tree oil is another popular solution for ants.
Mosquitos: Mosquitos can be extremely annoying, but they also serve as a food source for many other important animals in the food chain, such as spiders. If you don’t want to use DEET to repel mosquitos, consider rubbing lemon eucalyptus oil on your exposed areas every 3 or 4 hours.