Winter time brings on the bugs. The ants in our area seem to love to visit our kitchen when the first heavy rains hit. Almost everyone has to deal with pests.  Whether indoor or outdoors, we need to think about eco friendly, green alternatives to toxic pesticides.

We try to first watch where the ants are coming from, then plug the holes with caulk.  Unfortunately these pests came come through holes slightly larger than a pin size, so that strategy works up to a point.

Keeping food in sealed containers, the tables and counters free of any crumbs, and the kitchen immaculate also helps.

Be sure to check plants for insects. They love the moisture in the soil. You may need to mix the soil with the insecticide to prevent ants growing in your plants.

We also use Orange Guard, which is d-Limonene (orange peel extract) based to keep ants away.  Spray and leave it on for a while to soak in and deter other ants from coming back. This spray helps remove the pheromone trails that ants leave.

Safer Ant & Crawling Insect Killer is another product we use. It contains diatomaceous earth (77.69%).  Diatomaceous earth consists of fossilized remains of diatoms, a type of hard-shelled algae. OMRI-listed and compliant for use in organic gardening.  We dust the cracks where ants may come out of with this stuff.  It also works on Cockroaches, Ants, Earwigs, Silverfish, Crickets, Millipedes & Centipedes. Avoid inhaling this stuff.

You can make your own ant traps by combining 1/4 cup sugar with 1 tablespoon of borax.  Sprinkle it in ant infested areas. Ants will take this mix back to the nest and slowly eradicate it.

EcoPCO ACU contact insecticide is another eco-friendly insecticide. It is made from plant essential oils.

This website has a good list of eco-friendly insecticides. Others have suggested using coffee grounds, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, laundry detergent, cornstarch, or vaseline.

Spring time brings on the bugs. Almost everyone has to deal with pests.  Whether indoor or outdoors, we need to think about eco friendly alternatives to toxic pesticides.

The Bugman had a great list of things to do to help prevent pests. Some of the tips:

– Check your outside doors. If you can see light coming in from under the door or you can slide a piece of paper under the door, a bug can crawl in. You may want to install door sweeps or thresholds to keep them out.

– Check for openings around pipes and cables that penetrate an outside wall and seal any you find. These are excellent places for ants and wasps to enter.

– Make sure all of your screens are in good repair and that the doors and windows close properly.

– Install hardware cloth on all attic, roof and crawl space vents in order to prevent rodents and insects from entering. If you have a chimney, make sure you have a chimney cap.

– Keep debris away from the building as this will attract all sorts of insects, spiders, centipedes and rodents.

– Go around the building periodically with a broom and knock down any spider webs. Spiders will not stay in an area where they are continually harassed.

– If you have playground equipment, make sure you plug up the ends of the pipes on the equipment to prevent wasps from setting up housekeeping in them.

– Do not leave outside lights on any longer than necessary. Lights attract a number of bugs and all sorts of things that eat bugs.

– Cut back any branches on trees or shrubs that touch the facility. Ants will often use the limbs of trees and shrubs to gain access to buildings.