5 reliable home methods to keep away bugs
- For Spiders: One of the best ways to keep spiders away is a combination of peppermint and lemon. If you have peppermint and lemon essential oils, consider applying a few drops in targeted areas, or bottle these substances and spray them on entryways and cracks. Spiders’ taste buds are located on their feet, so if they step on these substances, they may be wary of going further into your home.
- For Cockroaches: If you have noticed cockroaches scurrying around your kitchen or other areas in your house, you may want to use clove oil to keep them away. Cockroaches often flock in numbers once they find an available food source, but if you spray clove oil at select entry points, it can deter more cockroaches from piling up, allowing you to lay traps and hopefully kill the ones that have already entered. Another solid solution for keeping cockroaches away is Epsom salt. Placing Epsom salts under the sink or in corners of your cabinets has been known to send cockroaches running in the other direction.
- For Wasps: If you’ve already noticed a wasp nest on your property, the best course of action is usually just to call a pest control company, as these insects can be very dangerous and should never be removed without professional assistance. That said, to keep wasps from flying onto your property in the first place, you can try planting citronella, mint, and eucalyptus in your garden to keep them away. Spraying essential oils from these plants outside your home is also a good way to deter them from entering, and you may even want to lightly apply them inside, if you have noticed wasps slipping through cracks and holes.
- For Ants: Ants love discarded food, and their odor detectors can draw them to your kitchen pretty much anytime you leave scarps or leftovers out. However, one type of discarded food ants have no interest in is coffee grounds. While you obviously don’t want to just go throwing coffee grounds around your property willy-nilly, consider scattering them outside or at specific entry points to discourage ants from crossing the threshold.
- For Other Pests: One smell that the majority of bugs detest is vinegar. As a general deterrent for a range of insects, applying a few drops of vinegar around your home can be extremely effective. Vinegar won’t kill insects, however, so if you are dealing with a more serious infestation, you’ll want to call for pest control. But as a general catch-all to help keep bugs away, it never hurts to spray a bit of vinegar.
For more DIY tips and tricks or to schedule pest control today, call proof. pest control at or contact us online.
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