Bugs and wee creatures in the country

[3boys4us]

I have always tried to avoid chemicals and such around our house but we have a problem. I am pretty sure we have a wasps nest either in the roof or attic or somewhere in our walls. We have a few wasps everyday for the past couple of months but today I looked up at the skylight and I have a about 6 very active wasps up there right now. I am allergic to them (although not deathly allergic).

We had to have a guy come this summer and spray for capenter ants - but only because dh told me they could walk away with our house. Now dh called the bug guy to come and get rid of the wasps. I can;t wait to see how much it costs.

This has been an overly creaturely year for us. We had garter snakes in the basement and mice in the basement and garage - but they don't bother me plus we have a cat. We always have some sort of animal nesting in our wood pile etc... or the cracks around home.

I hate spaying though esp. on a regular basis. Most insects don't bother me but how do you control insects (esp. wasps) without spraying?

P.S. I always get a kick out of Amy's (merpck) posts about the cockroaches and now here I am being just as bad.

[grahamsmom98]

Get a can of silicone spray...

You use it for lubricating things like door hinges and de-icing locks. It's cheap, sprays in a stream (rather than a wide spray) and will kill wasps instantly. No lasting fumes or harmful side effects (well, unless you inhale it on purpose, but you won't do that!).

We do this on the wasp nests that show up at our place, and it works wonders.

By the way, if you have snakes in the basement, you shouldn't have mice. Keep the cat out of there, and let the snakes do their "jobs"!

L.

[Dar]

My poor baby had a dead mouse in her bed the other night, the top bunk... right next to the cat, who brought it for her. Uggh. We found a live mouse in the bathtub last month, he was trapped there, can't imagine how he got there.

We also have tons of little beetles that smell like old cheese, and mosquitoes, and flies. Ugh ugh ugh. Mostly I try to caulk like crazy, and seal up all the tiny cracks and holes... I am the Caulk Queen, it does seem to help. We live in an old house that was never meant as a permanent residence and was built 50 years ago, and we're miles outside of town in the middle of the wheat fields...

Dar

[justmama]

Hi Rene, I'm also in Rhode Island. Small place huh???? We had this issue with cockroaches in my apartment building about 3 weeks ago. We were fumigated(much to my disgust) and I spent two days washing EVERYTHING down and moving back into my apartment again! So I pretty much have only sympathy for you. No advice. Sorry!
(by the way, you like the weather today? ICK!)

Meg