No matter how much some bugs fascinated you as a child, as an adult, you are bound to find them downright gross – especially if they are crawling all over your kitchen or washrooms. There is hardly anyone who hasn’t browsed the local hardware store looking for the perfect bug killer products safe to use at home. But you know, bugs are challenging to control with bug killers or chemicals. The minute the effect of chemicals dies down, they will keep creeping back, be it ants or fruit flies.
One way to control their recurring infestation is to find the sources that attract them to your house in the first place. If you know how to manage that source, you will have no bugs in your house. This article will shed some light on how different bugs get attracted to different sources and how you can curb them right at the root. Get ready to learn some bug biology!
Ants
It’s fascinating how a little food crumb can attract hundreds of ants in a matter of a few minutes. Ants are a cooperative species; while they go for foraging individually, they have their own way of signaling others of newfound foods. It is no less effective than a GPS signal. Ants leave tiny drops of pheromones wherever they go; if a colony member finds some food, others will follow the pheromone trail it left behind to gather around for a feast. This is why you hear the saying, where there is one, there are always more ants.
If you are wondering how to get rid of ants, you just need to throw them off the pheromone trail. A large part of their signaling depends on smell; with high functioning odor receptors, they have an uncanny ability to detect various smells. If you can mask their scent with something stronger you can get the ants confused. Regularly wipe down the common surfaces with dish soap and water to remove their pheromone trail.
Cockroaches
While the giant dinosaurs got extinct billions of years ago, this tiny creature survived; and this just an indicator of their adaptability. That’s why they say cockroaches survive the apocalypse and nuclear explosions even. If you have cockroaches in your home, be warned that they will be hard to get rid of. Cockroaches thrive in dark and moist crevices around food sources. That’s why you might see their creepy antennas poking out from under the sink or from the drain pipes.
Well, that doesn’t mean they are in your home only for the moist surrounding; they too love a good feast of leftover crumbs. And they love a dark and cluttered hiding spot for warmth.
Like ants, they too have a herd signaling method by the release of pheromone. To keep them out of your house, you will need to keep your home meticulously clean and wipe down the surface with citrus smelling cleaning chemicals. Cockroaches are repelled by citrus scents. In case of an infestation, try roach bait with a boric acid solution.
Flies
Flies might be tiny, but they are the first-tier disease spreader in nature, so don’t swat away the issue of occasional flies in your home. Common house flies are attracted to organic waste in the home; whereas, fruit flies come into the house for sugary food sources (like fruits). Flies can also be attracted to human skin. You might notice them landing on your face or hand whenever they are in the vicinity. That’s because they are attracted to the carbon dioxide we release in our breath and also suck up the sweat we release as their nutrients.
Flies thrive in an odorous and warm environment; these are essential for their survival and breeding. Their olfactory system is so superior that they can detect the smell from even four miles away. To prevent files from entering your home, you have to eliminate all odors around your property. To get rid of them from the house, you can use vinegar and dish solution as a fly trap.
Mosquito
These disease-carrying pesky bloodsuckers are everywhere. Although that annoying buzzing and blood-sucking habit might make you question the purpose of their existence, mosquitoes have their own role to play in the ecosystem.
While you might think mosquitoes suck on your blood for food or nutrition, in reality, the blood that they drink from humans is for reproduction purposes. Like flies, mosquitoes are attracted to human breath and sweat; that’s why you might notice mosquitoes are drawn to some people, but some are completely unbothered by the mosquito.
To mask your natural scent that might attract mosquitoes, you can use mosquito repellent. Keep your property neat and get rid of sources that contain still water, so mosquitoes can’t hatch eggs in the first place. Like most insects, mosquitoes despise strong odor; you can plant tulsi, lavender, citronella, catnip, and other strong-smelling, bug-repelling plants around your house to ward off mosquitoes.
Spiders
Even if spiders are less harmful than other insects, they can still be unhygienic for your home. And if this eight-legged creature creeps you out every time you see them, then that’s all the more reason to get them out of your home.
Spiders can survive both in a moist and dry environment. They generally prefer dark corners of the home. While the most active sense of a spider is its ability to sense even the slightest of vibration, it has a strong olfactory system. Spiders have smell receptors all over their legs.
Spiders hate the smell of peppermint; it is too strong for their olfactory system. Peppermint contains menthol, which can be poisonous to some insects. You can use peppermint, dish soap, and water mixture to eliminate spiders in your home. Spray this concoction around the house where spiders usually nest.
Termites
Termites are notorious for eating away woods and nesting in a large colony. Termites are drawn to wooden texture and moisture; given the opportunity, they can eat away the entire foundation of your house. A termite infestation might be hard to detect as they stay mostly hidden from sight. They abhor light.
To get rid of termites, you can use a termite bait of wet cardboard; they will get lured out of their hiding place by the temptation of cellulose from the cardboard. Once they are out, you can expose them to direct sunlight to kill them.
The Bottom Line
Arthropods are all around us; in fact, 75% of Earth’s life consists of arthropods. So if you are waging war against the majority that occupies our nature, you need to learn their behavior and what makes them tick. Try using natural remedies to repel the bugs at your home. Using chemicals can be harmful to both the environment, your pets, and your health.