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Warmth, sun, flora – the beauties of summer will soon surround us from all sides. With spring and summer comes a baby boom in the insect population. Your garden is sometimes too small for them and insect friends may want to visit you at home as well. If you’re not a fan of harsh methods like repelling and killing insects with chemical cocktails, read a few curiosities and tips on how to deter insects from exploring your dwelling by nonviolent means.
True bugs and bedbugs
There are dozens of species of true bugs that live in water or its surroundings. Even bedbugs are classified among the true bugs. In summer we are most often bothered by terrestrial true bugs – leaf-footed bugs. They are still abundant in nature and often stray into our homes. The most commonly seen are the green leaf-footed bug and the red-legged one. These little beetles are also known as stinkers. If you kill them and their bodies get crushed, it smells unpleasant. To prevent leaf-footed bugs and their relatives from visiting your dwelling, spray the area around windows and doors from the outside with garlic water. Pour two cups of water into a sprayer and chop 4 cloves of garlic, let the mixture steep for a couple of days.
Close relatives of the harmless leaf-footed bugs – bedbugs – can sour your lovely summer. If bedbugs move into your home, into mattresses or furniture, you will find out quickly thanks to red itchy bites on your body. Often in the end there is nothing left but professional pest control. In the first stage you can, however, try to tackle them yourself. Add 10 drops of eucalyptus oil to one cup of water. Spray the mixture with a sprayer onto mattresses and all other suspicious places and crevices.
Ants
Military marches of ants into your pantries and living spaces are an annual classic. Mix a cup of water with a teaspoon of dish soap and a teaspoon of alcohol. Spray this mixture on all possible insect entry points into your house and on ant trails. Ants are disoriented by this spray; they will no longer feel safe in your home and will likely flee quickly.
Bees and wasps
As grandmothers would say, may the Lord protect you, if you wanted to kill a bee. Bees are the most useful insects of all; without them there would be no crops, there would be no life. Still, it is clear that a stinging, buzzing bee visiting inside a house or apartment won’t delight anyone. The most effective way to deter bees is to use citrus oil. It is not poisonous and will not harm bees or you. But when a bee smells it, it will rather change direction. Make a citrus repellent either by mixing citrus essential oil with water, or make it yourself. Boil washed citrus peels (lemons, mandarins, oranges, grapefruits) for 15 minutes in water. During the summer refresh the interior of the house with this mixture. A spray containing lavender oil, on the other hand, drives off annoying flies – add 30 drops of oil to one cup of water.
If you find an unwanted bee nest or swarming bees, look for a beekeeper in your area and ask them for help.
Far less popular relatives of bees – wasps – can be tricked quite easily. Create a fake wasp nest around your house. Wasps, due to strict territorial rules, will rather fly away from the house.
Cockroaches
These tanks of the insect world will come to your house to feast on something good to eat or drink. The basic rule, therefore, is to prevent their access to your food. If nothing attracts them, your home will not interest them. But if cockroaches have already found their way to you, prepare a simple trap. Cut a PET bottle in half. Pour water into the lower part of the bottle. Turn the bottle neck upside down and insert it into the lower „bowl“. Cockroaches are very thirsty insects, so they will not resist the opportunity to have a good drink. They will crawl into the bottle, but they will not be able to climb back out.
