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Creatively Frugal Insect Control
What tried-and-true strategies do you use to ward off mosquitoes, ants, flies,
aphids, and all the other bugs that could put a damper on your family’s
summer fun?
"This will not kill
the bugs but the bites seem to come to an end. I
asked two of the grandmothers of my next door neighbors
how they handled bugs before the advent of sprays, etc.
These women were raised in the deep south at the turn of
the century. Both told me that they would take a
tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (the real stuff not
just flavored vinegar) every day from the day the first
daffodils were seen coming up until the first frost.
Their mothers made everyone in the family do it. They
said they rarely had a mosquito problem and they never
had ticks on them.
I tried it and I had
almost no bites from mosquitoes, flies, gnats. I
did not use any chemical sprays and still I was
rarely bitten.
In addition I am
highly allergic to poison ivy, oak and sumac.
Although I came in contact with all three I only
developed a very small rash on my arm and I did not need
the usual prescription of steroids and cream.
I take the vinegar by
mixing the tablespoon of vinegar with about 6ozs. of ice
cold water. After the first week I hardly noticed the
vinegar." ~ Linda
"Having
a small farm with horses, dogs, ducks, cats and other
‘critters’, our back porch can become a haven for
flies – and the biting black flies at that! On
one of our Sunday drives thru the country years ago, we
stopped at an old time country store. Upon entering, the
first thing you see is a plastic Ziploc bag tied to the
roof rafter by a string. My curiosity got the best
of me, and I just had
to ask. A simple bag of water, sealed, with a
small hole punched at the top, tied to a roof rafter,
beam, porch rail, etc. is a natural FLY DETERRENT.
No chemicals, no additives, no bug poison.
Nothing but plain water in a clear bag! The flies
shed away from the horses as they enter the barn or the
arena! The flies don’t migrate to the patio. The flies
are absent from everyone’s food bowls and watering
troughs! Now, if I could just find a
‘designer’ way of hanging them!" ~ Denise
"We recently had a
problem with bumblebees living in the ground under our
deck. Being the humane type, I was fully willing to just
live and let live, until one of them stung my 3-year-old
on his nose, right between his eyes. After doing a
little Internet research, I tried mixing 1 part laundry
detergent to 3 parts water, and dumping it down their
nest entrance. The sentries survived, and I still saw a
few errants flying around. So very early the next
morning I attacked the area with a garden rake, then
reapplied the detergent solution (I probably used a
gallon all told). We have since been bee-free. According
to the Internet, this is the same procedure you would
use for yellow jackets, wasps, etc." ~ Emily in
Ohio
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"I can only respond to the part
about aphids and the ants. For inexpensive, natural bug repellents,
I buy ladybugs from a catalog for the aphids. Ladybugs are nice to
have around, they eat aphids, and they are harmless otherwise. They
do not cost much, I bought some recently that were about $10 for
enough to cover 1500 sq. ft.
For ants putting cayenne pepper at the entrance to the dwelling
can sometimes be effective." ~ Melissa
"We usually use 'After-Bite' if a mosquito has gotten to us
before we use repellent. One day I discovered that we
were out of the product and so I used regular household ammonia
instead. It worked beautifully! I bought more
After-Bite but I will continue to refill the container with
regular ammonia instead of buying more." ~ Christine
"Here
are some tips for dealing with bugs:
Ants
outside - surround their area with grits. The workers carry
the grit piece to the queen to eat. When she drinks
water, the grit expands killing her. The rest can't live
without her and die too.
Slugs
and earwigs - Place a shallow dish of old beer where you see
bugs. They'll be attracted to the yeasty smell, drop
into the beer and die happy.
Aphids
and other bugs that crawl on garden plants can be kept to a
minimum by spraying plants with plain water mixed with dish
soap. Just wash off any produce you pick for eating.
The
best thing about these methods is that they are all
chemical-free!" ~ Jill
"I received a recipe for
an ant bait that is safe and easy. You take equal parts Borax
(the kind you get in the laundry area) and a grain like cream
of wheat, malt o meal, or cornmeal, mix it together and
sprinkle the mixture on the ant hills in your yard. The ants
come to eat the grain and get the borax. They take it in their
hill and the borax kills the ants. You can buy ant baits with
borax in them for much more at the grocery store or in the
hardware store. This is also much safer to have around for
little kids and pets than the chemical baits." ~ Shari
Editor's Note: Thanks to this reader for taking time to share
her ideas!
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