Pest Control
From ACT GreenGuide
Pesticides are bad. Bad, bad, bad. They kill things in your house, and things around your house that you didn’t’ mean to kill, things in the rivers near you house that you didn’t mean to kill, and they maybe help to kill you. Insect sprays not only contribute to global warming, too. Avoid the lot of ‘em. Try these methods instead.
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Ants
Locate the place of entry (i.e. follow the trail). Squeeze lemon juice on to it and leave the peel. Ants retreat from lines of talcum powder, chalk, damp coffee grounds, bone meal, charcoal dust and cayenne pepper. Using this knowledge, it is relatively easy to show your guests the door without saying anything more.
Cockroaches
Plug all small cracks along baseboards, wall shelves, cupboards, pipes, sinks and bath tub fixtures, remembering that cockroaches can squeeze through cracks as thin as a 10 cent coin. A light dust of borax around the fridge, stove and ductwork is effective in controlling cockroaches. For those who like to watch their victims die, traps can be made by lightly greasing the inside neck of a bottle and leaving stale beer or raw potato in it. Flies: Flies dig sunny windows as an entrance to your home. Close said windows before the sun reaches them. Use sticky flypaper for those that get inside, you can make your own with honey and strips of yellow paper.
Moths
Keep vulnerable clothes dry and well aired. Wash before storing (you dirty pig!) - food stains attract moths. Camphor is nontoxic, and the major ingredient of moth balls, and can be used on its own. To trap: mix 1 part molasses with 2 parts vinegar, and place it in a yellow container. Clean regularly (you dirty pig etc).
Mozzies
Many herbal products such as citronella, penny royal, lavender and tea tree are effective repellents. They can usually be found as lotions, candles and oils.
Spiders
Well, spiders rock. They help control pests. If you simply can’t sleep with a giant hairy spider hanging over your bed, trap it in an ice cream container, slide a piece of card board or a magazine under the container and carry the spider outside. This is also an opportunity to get your partner to prove their courage and love for you. Stored food pests: Freezing dried food for 2-3 days will stop eggs from hatching and cause adult pests to freeze horribly to death. Weevils like beans and grains, but can be repelled by hanging small cloth bags of black pepper or bay leaves in food bins and in the cupboard. General preventative: mix 5ml of sandalwood with 1/2 L of water, and spray liberally around surfaces and cupboards. Smells like hippies, but what are you gonna do? There’s heaps more pests in the world, and heaps more ways to control them. Mice, silverfish, whatever, all the information you need is available online. One Australian site is http:// www.ecwa.asn.au/info/altpest.html, and another, American, one is www.beyondpesticides.org/alternative/factsheets/index.htm.
