During this time of the year, many people become prone to various pests trying to invade their homes. Some of these common pests include rodents, insects, and even bats.  Figuring out how to keep these problem pests at bay has become an ongoing issue for homeowners and apartment owners.  What useful tips are out there for preventing these critters from entering your home this winter?  Let’s learn about a few eco-friendly pest control methods you can try today.

Try Lowering your Risk of Pests First

The first rule of thumb is to prevent bugs and spiders from entering your home.  Pest prevention should be the first line of defense against unwanted animals entering your home.  You must also know exactly what you’re up against.  Sometimes, it could be easy to identify your pests like a mouse or some ants.  But there are times it could be a little tricky to identify.  Consider using free resources to learn more about your specific pest problem and how to best control it.  Some useful tips in pest prevention include:

  • Remove sources of food, shelter, and water.
  • Fix leaky plumbing. Don’t let water collect in trays under your house plants.
  • Get rid of clutter like stacks of magazines and newspapers.
  • Close off open spaces where pests could enter or hide. Cover holes with wire mesh.

Use Eco-Friendly Pest Control Alternatives

Most people often use pesticides to eliminate pests being found in their homes.  However, pesticides often contain toxic chemicals and aren’t very environmentally friendly.  Often, a non-chemical method of pest control might be the best alternative.  Non-chemical methods are said to be generally effective for longer periods than chemical methods.

The two main types of non-chemical pest control methods are biological and manual treatments.  Here are some examples of each category type:

Biologic treatment

  • Beneficial predators.
  • Parasitoids.
  • Microscopic pathogens.

Manual treatment

  • Setting traps to control mice and rats.
  • Hand-picking weeds from your lawn and pests from your indoor and outdoor plants.
  • Using a flyswatter.

If you’re dealing with a severe ant infestation, consider making your traps made of 1/4 cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of borax.  You can also sprinkle some baking soda, talcum powder, or food-grade diatomaceous earth in areas where ants are active.  Cornmeal is another good ant-killing alternative that has worked for a lot of people.

Green Pesticides

In addition to creating your pest traps, there are also plenty of eco-friendly pesticides on the market.  Some of them you could find online or in- store.  Here is a list of these green insecticides:

Safer Ant & Crawling Insect Killer– This insecticide contains diatomaceous earth and works on cockroaches, ants, centipedes, and crickets to name a few.  When using it, be careful not to inhale.  You can find Safer Ant & Crawling Insect Killer on Amazon.

Niban– This insect bait is moisture-resistant and made of Boric acid.  You can use it to stop ants and silverfish.

Greenbug for Outdoors- A good cedar-based outdoor product to spray on your home’s foundation.

Outdoor Pest Prevention

In addition to working on your indoor prevention, you must work on your outdoor prevention. Remove breeding sites like pet droppings from your yard. Take care of your outdoor plants.  Remove or destroy pests’ hiding places.  Working on your front lawn and backyard will lower your risk of rodents.

Of course, eliminating your risk of pests is almost impossible, but you can control this problem.  Follow these tips in winning the war in pest control.