InFluential_Magazine_May_June_2017
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IN FLUENCE<br />
Lifestyle<br />
HOMEMADE SOLUTIONS<br />
for<br />
PEST PROBLEMS<br />
T<br />
THE BATTLE BETWEEN HUMANS AND PESTS<br />
HAS RAGED ON FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS,<br />
INCLUDING CAVE DWELLERS WHO MAY HAVE<br />
USED CAMPHOR LEAVES AS MOSQUITO<br />
REPELLENT 77,000 YEARS AGO, ACCORDING<br />
TO RESEARCHERS AT SOUTH AFRICA’S<br />
UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND.<br />
he struggle isn’t too different<br />
today, as homeowners<br />
still try home remedies with varying<br />
levels of success. Ron Harrison, Ph.D.,<br />
Orkin entomologist, shares these tips<br />
for effective home treatments.<br />
Fire Ants<br />
Fire ants have painful stingers, so it’s<br />
no wonder people try to discourage<br />
them with cornmeal, grits, boric acid,<br />
garlic cloves or cayenne pepper.<br />
Unfortunately, Harrison said these<br />
remedies rarely work because they<br />
seldom eliminate the colony. A pest<br />
control professional targets the<br />
whole colony, specifically the queens.<br />
Things you can do at home include:<br />
• Take away attractive food and<br />
water sources. Clean up outdoor<br />
spills, open food containers, and pet<br />
food<br />
•<br />
and water bowls.<br />
Make fire ants uncomfortable because<br />
they seldom return to the same<br />
spot – mowing over a colony can help.<br />
Flies<br />
Science backs up public perception<br />
of flies being dirty: they carry<br />
twice as many pathogens as a cockroach,<br />
breed rapidly and contaminate<br />
the surfaces and food they<br />
land on. Home remedies like suspending<br />
a clear bag of water outside<br />
don’t usually deter them.<br />
To cut down on flies, Harrison<br />
recommends:<br />
• Regularly wiping countertops<br />
and<br />
•<br />
cleaning food and drink spills.<br />
Emptying trash cans frequently.<br />
• Installing screens on doors and<br />
windows.<br />
• Turning on fans.<br />
Mosquitoes<br />
Mosquitoes are the uninvited guests<br />
of summer barbecues. Harrison<br />
said the insects are attracted to<br />
perspiration, some perfumes and<br />
some colognes, but are repelled by<br />
other scents, such as citronella. For<br />
citronella to be effective, Harrison said<br />
the amount of scent you would need<br />
would be almost overwhelming.<br />
To effectively deter these biting<br />
bugs<br />
•<br />
from your yard:<br />
Remove standing water from<br />
gutters, buckets and other areas<br />
where<br />
•<br />
mosquitoes can breed.<br />
Change water in bird baths,<br />
fountains<br />
•<br />
and potted plants frequently.<br />
Thin out vegetation where<br />
adult mosquitoes may live and feed.<br />
Wasps<br />
Most people have developed a wellearned<br />
fear of wasps, which can sting<br />
repeatedly and are poisonous to some.<br />
Harrison said that while wasps may<br />
not like the scent of hanging rosemary<br />
bunches, unless you kill the queen,<br />
she’ll continue to reproduce and you<br />
won’t achieve much of an impact.<br />
82 FLUENTIAL MAY / JUNE <strong>2017</strong>
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