Spring time is here once again and soon summer will be upon us. We have a lot to look forward too including warm weather, longer days, vacations, and the kids being home from school. There will be family gatherings and parties, as well as getaways. Unfortunately, with all the good that summer brings, the warm weather also brings back insects. We are going to be discussing a few natural and safe remedies to get rid of these pests so you can enjoy your summer.
The first warm weather insect we will be talking about is the wasp. Wasps come back as soon as the weather turns warm. The colonies are getting bigger, and this results in more aggressive, hungrier insects. They do have the good quality of eating other dead insects around gardens but with their temperament, they are a huge risk to anyone who is allergic and their stings can hurt for hours.
Wasps do not like any type of mint, so growing mint in your garden will be a deterrent. You can also use peppermint extract or essential oil to keep them away. It is safe and nontoxic to any pets or kids who may accidentally get into it. Early in the spring, put the peppermint extract or oil on cotton balls and place them around your house and yard. You should put them any place you notice old nests or colonies, under roofs, eaves, and along ledges.
As for a more wide-ranging option, make a blend of dish soap and water and use it to spray small nests. The soap will clog their breathing spores and they will die almost instantly. This is an eco-friendly option that is more humane than pesticides. You can attach a sprayer to your hose with dish soap added to kill larger nests too. Make sure to wear protective clothing and stand as far back as possible to avoid getting stung.
Ladybugs and Asian Beetles
Ladybugs are known to be friends that help out in your garden, and for the most part, this is true. However, if you get an infestation or you get the Asian Beetle strain, they can be destructive. You can get rid of these insects with a natural oil spray. To make this spray, mix two teaspoons of dish soap with one cup of vegetable oil and keep it around. When you are ready to use it, mix two teaspoons of the soap and oil mixture into one quart of water and put it in a spray bottle. Spray the insects as needed. The oil and soap mixture will coat the insects and kill them quickly without hurting the environment or your pets.
Ants
As soon as the weather gets warm, ants begin to come out. They could be attracted to anything that is spilled in your kitchen or on your floors. Once you see one ant, you can usually bet there are more around. They can and will get into just about everything from sugar bowls and fruit, to baking goods like coconut or powdered sugar. You can make a natural spray from vinegar that will repel ants as they don’t like the smell. The recipe to make this spray calls for 1/4 cup of white or apple cider vinegar mixed with 1/4 cup of water. You can add this to a spray bottle and if you don’t like the smell of vinegar yourself, you can add up to 8 drops of the essential oil of your choice to help mask the vinegar smell. Spray this solution around your baseboards, counters, or any entry points you notice the ants using. This will deter them from coming back inside and will help kill any ones that remain.
Mosquitos
Mosquitos are a pest that can put a damper on the mood of any party or gathering. They seem to come out of nowhere and keep coming back no matter how many you seem to kill. A safe, effective way to reduce the mosquito population around your home or yard is to reduce the standing water if possible. Standing water is the mosquito’s preferred breeding ground and will bring them into any yard that has standing water. You can also grow mosquito-repelling plants like Basil. Mosquitos do not like the smell of Basil and will keep away from any place that has it featured. A final option is to introduce dragonflies to your yard. They are the natural predator that will take care of your mosquito problem.
Ticks
Ticks are one of the harder insects to get rid of. They dig into your skin and your pets fur and stick. A single adult female can have as many as 4,000 eggs in one sitting. They typically lay these eggs in clutches in the ground in the early spring. They hatch around a month later, and the baby ticks move out into your yard. You can put tick medicine on your pets to prevent them from becoming embedded in your animals or yourself. Planting basil will deter ticks as it acts as a natural repellent. You can also make a solution out of Tea Tree Oil and water but be aware that cats are sensitive to it. You can dab some of this essential oil on yourself or around your house or yard and the ticks will stay away because they don’t like the smell.
We have gone over several ways to get rid of common summer insects in natural and safe ways including:
• Mint and peppermint
• An oil and water mixure
• Tea tree oil
• A mixture of dish soap and water
• A vinegar and water mixture
• Introducing dragonflies
If you use some of these suggestions you should see a drastic decrease in the insect levels present in your house and yard. This will result in you being able to enjoy your yard no matter what activity you have going on all spring and summer long.
Warm Weather Insects Info-graphic
