In the average home, there could be anywhere from 30 to 200 different species of bugs. Most people are in a constant battle to keep bugs from taking up residence in their home.
If you’re looking to get rid of or prevent house bugs, there are some DIY tips and hacks that will make your life easier.
Here are five tricks you should try this season.
1. Double Seal Foods
A bug infestation means that insects have food stored somewhere and are trying to find new sources.
In their ideal world, they would be able to take over your house and set up shop in every room in the home. The last thing you want them to do is to steal the actual food out of your mouth.
Your kitchen is going to be one of the hottest targets for hungry house bugs. They’re going to count on cereal boxes, sugar bags, and baking supplies that are open and available. One small entryway and you’re opening up a food pantry for your six- to eight-legged friends.
If you and your family eat bread regularly, you could be bringing a big bag of bug chow in from the grocery store. Consider getting a bread box. They can be an attractive and decorative addition to your kitchen and serve the practical purpose of keeping bugs out.
For baking supplies, sugar, flour, or even coffee, you should store your dry goods in air-tight jars. This can help in tidying up your kitchen as well since you won’t have to worry about setting your jars or a potentially damp surface.
2. Wipe Your Surfaces
A few drops of wine on a table or a piece of candy that rolled under the couch can turn into a bug infestation before you know it. Since there’s no way to really know what caused bugs to set up a camp in your living space, you need to be diligent about cleaning up.
While your kitchen is sure to be bug central, just about any area of your home could attract insects. If you have kids, stress that they clean their rooms regularly to help get rid of bugs. Don’t let them eat in their room as they may not be aware of every spill they make.
Your bathroom could be a place where bugs could live. If you use organic facial products, you’re doing your body good but you could be spreading bug food around. Wipe every surface in every room as often as possible to keep anything from being left out for bugs.
3. Use Vinegar
A mix of 50/50 white vinegar and water in a spray bottle can work wonders as a cheap and homemade solution to keeping bugs at bay.
If you know that ants are marching into your home through the cracks beneath the door, spray the area with your vinegar mix. Apply it near baseboards, doors, and windows. Wherever you think there are bugs entering your home, flood their region with vinegar.
If you have an area where you keep your indoor plants, clean the area with vinegar. Other bugs may not be injured or killed by vinegar but they can be deterred from making that area their home.
Whenever you see bugs hanging out in an area of your home, break out the vinegar. They’ll get the message and start looking for food in other areas or even other homes.
If you want more solutions, call for pest control in Jupiter, FL.
4. DIY Bait and Traps
If you’re not getting the job done with your vinegar spray, you can create a homemade ant trap. There are simple household solutions that can trap the bugs that you can’t get out of your house.
Fill small containers with Borax and sugar. Place them where ants are, and they’ll start to chow down. When they bring some of the mixture back to the ant colony, all the ants should be poisoned by the borax.
Some bugs like fattier foods, so you could try to use peanut butter with Borax.
However, if you have a dog or kids around, you could be setting yourself up for a trip to the emergency room with an upset stomach. Use DIY solutions that are appropriate to your home life. Enclosed traps will keep dogs, cats, and kids from getting into the poison.
If you’re dealing with fruit flies, one of the best solutions around is to catch them with wine.
Fill a jar or a cup with an inch or two of old red wine. Stretch a piece of saran wrap over the top and hold it down with a rubber band. Take a knife or a fork and poke some holes in the top.
The flies will be attracted to the sweet and sugary scent of the wine. When they get in, they’ll start to drink the wine and those little gluttons will quickly become drunk. Make the holes small enough so that the flies can go through; in their impaired state, they should have trouble getting out.
5. Use Less Water
If you’ve got bugs and gnats hovering around your plants, it’s possible you’re overwatering them. When fungi grow due to having too much water in the soil, you’ll have baby bugs living in the dirt.
To get rid of these, make sure that your plants are totally dried out on the surface before you water them again. Without water, larvae will die out and new gnats won’t grow to maturity.
You’ll find that when your plants are getting the right amount of water, they’ll be much happier.
Getting Rid of House Bugs Is a Constant Effort
Trying to deal with house bugs on your own can be a stressful affair.
You might think you’ve gotten them all only to see a family of ants walk by right before bed. With some diligence, you should be able to take care of your bug problem.
If you’re dealing with termites, check out our guide to getting the job done!