We've always got 'em, but the last week, they're out of control. I woke up in the middle of the night with ants on my arm! We have cleaned everything to an inhuman level of sterility already, and I'm about to do something I've never done and resort to chemicals....
In New Mexico, we are lucky to have entomologist Richard Fagerlund. He writes a weekly column, "Ask the Bugman," which appears in the Albuquerque Journal. He offers lots of non-toxic solutions for all kinds of bug problems, which you can find at his website, www.askthebugman.com.
Ants, for example: try a mixture of boric acid (I bought some in powder form at Walgreen's), peanut butter, and jelly. It works on lots (not all) household ants. Two tablespoons each of PB and J with 1 tablespoon of boric acid, out of reach of pets and children. Try it, it works!
You need to figure out where they're getting in. Seal up cracks (remember to use a no/low VOC caulk.) You could also use some lemon juice - they don't like it. For ant mounds outside (we have crazy fire ants here) sprinkle some grits around the mound. The ants will take the grits to the Queen, the Queen eats them, when she drinks water, the grits expand and will make her explode! Ants also detest cucumber peels. You could also try rosemary oil which keeps many pests away.
hi there - trying to ward off blow flies. last year we experienced an infestation we think is due to large fruit tree outside that yields hundreds of apricots that might be rotting.
Okay. So the flies (as well as other creepy crawlies) would have an excellent food source. That should be the first thing to address. If you could clean up the fallen apricots on a regular basis (preferably daily) that could be the start. Also, depending on what part of the country you're in, some places have major infestation issues at certain times of the year, so it may or may not be the apricots. The goal is to keep them out of the house, so I would try flypaper (it's ugly but works) and consider getting a light sourced bug zapper (annoying but better than the toxicity of an insecticide.) Flies also don't like mint and basil so think about potting some and putting them at the entrace of your home. You could also try hanging little saucers filled with some white wine and dish soap which would kill fruit flies, but may work for the others as well. To make your own fly paper you can boil water, cornsyrup and sugar together and spread it on paper grocery bags.
Suzanne, Champion's suggestions are the best. Eliminate what the flies are breeding in first. At Home Despot you can find some outdoor fly traps, plastic bags with very stinky fly attractant inside. You fill them with water and hang outside, far from human habitation preferably. Flies get in there and drown.
You can make your own fly paper ! Peaceful Valley Farm Supply, near you, has both Tangle-trap and Stickem, stuff you can spray or paint on any surface to make fly traps. I use old paper towel and toilet paper cores. But much easier, most hardware stores still sell fly paper in coiled rolls that you (carefully, gently) pull out to make a strip that you hang somewhere and catch bunches of them.
The electric indoor bug zappers may work. Sometimes if the UV light inside doesn't attract enough flies, you can hang an attractant chemical bait inside the zapper. Hardware stores also sell this; it's called Victor Fly Magnet Bait.
mosquitos
Any ideas on a earth friendly insecticide for mosquitos, other than bats and dragonflies?
What about ants?
We've always got 'em, but the last week, they're out of control. I woke up in the middle of the night with ants on my arm! We have cleaned everything to an inhuman level of sterility already, and I'm about to do something I've never done and resort to chemicals....
ants
In New Mexico, we are lucky to have entomologist Richard Fagerlund. He writes a weekly column, "Ask the Bugman," which appears in the Albuquerque Journal. He offers lots of non-toxic solutions for all kinds of bug problems, which you can find at his website, www.askthebugman.com.
Ants, for example: try a mixture of boric acid (I bought some in powder form at Walgreen's), peanut butter, and jelly. It works on lots (not all) household ants. Two tablespoons each of PB and J with 1 tablespoon of boric acid, out of reach of pets and children. Try it, it works!
Ants
Ants! Ants! Ants!
Okay, sorry Hillary...
You need to figure out where they're getting in. Seal up cracks (remember to use a no/low VOC caulk.) You could also use some lemon juice - they don't like it. For ant mounds outside (we have crazy fire ants here) sprinkle some grits around the mound. The ants will take the grits to the Queen, the Queen eats them, when she drinks water, the grits expand and will make her explode! Ants also detest cucumber peels. You could also try rosemary oil which keeps many pests away.
Stacey Champion, CIE
Owner/Consultant
Champion Indoors, LLC/Champion Indoor Env. Services, LLC
"Dedicated to the mission of assisting in the creation of healthier indoor environments."
Insecticides and such...
What is it that you're trying to get rid of/kill, and maybe I can help...
Stacey Champion, CIE
Owner/Consultant
Champion Indoors, LLC/Champion Indoor Env. Services, LLC
"Dedicated to the mission of assisting in the creation of healthier indoor environments."
re non-toxic insecticides
hi there - trying to ward off blow flies. last year we experienced an infestation we think is due to large fruit tree outside that yields hundreds of apricots that might be rotting.
Integrated Pest Management Strategies
Okay. So the flies (as well as other creepy crawlies) would have an excellent food source. That should be the first thing to address. If you could clean up the fallen apricots on a regular basis (preferably daily) that could be the start. Also, depending on what part of the country you're in, some places have major infestation issues at certain times of the year, so it may or may not be the apricots. The goal is to keep them out of the house, so I would try flypaper (it's ugly but works) and consider getting a light sourced bug zapper (annoying but better than the toxicity of an insecticide.) Flies also don't like mint and basil so think about potting some and putting them at the entrace of your home. You could also try hanging little saucers filled with some white wine and dish soap which would kill fruit flies, but may work for the others as well. To make your own fly paper you can boil water, cornsyrup and sugar together and spread it on paper grocery bags.
Good luck!
Stacey Champion, CIE
Owner/Consultant
Champion Indoors, LLC/Champion Indoor Env. Services, LLC
"Dedicated to the mission of assisting in the creation of healthier indoor environments."
thanks for the tips
i don't think i'm ready to make my own fly paper (just yet :)) but your suggestions are good ones and i will try some of them. - sb
Fly away
Suzanne, Champion's suggestions are the best. Eliminate what the flies are breeding in first. At Home Despot you can find some outdoor fly traps, plastic bags with very stinky fly attractant inside. You fill them with water and hang outside, far from human habitation preferably. Flies get in there and drown.
You can make your own fly paper ! Peaceful Valley Farm Supply, near you, has both Tangle-trap and Stickem, stuff you can spray or paint on any surface to make fly traps. I use old paper towel and toilet paper cores. But much easier, most hardware stores still sell fly paper in coiled rolls that you (carefully, gently) pull out to make a strip that you hang somewhere and catch bunches of them.
The electric indoor bug zappers may work. Sometimes if the UV light inside doesn't attract enough flies, you can hang an attractant chemical bait inside the zapper. Hardware stores also sell this; it's called Victor Fly Magnet Bait.