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Many of us have seen trails of ants meandering into our kitchen, laundry room, and even bedroom without invitation. The itsy-bitsy spiders, however cute they maybe, show up in very inconvenient places in our house. Roaches, mice or rats, well they are just plain unwelcome. Spraying conventional pesticides is one option, albeit not the most ideal one. There are far less toxic tactics to employ first before going the chemical route.

Though some of the ingredients mentioned below are safer than the conventional chemical solutions, ALWAYS keep these ingredients in a secured area, out of reach of children and follow manufacturer instructions and caution when mixing these ingredients.

ANTS

General Tip: For all practical purposes, completely eradicating ants outdoors is impractical. In general it is more effective to focus one's effort on preventing ants from entering your house or garage.

Prevention

• Caulk cracks and crevices around foundation of the house
• Store food items such as sugar, syrup, honey and pet food in closed containers
• Make sure there are no indoor nesting places, such as under a potted plant

Elimination

• Immediately remove the food source that the ants are drawn toward
• Vacuum the ant trails or spray with soapy water
• Find possible entry points and plug it with caulking material or petroleum jelly
• At the possible entry points, put out small dishes of borax mixed with a pinch of sugar and a very small amount of grease (differently ants are attracted to different food. Sugar and grease should cover most common Californian ants' dietary preferences).
• Be patient and give a couple of days for the borax mix to work. Ants are attracted to the sugar and greasy and they carry the borax back to the nests. This allows the elimination of the colony instead of just the few ants that made their way to your house.

SPIDERS

General Tip: Despite of our fear and dislike of spiders, most spiders are beneficial because they prey on insects and they rarely bother humans. It is highly ineffective to spray chemicals to eliminate spiders.

Prevention

• Caulk cracks and crevices around foundation of the house
• Seal any cracks inside the house
• Regularly vacuum windows, corners, storage areas, and other rarely used areas

Elimination

• Vacuuming the spider webs is usually an effective way to get rid of spiders
• If you see spiders congregate inside or outside the house, spray with diluted citrus based cleaners, such as CitraSolve. Add 1/4 table spoon CitraSolve to 1 cup of water
• Some people believe Osage orange can repel spiders; however there has not been a systematic study that has proved the effectiveness of Osage orange

WASPS

General Tip: Some social wasps, such as yellowjackets, are predators that kill large numbers of plant-feeding insects and annoying flies. Wasps become a problem only when threaten to sting humans. They are fiercely defensive of their nests and their food source.

Prevention

• Avoid them. Since most social wasps service humans by killing a large number of pest insects, they should be protected where there is little human habitation.
• When wasps move in on the food in an outdoor setting, cover the food or move the leftover away from where people are sitting. Swatting them away is not effective, as they will stubbornly return to seek the food.

Elimination

• If wasp nest must be eliminated, it is safest to call for professionals. In some areas of California, a local Mosquito and Vector Control District may be available to remove the nests. Call (916)-440-0826 to find out more

MICE & RATES

General Tip: Mice and rats are very damaging rodents in the US. They consume and contaminate food, damage properties, and bring diseases to humans and animals.

Prevention

• Seal cracks and openings in building foundations, and vents. Examine around the house to make sure there should not be any holes larger than 1/4 inches. Coarse steel wool, wire screen, and other durable material can be used to cover the holes, gaps and vents.
• Thin out the dense vegetation, such as English ivy, honeysuckle, wisteria and others to make it more difficult for rats to move between structures and build nests
• Remove any potential food source. Keep all food closed in containers

Elimination

• Set traps. Trapping is the safest and more effective method for eliminating mice and rats in houses and garages. Most hardware stores and pest control suppliers carry a variety of traps for mice and rats. Place the traps where mice or rats frequently travel. Space the traps no more than 10 feet apart in areas where mice or rats are active.
• Use baits. When the mouse or rat population is high, you may have to consider baiting. However since all baits need to be toxic to be effective, consider calling a professional. Note that many of the baits used for rodents are toxic to domestic and wild animals.

SNAILs & SLUGS

General Tip: Snails and slugs favor seedlings and plants with succulent foliage, e.g., basil, beans, cabbage, dahlia, hosta, lettuce, strawberries, and many others. Many other plants, such as begonias, California poppy, fuchias, geraniums, impatience are resistant to snails or slugs. So are plants with stiff leaves and highly scented foliage like lavender, rosemary and sage

Prevention

• Several types of barriers may keep snails or slugs out of planting beds. Copper barriers are effective because it is thought that the copper reacts with the slime and cause a flow of electricity

Elimination

• Handy picking. It is actually fun doing with kids. Water the infested area in the late afternoon to draw out snails. Pick them in the evenings (wear rubber gloves) and put in a bucket with soapy water. Dispose or compose them
• Some snail baits are fairly toxic to domestic animals. Therefore they are not usually not considered to be first line defense.

For further detailed reading on preventing and controlling household and garden pests, visit an excellent website www.ipm.ucdavis.edu, especially appropriate for Californian residents

 

 

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