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Photo: Garrette / Flickr

Bugs are a nuisance and can be a problem if you live in an apartment and have to share a building with other people who have less than desirable hygiene habits. If your neighbours are not as consistent as you are at taking the rubbish out or cleaning up after dinner, you can find your home invaded by roaches, ants, flies or fleas. With summer on its way, well, eventually, mosquitos will once again make their appearance. Read on to find how to protect your home.

There is no need to poison yourself

Although most of us use pesticides to rid our homes of unwanted pests, these contain powerful chemical compounds that are not only effective in killing insects but can be toxic to you, your children and pets and the environment. Perhaps it is time to think of more natural alternatives to conventional bug sprays.

First line of defense

That’s right. The military terminology is perfectly appropriate; this is a war. In this case too, prevention is better than cure. So, you should keep kitchen counters clean and free of sticky residues and crumbs. Containers of sweet foods should be kept tightly closed. Keep all work areas dry and close water taps very well. The idea is to make it virtually impossible for pests to enter and settle in your home. Cutting off the supply lines will force the enemy to admit defeat and retreat.

Still marching on?

If pests insist on invading your home, you can try a few of the following tricks to deal with them, hopefully once and for all.

When it comes to ants, you can leave a few tea bags of mint tea or crushed mint leaves or cloves in areas where they are the most active. You may take it a step further and trace the ant column back to the point of entry and sprinkle some cayenne pepper, citrus oil, lemon juice, cinnamon or coffee grounds, which ants are naturally averse to.

Cockroaches are another plague that many of us are loath to deal with. Once your bathroom and kitchen are spotless, you can sprinkle some diatomaceous earth in areas where they congregate, especially behind appliances. After 48 hours, you’ll be able to sweep up the scattered remains of the enemy. You can also leave small sachets of catnip but preferably if you don’t own a cat. And bay leaf, cucumber slices and garlic are great deterrents, too.

If your pet suffers from fleas, bathe and comb it regularly, using mild, natural pet soaps. You can also pour boiling water over a sliced lemon, leave it overnight and sponge your dog to kill fleas. But do not try this or citrus oil on cats!

Flies are easily dealt with by small sachets of crushed mint, bay leaves, cloves and eucalyptus.

Battle’s won but the war isn’t over

These helpful hints will definitely improve pest infestation in your home and you’ll no longer have to use conventional, toxic bug sprays. But you’ll do well to keep a clean and dry home to ensure that there is nothing to attract bugs.

Tags: natural