Tips to Get Rid of Those Pesky Pests

It's that time of year again when those buggy bugs start invading our homes, trying to take over and make a home for themselves. I have a list of remedies that can naturally deter these unwanted visitors from coming inside.

Ant Control:

Spread some ground cinnamon where you think the ants are coming in to the house.

Basil repels flies and mosquitoes. To deter ants, use catnip. Sprinkle it in their paths.

Make a mixture of 2/3 cup water, 1/3 cup white vinegar, and 2-3 Tablespoons dish soap. Spray where the ants are marching.

Natural Mosquito Repellents:

Splashing plain rubbing alcohol on yourself and allowing it to dry will deter mosquitoes from biting you.

Rub Vick's Vaporub® on your pants and legs to ward off ticks.

Use half vanilla (has to be pure vanilla) and half water and for a mosquito and tick repellent.

Dab lavender oil on your pulse points; it smells great on you but repels insects.

For Mouse Control:

Place USED kitty litter from a litter box in small tubs in several places around the garage. Mice think... "it smells like a cat--must be a cat - I'm outta here!". (Now, I've never used this method myself, and I don't know about the smell, but it might work.)

Buy a mesh/net laundry bag that you would use for washing nylons and 5 boxes of moth balls. Put the moth balls in the bag and hang it in your garage near the door to get rid of mice, birds, and bugs.

To prevent mice from gaining entry to your garage, stop up any openings with steel wood pads. Mice will not chew through these!

Sprinkle ground cayenne pepper around the garage (inside & out), and especially near entry holes. Pests don't care for the smell of it.

Mice hate the scent of peppermint extract. Simply sprinkle *pure* peppermint extract on the items in your garage you don't want the mice in or on.