There are around ten quintillions living bugs and insects on Earth. A quintillion has 18 zeros in it, so no, you don’t have 10,000,000,000,000,000,000 insects roaming around your home, but any amount of bugs making themselves comfortable on your property is annoying. Can it be unhealthy and cause damage to your house?

No one is obliged to have bugs in their home, but everyone is obligated to care about the environment and to use eco-friendly ways to keep the little creatures at bay. The first thing to do is identify what types of bugs you have so that you use the right natural product. Here are some ideas you can use. 

Herbs and Plants                  

Some herbs and plants are natural deterrents. While humans often enjoy adding mint, rosemary, or chives to their food, insects would beg to differ. For instance, rosemary, its natural scent drives flying mosquitoes and flies away from your property. 

Chrysanthemums, a popular garden plant, works well against ants, beetles, ticks, lice, and fleas. Marigolds are another choice that is still used by farmers to keep pests away from the crops. Different herbs and plants repel a variety of bugs. These herbs can also be used in the food you cook, giving you an added benefit. 

The essential oils in these plants act as natural bug repellents. But, strategically placing herbs and plants in various areas of your home or garden might not be enough. If you have standing water, it is likely herbs and plants won’t help much to repel the unwanted guests. You would have to eliminate that water to see results.

Coffee Grounds

For us, coffee’s for our good morning. For lots of insects, coffee grounds are their good night and goodbye. Caffeine in coffee grounds can be highly toxic to insects. You can set out bowls of grounds or sprinkle them in areas of your garden, or cover an anthill with grounds. The grounds also help the soil for optimal plant growth because it contains essential minerals such as nitrogen, calcium, and iron, among others.

It can help to repel beetles, fruit flies, and other pests. If you don’t have coffee grounds around, your local coffee shop does and won’t mind giving you a generous amount.

Natural Insecticide

In the olden days, we would just get out cans of poisonous insecticides and spray the living daylights out of bugs and out of us! As our knowledge increased, we began to see that this isn’t the solution, and there are much safer and effective products. 

When pests get out of hand, you need more than herbs or coffee grounds. If you feel the enemy is beating you, this useful link gives you dozens of ideas, methods, and products to control pests naturally and gain back control. When you’re armed with knowing what works and what doesn’t, you’re in a much better position to handle a pest problem efficiently, and eco-friendly. By using organic gardening supplies and utilizing other reliable items and products, you will get rid of pests naturally.

Boric Acid

Boric acid occurs naturally in plants, rocks, and water sources, forming the chemical compound of boron. It usually comes in forms of pellets or tablets, or grounded powder and is toxic to most insects. In small amounts, boric is not harmful to humans, but when using large amounts for pest control, you need to be more careful.

It’s a popular choice to get rid of ants and termites. You can apply boric powder to selected cracks and crevices, or create a recipe of boric acid and food that attracts ants. The ants will carry it back to their colony, effectively killing off a vast number of ants. Essentially, you would be luring the ants with the scent of food they like, such as honey, with the added toxic boric acid. Make sure that wherever you use boric acid, it is kept away from children and pets.

Keep It Dry and Clean

You might be doing something wrong in your home that is only making it more hospitable to these unwanted bug guests. Water is one main attraction to several types of bugs. Wet areas serve as breeding grounds. Standing water in a sink of dirty dishes is obvious, but there are less obvious places to look into, such as leaky pipes, or damp basements and attics. These places need to be dry and well-ventilated. Homeowners should ensure that gutters and downspouts route water away from the house.

Also, make sure the food isn’t left out. Enclose foods in tight containers and always clean up after eating, remove crumbs and leftovers before you sleep, and call it a day. Keep your home clean all-year-round, regularly dust, and vacuum your home to help stop the spread of dust mites.

Not every bug is harmful to your health, but some are, and many can cause major havoc in your home. Thanks to eco-conscious people, there are several ways, methods, and products that you can use to keep pests away from your home, without causing damage to the environment.