5 Eco-Friendly Pest Control Methods to Keep Your Family Safe

There’s no denying that traditional pest control methods can be damaging to the environment and toxic to non-targeted animals and insects. When you’re strapped for time, these more poisonous methods can be the more convenient option. After all, you can apply them, leave them to take effect, and the problem is solved!

But did you know, now, there are eco-friendly pest control businesses, as well as products you can buy and make yourself that are just as effective? Below, we’ve included five eco-friendly methods to remove pests such as bed bugs, mice and cockroaches, but keep your family safe.

 

Insecticidal Oils

If your yard has become overrun with spider mites, scales, aphids, or even mealybugs, there’s a way to control them without reaching for the hard stuff. Rather than risk killing off everything else that’s beneficial to your garden, you can instead use a horticultural grade insecticidal oil that actively targets those specific unwanted pests.

These oils work by suffocating the pests thereby killing eggs and young insects. They spread well, so you’re able to take care of more insects in one hit, but they break down quickly as well. While these oils can be harmful to the insects you do want in your garden, they are less toxic to them overall.

Tip: To ensure the eco-friendly oil is safe for your plants, spray a leaf then leave it for a few days. If you see no damage, spray affected plants on mild days with no intense sunlight.

 

Pheromone Traps

If you’re not 100% certain you have a pest problem but want to confirm it before taking action, invest in a pheromone trap. While they aren’t useful as a pest control method on their own, they are brilliant at capturing male insects, alerting you to a potential problem at hand.

Most common garden insects attract the opposite sex by releasing scents known as pheromones. A pheromone trap mimics those scents, luring the males to their death. While they are less likely to be effective for females, they can help you find out which areas of your yard have a pest problem.

Tip: Pheromone traps are an excellent pest control method for moths and various worm breeds.

 

Sticky Traps

Rather than spray your plants and yard with harmful chemical sprays that may prove dangerous to children and pets, you can invest in or make sticky traps. Sticky traps are yellow strips covered with viscous liquid; trapping insects attracted to that color. You can buy them premade or make them yourself. To make them, cut yellow material to size, cover them in a plastic bag then coat them with Tangle-Trap or a similar sticky substance. Place them around the same height as your plants every five feet.

 

Tip: Sticky traps are useful for removing pests such as aphids, flies, gnats, midges, and beetles.

 

Goldfish

Mosquitos are considered to be the deadliest animal in the world – which is hard to believe given their size. If you own a rainwater barrel, then you’re sure to be fed up with the number of mosquito larvae in it. Mosquitos thrive in moist environments and have a particular love for stagnant or sitting bodies of water. To stop mosquito larvae getting into your water in the most eco-friendly way, consider adding a couple of goldfish to your tank. They will effectively remove the larvae, leaving you with fresh water and fewer mosquitos lingering around.

 

Hire an Expert

If you’re not confident in applying an eco-friendly pesticide yourself, or you don’t know how to remove wildlife humanely, then get in touch with an expert from an excellent pest control services nearby. As more people are becoming conscious of their responsibility to the environment, HOA pest control companies are now set up to remove wildlife and garden pests in the most eco-friendly manner. Poisons, pesticides, and chemicals are now slowly becoming a thing of the past even on pest control services.

 

While it might seem like toxic chemicals are the only way in which to remove pests and unwanted creatures from your yard, there are now more eco-friendly methods that are equally as effective. Hire an expert to take care of the problem, or get creative with your pest trapping methods using any of the advice above

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