Many home owners will soon get unwelcome houseguests. The arrival of spring means insect populations are about to boom in New Mexico Here’s how to reduce the odds that ants, flies and crickets will get into your home—and how to deal with them naturally if they do.
ANTS
Ants are the nation’s most common household pest. There are many different species of ants, but certain ant-control strategies are effective against most of the varieties likely to find their way into our homes.
To keep ants out of your home, seal or caulk any cracks or gaps in the foundation or walls of your home, including gaps around pipes. Install door sweeps at the base of exterior doors to minimize any gaps there. Trim trees back and shrubs so that they don’t come in contact with your home’s roof or walls. Examine plants growing close to your home for aphids and scales—insects that attract ants. If you find these small insects, use a strong jet of water to wash them off affected plants or apply a garlic spray.
To make a garlic spray: Crush two cloves of garlic in a garlic press, and add to one quart of water…or use a blender to blend two cloves and the water. Let it steep for an hour. Strain and spray to deter ants.
Move stacks of firewood, lumber and bricks away from the perimeter of your home—some species of ant like to nest under these. Sprinkle ground cinnamon around the exterior perimeter of your home. Cinnamon repels ants. For an average home, you will need about eight ounces. You can also use peppermint essential oil to repel ants, spiders and even mice. Other safe products that repel ants include cedar oil, medicated baby powder, Tide detergent and coffee grounds.
If ants do get into your home, make ant baits by combining roughly two tablespoons of peanut butter or jelly with one teaspoon of boric acid powder or borax on small pieces of cardboard. (The laundry detergent 20 Mule Team Borax works well here.) Make several of these baits, and place them in spots where you’ve seen ants in your home but where pets and kids can’t get to them, such as behind kitchen appliances. (This combination shouldn’t cause anything worse than a stomachache in a child or pet that consumes a small amount.) NiBan Bait, a boric acid bait, also is effective against ants (as well as cockroaches and crickets). Be sure to follow the directions on the label.
FLIES
Flies buzzing around a home can be a major annoyance. They even can spread disease. To keep flies out, repair holes in window screens, and seal or caulk other gaps in the home’s perimeter. Remove trash containing food debris from the home as soon as possible.
Flies generally lose interest in homes if there’s nothing for them to eat inside. With houseflies, clean any food residue from sinks, dishes and trash containers. Also eliminate any other organic debris from inside the home (spilled food, open garbage). Also, eliminate organic debris around the perimeter of your home, including compost piles, dead leaves and pet feces. If you still need to, make some simple, inexpensive fly baits. Combine two tablespoons of Karo light corn syrup, honey or sugar water with one teaspoon of boric acid in paper cups. Place these around the house to trap and kill flies.
When you attempt to swat a resting housefly, aim the flyswatter one-and-a-half inches behind the fly. Houseflies typically leap upward and backward when they take off from a horizontal surface.
CRICKETS
The chirping of crickets can be peaceful and relaxing when we’re outside on a summer night, but it soon becomes irritating when the crickets join us inside our homes. If crickets do get into your home, place pieces of duct tape, sticky side up, near where you believe the crickets are hiding. The crickets will try to eat the tape—they are attracted to the adhesive—but will get stuck to it instead. Or you can use NiBan Bait, the boric acid bait suggested above. It is very effective against crickets.
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