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flyonthewall June 30th, 2013 7:25am

Got any suggestions for repelling insects from your home, other than the obvious? Trying to avoid the exterminator...

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Nukimo NC Dreaming of Far Away
06/30/13 11:00 pm

*Inside home: Food-grade Diatomaceous Earth 4 ants, pinchers etc. Spray mix of peppermint oil, lemongrass &/or marigold. *Garden: regular DE, cayenne pepper. Human hair stops rabbits & squirrels. Hang scented soap (lavender) to repel deer. cont...

Nukimo NC Dreaming of Far Away
06/30/13 11:05 pm

*Outside perimeter: D.E. & Boric acid. Citronella plants repel mosquitoes. *Lawn ants: spread corn meal. *Hang urinal cakes or mix of kitty litter & crushed moth balls in crawl space repels snakes. A Bat House is the best & bats won't bother you.

comppete Las Vegas
06/30/13 10:20 pm

I do not use an exterminator. I use Ortho granules around the parameter of the house. When the large roaches are a problem I take used coffee grounds and put them into a large GLASS jar wrapped with a strip of duct tape.

comppete Las Vegas
06/30/13 10:20 pm

Add water half way up and place the jars around the house. Roaches love used coffee grounds. They get in and drown.

YouWantMeToPay ... for THIS
06/30/13 4:54 pm

Vinegar in your veggie garden will keep ants out.

YouWantMeToPay ... for THIS
06/30/13 4:53 pm

For Mosquitos, use vanilla and water mixed in a spray bottle.
Works great.

So does lavender.

baskins The Foothills
06/30/13 7:34 am

I use a mixture of water and whole leaf beechnut chewing tobacco around plants to keep the bugs off. Works wonders. Soak the tobacco in the water for a few days and then spray.

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Nizabelle Cambridge, MA
06/30/13 6:48 am

There's this all natural spray I bought that ACTUALLY works but I can't find it and I can't remember the name so I'm going to have to get back to you with my answer

Nizabelle Cambridge, MA
06/30/13 6:52 am

Also, lavender oil works wonders at keeping bugs,especially Mosquitos, away from you and it also helps alleviate the discomfort and itch of most bug bites. And dried lavendar in those little bags around your house and in window sills will keep away most bugs

flyonthewall Oklahoma
06/30/13 10:22 am

I will have to try lavender oil for myself. Not sure we could use lavender in our bedroom though. It makes my husband sneeze and itch like crazy.

jonfrei the boonies
06/30/13 6:11 am

What kind of bugs? We use boric acid to keep ants & roaches at bay...

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fixitlater My Life
06/30/13 8:51 am

Also the powder can be used where mice may walk. The mouse will get the powder on their feet, groom themselves, and die.

SantiDeAragon Albuquerque, New Mexico
06/30/13 5:46 am

What kind of bugs?
For the different kinds there are different things you can do :)

flyonthewall Oklahoma
06/30/13 10:21 am

I know we have spiders, and I think the other ones I keep seeing are silverfish, but I really am not positive.

SantiDeAragon Albuquerque, New Mexico
07/01/13 3:32 pm

Vinegar spray can serve as an organic pest control to get rid of spiders. It has acetic acid which kills them and lots of other bugs :)

SantiDeAragon Albuquerque, New Mexico
07/01/13 3:32 pm

Also many scented natural oils like eucalyptus oil, peppermint oil, tea tree oil, neem oil and rose oil kill spiders and some other bugs :)

DavesNotHere where am I
06/30/13 5:40 am

If you have ants, wipe your cabinets with vinegar. The acid in it kills them.

PAK the Armpit of Florida
06/30/13 4:02 am

Plant mint all along the foundation on your house.

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KatG Liberal in Ohio
06/30/13 3:03 am

Beats me.....I'm wide awake at 6am and am on the couch because I found a spider on my bed. I may never sleep in there again.

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GetEduc8d learning more everyday
06/30/13 3:16 am

Spiders (& many other bugs) hate peppermint oil. Mix some with some water in a spray bottle & spray your bed & pillows each time you change the sheets.

flyonthewall Oklahoma
06/30/13 10:24 am

Will definitely be trying peppermint oil. That sounds pretty safe for my 2-year-old.

jmw7477 Indiana
06/30/13 1:56 am

Cedar is a natural flea repellent. We put that in all of our flower beds, around the trees, & in the garden.

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TomLaney1 Jesus is Lord
06/30/13 1:13 am

What do you have - (wait for it!) -

Flies on the wall? :-)
Seriously, roaches - boric acid powder
Ants - ant baits are best, so they carry the poison back to the queen
Tarantulas - MOVE!
Something else? Let me know what -

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flyonthewall Oklahoma
06/30/13 10:17 am

Based on my amateur Google research, it looks like we have spiders and silverfish. I have found a beetle or two as well. Pretty sure we have a crack around a door or something because last summer, we were inundated with crickets.

flyonthewall Oklahoma
06/30/13 10:25 am

There ARE some flies on the wall, and they need to go too. They're not near as endearing as I am. :P

love4life wonderland
06/30/13 12:57 am

Coffee around your house helps alot :)

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flyonthewall Oklahoma
06/30/13 10:13 am

Unfortunately, I live in an apartment, so no chickens for us. :(

flyonthewall Oklahoma
06/30/13 3:36 pm

I'll have to check with my landlord. ;)

golutes
06/30/13 12:43 am

Not so much repellant, but sarracenias are great at catching small bugs like fruit flies and ants. I would recommend the larger shorter pitchers over the taller skinnier ones. They're super easy to care for and come in all kinds of beautiful colors.

golutes
06/30/13 12:46 am

As for repellant, when I used to live in the basement at home I always used to get tons of bugs in my room. I started using Raid regularly as a preventive measure. About once a month I would just spray the the perimeter of my room. I was very

golutes
06/30/13 12:46 am

successful doing this, and the bugs only came back once I left for college and my parents neglected to keep up on the monthly sprayings.

golutes
06/30/13 12:48 am

*spray the perimeter where the carpet meets the wall.

flyonthewall Oklahoma
06/30/13 10:37 am

That is a pretty good idea that I never would have thought of. (The sarracenia, not the Raid. I'm pretty worried about Raiding my house up since I have a small child.) But how do they catch anything other than flying insects? Don't the bugs have to

flyonthewall Oklahoma
06/30/13 10:37 am

Make their way to the top of the plant?

golutes
07/01/13 1:31 am

The bugs crawl inside just like you think they would. Once inside, they can't climb back out and drown in the "water" (it's actually a compound produced by the plant mixed with water to break down the bugs to absorb their nitrogen.