Herbal Pest Control
Many houses
suffer from a recurrent problem of household pests. Some common pests in this
category would be mosquitoes, black ants, cockroaches, termites, flies and other
insects. These insects are difficult to get rid off and can cause disease and
discomfort. It is important from a hygiene and health point of view to keep
homes, pest free. The difficulty in using commercial pest control liquids and
mixtures is that most of them are harmful to the house hold members and pets.
There are a few commercially available 'sound devices' that emit sound at
certain frequencies that are heard by pests like rats etc and they stay away.
However this does not seem to be a solution for many other pests which are
extremely tenacious and require professional pest control measures.
In this
article, find a few herbal measures that work in controlling
this pest problem. Some measures may not be strictly herbal but are in general
safer than commercial pesticides.
Black Ants
These are a
particular problem in areas where it rains. These black ants seem to walk in a
long line and are impervious to many traditional pest control measures. Some
solutions that seem to work are as follows.
Sprinkle some
turmeric powder along their well defined trail. This is a safe way to control
and get rid of them. Sprinkle this powder liberally and see them run away not to
return.
Another safe
and easy solution is to crumble
bay leaves and scatter these crumbled leaves all
over the area where these ants predominate. This should help get rid of them.
Alternatively
boil 100 grams of tobacco leaves in 200ml of water. Keep overnight and
then pour and sprinkle this water into crevices and holes from which these ants
seem to emerge. This should get them running.
A simple herbal
cure to the black ant problem is to add three to four grams of asafetida
(asafoetida) to half
a bucket of water and mop the floor with this water. The black ants seem to hate
this smell and will generally stay away. This is a good solution for households
which face this problem on a regular basis.
Mosquitoes
A cheap, non
messy, smoke free solution to the mosquito problem is to drop a couple of
camphor tablets in a small cup of water. Place this cup close to where you are
placed and the mosquitoes will not trouble you.
You may
also burn a few orange peels in the room. This will get the mosquitoes running
for sure.
Termites (
White Ants)
Termites are a
major scourge and normally a termite infestation will require professional care
and pest control. Here are a few preventive and some herbal measures that can be
used to try and control the problem. If you feel the problem is intense, call
for professional help quickly.
Dried lemon
peels kept inside wooden cupboards help in keeping termites at bay.
Start this herbal preventive measure, if houses in your area suffer from this
problem.
Another
proactive measure that can be taken is to apply liquid paraffin mixed with
powdered camphor wherever these white ants tend to show up. Pour this mixture in
crevices and corners of wooden surface and stay safe.
A few pieces of
sandalwood kept in bookshelves and wooden cupboards will keep away termites and
other insects. continued..
Disclaimer: All information
is provided in good faith and no liability of any kind is accepted.
The information provided, is in the nature of home tips and should
be used with caution.
