[tt-forum] Fwd: Pest Control Date: Fri, 11 Jun 1999 19:13:25 -0000 From: pmalchak >Pest Control > > Helpful predators around the home include frogs, >spiders, ladybugs, praying mantis, and dragonflies. >Keeping these beneficial creatures around can help you >reduce pest populations. > >Ants > > Vinegar. Wash countertops, cabinets, and floor with >equal pans vinegar and water to deter ant infestations. > > Flour and Borax*. Mix 1 cup flour and 2 cups borax in >a quart jar. Punch holes in the jar lid. Sprinkle the >contents around the house foundation. Keep borax out of >the reach of children and pets. > > Bonemeal or powdered charcoal or lemon. Set up >barriers where ants are entering. They will generally not >cross lines of bonemeal or powdered charcoal. If you can >find a hole where ants are entering the house, squeeze the >juice of a lemon in the hole or crack. Then slice up the >lemon and put the peeling all around the entrance. > > Pennyroyal*, Spearmint, Southernwood, and Tansy. >Growing these plants around the border of your home will >deter ants and the aphids they carry. > > >Fleas > > Vacuum. Vacuum, remove the vacuum bag, seal it, and >dispose of it immediately outside your home. > > Vinegar. A ratio of 1 teaspoon vinegar to 1 quart >water (per 40 pounds of pet weight) in their drinking >water helps to keep your pets free of fleas and ticks. > > Fennel, Rosemary, Red Cedar Shavings*, Sassafras*, >Eucalyptus*, or Pennyroyal*. Spread leaves or shavings of >these plants under and around the pet's bed. > > >Flies > > Prevention: Keep kitchen garbage tightly closed. >Sprinkle dry soap or borax into garbage cans after they've >been washed and allowed to dry; it acts as a repellent. > > Orange. Scratch the skin of an orange and leave it >out; the citrus acts as a repellent. > > Cloves. Hang clusters of cloves to repel flies. > > Mint or Basil. Mint planted around the home repels >flies. A pot of basil set on the windowsill or table helps >to repel fleas. Keep basil well-watered from the bottom so >that it produces a stronger scent. Dried ground leaves >left in small bowls or hung in muslin bags are also >effective. > > Sugar and Corn Syrup. Make your own fly paper by >boiling sugar, corn syrup, and water together. Place >mixture onto brown paper and hang or set out. > >Mice > > Mashed potato powder or buds. Place instant mashed >potato powder or buds in strategic places with a dish of >water close by. After eating the powder or buds mice will >need water. This causes fatal bloating. > > >Moles > > Castor Oil* and Liquid Detergent. Whip together 1 >tablespoon castor oil and 2 tablespoons liquid detergent >in a blender until the mixture is like shaving cream. Add >6 tablespoons water and whip again. Keep this mixture out >of the reach of your children and pets. Take a garden >sprinkling can and fill with warm water. Add 2 >tablespoons of the oil mixture and stir. Sprinkle >immediately over the areas of greatest mole infestation. >For best results, apply after a rain or thorough watering. >If moles are drawn to your lawn because of the grubs >feeding in the soil, you may be able to rid yourself of >both pests by spreading milky spore disease to kill the >grubs. > > >Mosquitoes > > Prevention. Encourage natural predators such as >dragonflies or praying mantises. Eliminate pools of >stagnant water. Avoid wearing perfume, bright colors, >flowery prints, and bright jewelry as these items attract >mosquitoes. > > Citronella, Tansy or Basil. Plant citronella, tansy or basil around the patio >and house to repel mosquitoes. > > >Moths > > If you can see moths, these aren't the ones to worry >about. Moths that cause damage to clothes are too small >to notice. It is the larvae of these moths that eat >fabric. Prevention. Store items in a clean condition; moth >larvae especially like areas soiled with food stains. > > Rosemary, Mint, Thyme, Cloves, and Ginseng (optional). >Chicago area weavers and spinners use 1/2 pound rosemary, >1/2 pound mint, 1/4 pound thyme, 1/4 pound ginseng >(optional), and 2 tablespoons cloves. Mix and put in >cheesecloth bags and place in closets or drawers. > > Dried Lavender or Rosemary and Mint. Make sachets of >dried lavender or equal portions of rosemary and mint. >Place in closets, drawers, or closed containers to >mothproof garments. > > Rosemary, Sage, Mint, Dried Lemon Peel, and Cinnamon. >Mix handfuls of first three ingredients. Add a little >lemon peel and a pinch of cinnamon. Place in muslin bags. > > Molasses, Vinegar, and Yellow Container. To trap >moths, mix 1 pan molasses with 2 pans vinegar and place in >a yellow container to attract moths. Clean regularly. > > Clothes Dryer. Kill moth eggs by running garment >through a warm dryer. > >Roaches > > Prevention. Close off all gaps around pipes and >electric lines where they enter the house by using cement >or screening. Caulk small cracks along baseboards, walls, >cupboards, and around pipes, sinks, and bathtub fixtures. >Seal food tightly. Rinse food off dishes that are left >overnight. Do not leave pet food out overnight. > > Hedge Apples (Osage Orange). Cut hedge apples in half >and place several in the basement, around in cabinets, or >under the house to repel roaches. > > Flour, Cocoa Powder, and Borax*. Mix together 2 >tablespoons flour, 4 tablespoons borax, and 1 tablespoon >cocoa. Set the mixture out in dishes. CAUTION: Borax is >toxic if eaten. Keep out of reach of children and pets. > > Borax* and Flour. Mix 1/2 cup borax and 1/4 cup flour >and fill a glass jar. Punch small holes in jar lid. >Sprinkle powder along baseboards and doorsills. Caution: >Borax is toxic if eaten. This recipe may not be for you >if there are young children or pets in the house. > > Oatmeal, Flour, and Plaster of Paris. Mix equal pans >and set in dishes. Keep out of reach of children and pets. > > Baking Soda and Powdered Sugar. Mix equal pans and >spread around infested area. > >Slugs And Snails > > Natural Predators. Gardener snakes, grass snakes, >ground beetles, box turtles, salamanders, ducks, and >larvae of lightning bugs all feed on snails. > > Clay Pots. Place overturned clay flower pots near the >shady side of a plant. Rest one edge on a small twig or >make sure that the ground is irregular enough for the >slugs and snails to crawl under the rim. They will collect >there during the warmest pan of the day. Remove slugs and >snails regularly and drop in a bucket of soapy water. > > Sand, Lime, or Ashes. Snails avoid protective borders >of sand, lime, or ashes. > > Tin Can. Protect young plants by encircling them with >a tin can with both ends removed. Push the bottom end of >the can into the soil. > >http://www.millennium-ark.net >