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Pesticides are toxic and,
while often effective against pests, can be dangerous for
your family and pets. Outdoors, sprayed pesticides might
drift on a breeze and dust your vegetable garden or your
neighbor's yard. Indoors, pesticides can linger in the
air, exposing the family to harmful chemicals. For these
reasons, many people are turning to nontoxic pest control
methods.
Prevention is the best way
to control pests, but there are times when even the most
thorough preventative measures will not save you from
intruders, so this article discusses both preventative
pest control methods and nontoxic pest control products.
Preventative Pest Control
Methods
Sanitation:
As they say, cleanliness is
next to godliness. And it keeps pests out, too. Keeping
your home clean is the most effective pest control method.
If you don't leave food or dirty dishes lying around the
house, animals and insects won't be attracted to the
smell. Sweep and vacuum regularly. Remember, just because
you can't see crumbs doesn't mean they don't exist. Clean
inside pantries and cabinets cabinets, under and around
the stove and refrigerator at least once a year.
Screens:
This may seem obvious, but
screens on doors and windows are a simple and relatively
cheap way to keep insects out of the house. Also, screens
on crawlspaces keep rodents from obtaining easy access
routes into the house.
Caulking:
By caulking cracks in your
house, you can minimize places for insects to hide and
nest. Target bathrooms and the kitchen, especially doors
and windows.
Nontoxic Pest Control
Products
Traps:
There are many kinds of
traps available that target many kinds of pests. Some
examples are sticky traps for cockroaches, glueboards for
mice, flypaper, bug zappers, and traps specifically for
rats, gophers, or moles. You can usually pick up traps at
your local Home and Garden store.
Pheromones:
Pheromones, essentially
insect scent hormones, can be used in traps as bait. By
emitting the scent of the female insect, pheromones can be
used to lure males into a trap, where they are caught in a
sticky glue. Insects are only attracted by pheromones
emitted by their own kind, so you need to know exactly
what kind of insects you're trying to eliminate and plan
accordingly.
Biological Control:
Biological control is more
often used in agriculture but can sometimes be used in
home and garden situations as well. Basically it means
using desirable organisms to eliminate undesirable
organisms. For instance, planting certain plants in your
garden can deter certain pests. For example, spearmint
repels ants. Garlic repels Japanese Beetles. Indoors,
spiders eat fruit flies and houseflies, so it may be worth
leaving some of those webs around.
Repellents:
There are nontoxic
repellents available for pest control. Mosquito repellents
are the most popular, but if you look around, you can find
repellents that target other pests. Some herbs, like
eucalyptus and wormwood, are known for repelling animals
and insects.
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