Bugs And What You Can Do About Them

I've posted before on bugs coming into your home in the winter, to seek warmth, and food, for survival. And yet, is the summertime any better? In the northern hemisphere, we have mosquitoes, spiders are considerably more active, and a host of other critters to contend with. So what's a person to do? Use chemical sprays that kill not only the bugs, but harm you as well? I opt not to do this.

When it comes to controlling "varmints", I always go for the natural approach. For instance, in your garden, did you know that you can "companion plant"? In other words, placing certain vegetables or herbs next to other vegetables or herbs can either/or help attract good bugs, disuade the bugs we don't want, or/and help each plant to become healthier simply by companion planting.

For spider and mosquito bites, bees and yellow jackets, I use an essential oil blend called Purification. It only takes a drop or two to neutralize the poison from the critters. And while this may not be 100% effective on all critters, nor for all people, I am one who find it works extremely well. When it costs me pennies to rapidly neutralize the bites I've had from a black widow and from a brown recluse, I consider this stuff to be worth its weight in gold. And then some. And yet, you'll find people including doctors who will loudly proclaim this is not possible. You just never know until you try, do you? I know I am never without this very valuable oil blend. I just apply it topically and rub it in. That's it.

I watched an online video presentation about two years ago with a guy who does pest control. Interestingly, he did not use chemicals. He used essential oils, which are more commonly called "aromatherapy". He would put several drops of Cinnamon, Citronella, Lemongrass, or/and Clove into a 2 gallon sprayer, fill with water, and spray inside houses. He would spray behind the washer/dryers, on the concrete walls, around the outer perimeter of the house. He said it was very effective for keeping bugs away, including spiders.

If you have ants entering the house, one of the first things to do is make sure you do not have any food scraps anywhere on the floor or elsewhere. Ants apparently do not like Peppermint, whether it be essential oil or the herb itself. Possibly getting a diffuser and diffusing Peppermint into the air may help keep them out, although the oil will only stay as a mist in the air for 2-3 hours. If that would push them out of the house, you could them put the hopefully fresh herb at point of entry, which should keep them out, or at least, slow them down. This is one I've not tried.