DIY Pest Control: Which Is Fact And Which Is Fiction?

There is a large amount of information on pest control available via the internet today. This is why many individuals are now opting to do their pest management and working to eliminate pests in their homes without professional assistance. Although some of the information and tips from online sources are legit and effective, some pest control tips are misleading, generate no effective results, and, worse, may damage your furniture and your home and may even put your health at risk.

Here are some helpful tips:

Grits do not deter ants. They attract ants

You may have read in many pest management how-to articles that sprinkling grits on the counter will keep away ants. Remember that grits are still food. If you enjoy eating it, so do ants. And so, grits do not deter ants. They attract ants. So if you do not want to have armies of ants on your countertops, do not sprinkle grits and create a barrier. It will only be a matter of time before the ants consume all the grits and proceed to search for more food sources in your kitchen cabinets.

Bay leaves keep pests away from your pantry

This is probably because of the strong odor that bay leaves give off. Many pests do not like how the bay leaves smell so they will keep away from places where they can smell its scent. That is why it is considered a highly effective deterrent by many homeowners and Myrtle Beach pest control experts. Simply place pieces of bay leaves all around your pantry and kitchen cabinets. You can also consider taping them around your food containers and spice canisters.

Remember, however, that you must clean your pantry, shelves, and cabinets regularly. Wipe away spills and food crumbs before going to bed as these attract pests. The dirtier your pantry is, the more enticing it will seem for pests, therefore, you should always keep your pantry clean and sanitized. Do this along with scattering bay leaves in your pantry, shelves, and cabinets, and no pets will think twice about invading your food supplies.

Cheese is not the best bait for mice

This strategy often appears effective in fictional TV shows and cartoons. However, if your goal is to lure mice towards a mousetrap or into a cage, using peanut butter as bait is a better choice than cheese. Pest control experts widely recommend peanut butter over cheese because it tends to be more enticing to rodents.

Vinegar effectively deters fruit fly

You should know that what attracts fruit flies to your kitchen is the scent of rotting or decaying fruit. They give off a sweet scent that fruit flies love. So, if you often place fruit on your table, you will soon find fruit flies flying around your kitchen in a couple of days when the fruit is quickly ripening. To get rid of these annoying fruit flies, all you have to do is place a cup of vinegar on your countertop. Cover the cup with plastic and place a hole in the plastic so the odor of the vinegar will be more concentrated when released into the air. The vinegar’s scent effectively masks the sweet scent of the fruits, sending the fruit flies away.

Peppermint oils do not eliminate spiders

Spraying peppermint oil on spider webs will only scare the spiders and make them leave their spider webs. But they will not go away and leave your house. What these spiders will do is they will construct another spider web nearby. Thus, spraying peppermint oils on spider webs does not help you get rid of the spiders. It will only result in having many spider webs in your home or closet.