[KnitLady]

I live in the South and am starting to have bug problems in my house. It isn't terrible, a spider here and there but I hate it, and finding a black widow in the garage was the limit for me!

I want to get rid of the bugs without hurting my family! I know nothing about the chemicals used in pest control but I doubt they are great for you. My son is almost 6 months old and will probably be crawling soon and putting everything in his mouth. Any suggestions?

 

[KnitLady]

Anyone? Come on! Save me from the creepy crawlies!

 

[Spastica]

I live in Atlanta and spray full strength white vinegar on the corners of my house and near the windows - this helps keeps ants and spiders away.

If I see a bug or cockroach, I'll escort it out of the house or just wap it with my sandal.

 

[Twocoolboys]

Quote:

Originally Posted by boongirl Or, you can try thinking about where you find them and clean those areas. They tend to prefer corners and other quiet areas that are not disturbed often, like full closets, piles in the garage, wood piles in the yard.

The Handyman Digest from a few months ago had a great article about cutting down on clutter for pest control. I don't know exactly which month it was from, but maybe your local library has it and you could look it up. Some things I remember form the article are to not store anything in your garage in cardboard boxes as this attracts pest off all kinds, spiders, insects and rodents. Keep things off the floor in the garage, as well. And, one that really helps with spiders is to periodically sweep down your walls and ceilings in the basement, garage, and anywhere else you tend to get them.

 

[amcal]

We have a big problem with scorpions. After finding several in the house, we had pest control on the outside of our house only. It did help but my guilt got the better of me so we quit the service. Well, just the other night I went to let the dog out, flipped on the light outside and right there where I would have stepped outside was the hugest scorpion I've ever seen. I almost had a stroke.

I don't want to go back to using pest control but, I can't risk scorpion bites for me, my family or our dog either.

It's hard to know what is the right thing to do. I've read that diatenaceous (sp??) earth is supposed to be pretty good at controlling pests. You can get it at most pool supply places. My understanding is that it's ground up shells and it cuts the exo-skeleton of the insect which in turn causes the insect to die. It's safe for humans and animals.