Pests have been a trouble to humans for thousands of years by eating property and spreading disease, as well as keeping us awake at night. Today’s homeowners tend to grab chemical sprays or costly treatments at the first sight of unwanted bugs, mice, or other invaders. Yet many quick and simple pest control techniques have been around for a long time before those synthetic pesticides were developed.
People have created practical tools and ways of doing things for thousands of years, keeping in mind that the materials used were possibly found in the environment. These involved avoidance, repellents, or physical barriers rather than toxic chemicals. Many of these DIY instructions are not only safer for your family, pets, and home, but they are also surprisingly effective at eliminating common up-ins in your home. However, when the infestation becomes higher, you cannot rely on DIY. It is equally important to speak to an expert. Click here to learn more about it.
5 Ancient Pest Control Methods That Still Work Today
1. Diatomaceous Earth for Crawling Insects
Human beings learned long ago that certain fine powders do more than a little to keep insects at bay. Today, we call this substance diatomaceous earth, a powdery substance created from fossilized algae. DE has been reported to be effective in controlling many stored product pests, including the rice weevil and flour beetles. It works by mechanically disrupting the lipophilic waxy cuticle of insects, resulting in dehydration.
It accomplishes this by jeopardizing the exoskeleton of crawling insects such as ants, roaches, and fleas. When insects move over diatomaceous earth, the particles scratch the insects' protective shield, eventually causing them to dehydrate and perish. The technique does require patience, usually a few days before you begin to notice a difference, but after that, it is good to go, with the bonus of using no toxic chemicals.
2. Essential Oil Repellents
The ancient Egyptians and Greeks employed aromatic plants and essential oils to deter insects and critters. They smoked herbs like mint, rosemary, and lavender or rubbed oils on surfaces pests crawled through to enter their homes. Essential oils contain chemicals that are unpleasant to most insects, making them excellent natural repellents.
Peppermint oil is especially effective against mice and spiders, and citrus oils are good for ants and flies. Tea tree oil has a repellent effect on different crawling insects. These types of oils can be diluted with water and sprayed around doors and windows, or you can soak some cotton balls with the oils and place them where needed. They must be reapplied every day or two, but they are a nice-smelling alternative to bug spray.
3. Physical Barriers and Traps
There is an instantly recognizable counterpart to this approach: Ancient farmers and homeowners valued getting pests out rather than going to war against them once they had entered. They employed physical barriers, too, such as woven-material screens, sealed storage bins, and the strategic placement of roadblocks.
Contemporary takes on these age-old practices include caulking up cracks and gaps, putting in door sweeps, and using mesh screens on windows and vents. Thousands of years after humans turned insects into weapons, sticky traps, jar traps for fruit flies, and cardboard traps for cockroaches still operate on the same principles. They do this either by making sure that pests are unable to enter the area or by catching them before they are able to form colonies.
4. Natural Predators and Companion Planting
Old agricultural societies had to learn to cooperate with nature to encourage helpful animals and insects to control destructive pests. Cats were revered in ancient Egypt, not only as pets but as successful mousers and ratters. Farmers also observed that some plants deter insect pests when grown next to one another.
5. Food-Grade Deterrents
Ancient homes used typical food and spices as deterrents for pests. Salt, vinegar , and some spices were sprinkled at pest-problematic places. These were also safe for food preparation areas and functioned by creating harsh environments for pests.
Ants and slugs do not like coffee grounds, while all sorts of crawling bugs hate cinnamon and black pepper. Vinegar solutions remove the scent trails ants use to follow each other and generate acidic environments that many pests shun. A sugar-mixed borax solution that feeds ants is a great ant bait, but you need to pay attention while using it around kids and pets.
