Picture this. You’re sitting on your porch, and a swarm of mosquitos accosts you. You reach for the bug spray and drive the annoyances away.
The likely reason the bug repellant is so effective is because of the DEET inside.
DEET or N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide isn’t usually an overwhelmingly dangerous chemical. Many cases of DEET poisoning are relatively mild.
Still, There has been evidence of long-term exposure to DEET resulting in memory loss and impaired muscle control.
DEET is just one potentially harmful bug spray chemical. Cyfluthrin, for example, can be mild to incredibly toxic if ingested.
Understandably, you’d rather rely on non-toxic pest control options. However, you may not be sure what safer, eco-friendly options there are or how to find them.
If you’re looking for less-toxic, non-toxic, and eco-friendly pest control, then keep reading. Hopefully, the information below will guide you in the right direction.
Non-Toxic Pest Control Options
There are many good reasons to opt for non-toxic pest control. For starters, chemical-free bug and rodent management is safer for you, your family, and any pets you have.
Chemical pesticides can cause environmental damage even when they’re limited to a small area of your home. They linger in the air and can make their way into the surrounding soil and water.
The resulting contamination can endanger fish, birds, and pollinating insects like honeybees and butterflies.
To help you reduce and eventually eliminate harmful effects on you and the environment, here’s a list of eco-friendly pest management tools.
Slug and Snail Trap
You may know that slugs and snails can destroy plants, but did you know that beer can get rid of them?
Some poisons will kill snails and slugs, but they can also harm the other fauna in your garden.
Beer works to get rid of slugs and snails because they’re attracted to the sweet smell and either killed by the ethanol or drown. You can purchase a container specially made to hold beer traps or make your own.
An old whipped cream container will work fine. All you need to do is cut holes an inch or two from the base of the bowl, bury it until the holes are just peeking above the dirt, and fill it with sweet-smelling beer.
You don’t need expensive liquor. Cheap beer will do, as long as it’s sweet-smelling.
Flea Traps
There are two kinds of flea traps to choose from: glue and light.
Glue traps attract fleas via smell and color. Once the fleas hop onto the sticky pad, they become stuck. A light trap uses light to get fleas’ attention and catches them with glue or electrocutes them.
Some glue traps do use poison. The poisonous glue is effective, but if you want a non-toxic variant, carefully read the label. The labeling should indicate if the trap is toxic or not.
Electrical traps, on the other hand, can harm pets and small children by shocking them. Both of these traps need to be carefully considered and purchased according to your circumstances.
Sticky Traps
Sticky traps are simplistically genius. All they do is hang from the ceiling or stake into the ground and trap insects. Admittedly, the ceiling versions can look a bit gross; but they do work.
You can dispose of the traps once they’ve caught enough insects that sticky strips can’t contain any more pests.
Castor Oil
If you’ve got moles ruining your yard, then don’t run for the ultrasonic repellers. They’re not effective. Opt for caster oil instead.
Castor oil will upset their digestive system and give the impression that your garden is somewhere they don’t want to be.
To make the solution, mix three parts oil and one part dish soap. After you’ve made the mole repellant, add it to a gallon of water and spray it into the mole tunnels throughout your yard.
Catch and Release Traps
It’s okay to want to get rid of mice without wanting to kill them. Catch and release or humane mouse traps allow you to rid your home of rodents without resorting to toxic chemicals or snap traps.
A humane mouse trap is, at its core is a box that you bait and lock the mouse inside. Cotton balls, bacon, dried fruit, or gummy bears are good lures.
Once the mouse is inside, you can remove the trap and release the rodent somewhere safe and away from your home.
Electric Traps: Are They Effective?
You hear about rechargeable zappers and how eco-friendly they are, and think about purchasing one for your porch – but should you?
UV light traps aren’t an effective way to kill mosquitoes. Firstly, mosquitoes aren’t attracted to UV light, but moths are. A bug zapper is more likely to kill a moth than a mosquito.
Rechargeable bug zappers are technically eco-friendly in that they’re able to be repeatedly charged. But they often attract and get rid of pollinating insects like the earlier mentioned moths.
Spatial Repellants
If you’re looking to keep mosquitos away from you, opt for spatial repellants. A spatial repellant emits (non-toxic) chemicals that mosquitos avoid. Mosquito coils are a kind of incense that looks similar to stovetop elements.
The coils spread their repellent in the air once lit and keep insects at bay. Citronella candles are another insect repellent that wards off mosquitos. You may have seen them in stores during the summer months.
Citronella candles often come in medium-sized tin containers and have a strong citrusy smell. When you light them, the citric smell irritates mosquitos and keeps them away.
Looking for Eco-Friendly Pest Control?
This list provides a few ways for you to mitigate a pest issue by non-toxic and eco-friendly means.
However, you should always consult and call a professional team to handle any severe infestations in or around your home. Our expert team has all the answers to your pest control needs, and we’re only a phone call away.
If you suspect you’ve got an infestation or require immediate pest removal, then call Elevate Pest Control for a free quote today!