Green Ways to Prevent Pests from Entering Our Homes

Pests are universally considered as undesirable and unwanted housemates. This is rightfully so because not only do pests partake in your food uninvited, they also leave destruction in their wake and they are dangerous vectors of diseases. Termites leave the most significant amount of destruction among household pests. Termites can wreck entire rooms if left uncontrolled. Some pests like mosquitoes, ants, bed bugs and ticks just hang around in your house to cause pain and discomfort. Rats, mice, flies and cockroaches not only steal or freeload on your food items, they spoil food or leave undesirable traces of their bad habits like droppings, bad smell or bite marks on foods or food items.

If that isn’t enough, rats, mice and cockroaches find their way into your dressers and wardrobes, nibbling holes into kitchen utensils and clothes. Most importantly, pests such as mosquitoes, flies, cockroaches, mice and rats are vectors of deadly diseases. This is why, every homeowner should know the importance of getting rid of these pests and preventing them from entering houses and doing so in a natural and green way.

Green Ways to Prevent Pest Infestations

There are a lot of pesticides, poisons and chemical repellents in the markets and stores, but due to the synthetic and poisonous nature of these anti-pest treatments, they can also pose health risks for household occupants like humans, pets and other insects or animals not considered as pests. These treatments can also be potentially harmful and polluting to the environment.

Not only that, anti-pest treatments can lose effectiveness over time and can risk re-infestation of pests into the house. This can be a problem for homeowners who are considering selling their houses and for buyers interested in getting a house. It may cost the homeowner or the buyer more for paying for building pest inspections and paying extra for hiring exterminators. Thus, there is a need for green and environment-friendly ways to prevent pest invasions and infestations.

1. Spices

The spices in our kitchens can have other uses other than enhancing food flavor. Garlic is a natural repellent for ants, mosquitoes and cockroaches. Rosemary and sage are also natural mosquito repellents. Bay leaves, cloves and basil leaves provide effective repellent solutions for pesky house flies.

2. Plants and Plant Extracts

Cucumber and citrus oil are natural repellents for ants. Catnip is a natural repellent to cockroaches, but is an attractant to cats, so make sure your home doesn’t have cats before using this plant. Neem tree extracts such as neem oil and products from neem tree such as mosquito coils are effective mosquito repellents. Mint and eucalyptus plants and their extracts are effective deterrents for houseflies. Lemongrass, especially its extract citronella, is also a very effective mosquito repellent.

3. Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous earth (DE) is made from fossilized remains of tiny, aquatic organisms called diatoms. DE is mined from riverbeds and lakes. This rock is soft and crumbly and forms a soft powder. Fine powdered form of DE is used as a natural pesticide. It is effective against garden and home pests such as silverfish, darkling beetles, wasps, ants, bedbugs, crickets, fleas, ticks, cockroaches and many other pests. Little is known about this natural pesticide, but users that have utilized this natural pesticide can attest to its effectiveness.

There is a growing need for green and safe ways of preventing pest infestation and invasion. As synthetic and chemical based pesticides and repellents can be toxic and could cause adverse health effects such as cancer and brain defects, the long-term effectiveness of chemical treatments are not always reliable.

Aside from saving money from buying expensive insect repellents homeowners can also help the environment by going natural and using biodegradable products. Prevention is better than cure, and so make the necessary preparations to prevent a full-blown pest invasion in your homes.

Salman Zafar

Salman Zafar is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of EcoMENA. He is a consultant, ecopreneur and journalist with expertise across in waste management, renewable energy, environment protection and sustainable development. Salman has successfully accomplished a wide range of projects in the areas of biomass energy, biogas, waste-to-energy, recycling and waste management. He has participated in numerous conferences and workshops as chairman, session chair, keynote speaker and panelist. He is proactively engaged in creating mass awareness on renewable energy, waste management and environmental sustainability across the globe Salman Zafar can be reached at salman@ecomena.org

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