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32 Comments
Snow
February 8, 2019
Huge carpenter ants! They have multiple colonies so hoping they take something plague-ish back home to kill off the rest of their kind is futile.
However, they follow scent trails left by other ants!
I had used some kids n pets spray on a grimy carpet stain across a doorway and noticed ants charging back up to the doorsill and then retracing their steps, coming up to the doorsill only to be confused again!
Now during ant months, floor surfaces get mopped or sprayed along with curtains and blinds.
Pyrithium sprayed outside wherever possible and after rains.
So far, so good!
However, they follow scent trails left by other ants!
I had used some kids n pets spray on a grimy carpet stain across a doorway and noticed ants charging back up to the doorsill and then retracing their steps, coming up to the doorsill only to be confused again!
Now during ant months, floor surfaces get mopped or sprayed along with curtains and blinds.
Pyrithium sprayed outside wherever possible and after rains.
So far, so good!
pjwlk
October 30, 2018
This article is wrong about the peanut butter in humane mouse traps. Perhaps the type of trap matters. We used one called the "Tin Cat" that consists of a rectangular metal (ventilated) box with two ramp style trap doors. Peanut butter is pretty much the best attractant you can use. The mice are attracted by the scent even after it's all gone. I put the the peanut butter on a piece of waxed paper (for easy clean up) in the middle of the trap so the mice have to go through the doors to get to the peanut butter. We've caught up to 4 mice at one in it at once and many dozens of mice using this method. It also nice to cover the trap with a cloth before you move it otherwise the mice total freak out with fear.
pattiemelt
July 10, 2018
Cornstarch doesn't work for ants, but cornmeal DOES!! I've been using it for years in my kitchen, around the house, in my garden and even in my mailbox (think large country mailbox) - sometimes it takes a couple of days but it definitely gets rid of all kinds of ants.
Messermeister
August 8, 2017
MAGIC ant bait : 3 parts fine sugar + 1 part Borax + dash of water + dash of maple syrup. Mix sugar and borax well, add enough water to make it pasty, add maple syrup to make a liquidy mixture that is not too runny. I put it on a canning jar lid and place as close to where they are entering the house as possible. Ants LOVE it and, if you can stand them showing up in large numbers for about 12 hours, they are gone. Try your best NOT to kill any as the more who take the bait the faster it works. They take the bait back to feed to the colony. It works every single time.
BerryBaby
July 9, 2017
Oh, and spiders are good they eat other insects. I remove them when I see one in the house snd place them on my tomato plants. They are a great natural way of removing unwanted pests on plants.
BerryBaby
July 9, 2017
The only way to get rid of ants is hiring a professional. You can stop them with bug sprays (natural snd chemical) but they will continue to build colonies in your walls. The queen never leaves so until she dies, she will continue to lay thousands of ants. We had a huge problem as we tried to DIY the issue and it just got worse. Ants live in your walls for 2 years before making an appearance. Save yourself and your home and hire a pro. They used all natural chrysanthemum oil and it's been amazing!
Alexa M.
July 6, 2017
I'm dealing with the Mother of All Pests right now - bed bugs. After TONS of research I stumbled upon a much beloved product in the bed bug haver community called Cimexa. It's literally just silica dust, about as toxic as table salt (though it does dry out your throat/feel a little uncomfortable if you breath it in too much...I went a little too crazy with it at first but it went away quickly). It kills beg bugs, but it'd also kill ants, cockroaches, any other crawly bug creature. You just dust it with a brush or blow it into empty crevices and let it do it's work!
Noreen F.
July 5, 2017
I use a spray mixture with peppermint oil to repel spiders, and it works. You do have to renew it every few weeks, though. I'll try lemon or orange next time, though, just because I prefer the smell of citrus!
Shawn
July 5, 2017
What about flies. Anyone know tricks to get rid of flies? We can hardly sit outside in the summertime.
pattiemelt
July 10, 2018
I saw this recently: Fill a pint jar halfway with pancake syrup (any brand will do), stick 1/2 a plain hotdog (cheapest works best) in the syrup so it's sticking out. Punch or drill several holes in the lid large enough for flies to crawl in, put the lid on the jar & set it on your deck/porch/patio on a table. Replace when it gets full of flies. I haven't tried it yet but makes sense so it ought to work.
witloof
March 27, 2017
Oh, and one more thing: diatomaceous earth, bought very cheaply from the hardware store, pumped judiciously into little cracks in the baseboards, under the stove and refrigerator, and behind the grill of the radiator covers.
witloof
March 27, 2017
NYC apartment dweller here.Re: roaches AKA waterbugs. I have taken to throwing out the garbage every time I leave the house, wiping out the sink every time I use it, and never putting anything that is not dry and squeaky clean Into the recycling {rinsed out cans of tinned smoked oysters are stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator until recycling day because they're impossible to clean well enough to get rid of the smoke scent.}. I didn't have a roach problem until my cat died, now that I think about it.
Smaug
March 11, 2016
A lot of stuff works sometimes- deer repellents are particularly notorious for being off and on. Hot pepper sprays are effective against squirrels and, I'm told, other rodents and lagomorphs. Squirrels tend to peel the tomatoes- if you find little piles of peels, that's likely the problem. Despite what you read on labels, I've found pepper sprays useless against deer. Of course seeds will clog the sprayer, but many garden sprays- anything with a high solid content- will soon clog sprayers; they need to be cleaned after every use. I don't know about osage oranges, but orange and lemon oils are effective spider deterrents. Orange oil, at least, is also a very effective insecticides; it is now favored by many of the more conscientious termite companies, and will stop ants in their tracks, though it doesn't seem to have any residual effect on ants; they will come back. A lot of organic types use white vinegar as an herbicide, I certainly wouldn't pour it on any plants. If you need to acidify the soil (and you probably don't) stick to peat moss, iron sulfate etc. Steel wool impregnated with cayenne is effective against Norway rats, I would suppose it would work well on mice.
AdemCengiz
February 23, 2016
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GetRidofFliesNow
October 15, 2015
Great tips here. We'll definitely be sure to let our website visitors know about this info as well. For those looking to get rid of flies in the house, check out www.getridoffliesnow.com. They have some great tips on how to get rid of flies in your house.
JennyJefferson
August 29, 2015
Loved these hacks.
We have always used apple cider vinegar with dish soap to get rid of gnats. This method always works like a charm.
There are some other secret method here: http://www.getridoffliesguide.com/how-to-get-rid-of-gnats-inside-house-kitchen-outside/
We have always used apple cider vinegar with dish soap to get rid of gnats. This method always works like a charm.
There are some other secret method here: http://www.getridoffliesguide.com/how-to-get-rid-of-gnats-inside-house-kitchen-outside/
Kelley J.
August 19, 2015
Our gnats/fruit flies (the ones we seem to share our house with all summer with all the fresh fruits around) seem to prefer Balsamic Vinegar with the dish soap and HOT water in a BOWL. First time I used it I did not have Apple Cider Vinegar so tried out the Balsamic and worked like a charm, then tried the apple cider and only got one or two. Strangely enough they do seem to prefer HOT water and a bowl to JUST vinegar/soap in a cup.
laurelei235
August 19, 2015
Mosquitoes love me too. I use a slurry of baking soda and water for the bites, stops the itching immediately and the swelling disappears in about an hour.
I need to get rid of roaches. The woman next door in my building had them, and when she moved out, they all moved into my place. These laugh at the boric acid mixtures. I heard that catnip is a repellent. I tried it and it does work beautifully. But my cats won't stay away from it. I need something to kill the buggers.
I need to get rid of roaches. The woman next door in my building had them, and when she moved out, they all moved into my place. These laugh at the boric acid mixtures. I heard that catnip is a repellent. I tried it and it does work beautifully. But my cats won't stay away from it. I need something to kill the buggers.
Lauren K.
August 18, 2015
I have actually used peanut butter in my humane mouse trap to great success, you guys! But—a caveat: I have mostly used it as a glue to hold down crackers or oats so they're a little harder to steal. Pro tip on humane mousetraps: Add 2-3 pennies (not the cat Penny pluralized, though that would be a bonus) to weigh down the trap's lever. Baby mice are really lightweight and need a lil extra to get caught. (Side note, I love mice and parade the ones I catch around the house in their trap for a while before taking them to a nearby park. I also name them.)
Jamie
August 18, 2015
Be careful with the lime juice if you go outside. I read about people getting severely burned with the lime juice + sun combination.
ErinM724
July 8, 2017
Yep. It's called phytophotodermatitis and can have some long term skin changes involved with it. I wouldn't use lemon or lime juice for my mosquito bites.
icxcpainter
August 17, 2015
Mosquitoes? ThermaCell. 4 hours of great protection. Butane powered heater sends off wisps of vapor that keeps them away. Used it all summer like magic.
Smaug
August 17, 2015
Hot pepper spray (commercial versions are available that won't clog sprayers as badly) is effective against squirrels, not much else. Squirrels will go after tomatoes- they often peel them; piles of peels are a giveaway. It does no good against deer. Citrus oils will repel spiders - lemon or orange works. Gnats are best dealt with by fixing the conditions that attract them- soggy soil and poor air circulation.
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