A New Take On Natural Insect Control

The first key to natural insect control is prevention. Caulking cracks in walls and floors helps prevent insects from entering your house. Keep food put away and wipe up crumbs so ants and roaches find nothing on which to feed. Allow harmless spiders (like the Daddy longlegs) to build webs around the house to trap other insects. In the garden, lady bugs and praying mantis can keep down populations of unwanted insects.

Natural insect control can be enhanced with the use of essential oils. Peppermint, spearmint and cinnamon are well known as natural ant repellents: just place the oil on a piece of fabric and wedge it into their entries and exits. Pennyroyal has been used in natural flea collars, but is can be toxic in high concentrations. (Remember, some natural substances may also be poisons: one deadly example is foxglove.)

Citronella, another natural oil derived from citron may deter mosquitos and is often found in candle form. Traditional wisdom has it that moths are repelled by cedar oil. Eucalyptus and bay have also been used to deter them: for natural insect control, just place the leaves in dressers or closets.

Ultrasonic technology is effective against most insect pests and is a simple method of natural insect control. The devices plug into the wall, and usually one device can cover the entire floor of a house or industrial space. Emitting an ultrasonic tone of over 20,000 Hertz, the device creates distress and confusion in insects and rodents, who flee the irritating sound. Because of the high frequency, people and domestic pets are undisturbed.