The Frugal Homeowner’s Guide to Pest Control

There is nothing worse than going into your kitchen and noticing something moving… and realizing you have a whole trail of ants exploring your house. Living in the South, the season for these kinds of pests is from March to October, so I’ve become somewhat of an expert in dealing with unwanted pests. The warm weather brings them out, and then they want to go live somewhere cool, like inside our house. That’s a big no for me! Thankfully, there are lots of simple ways to deal with pests, many of which don’t cost very much money. Here is my frugal homeowner’s guide to pest control.

Before you can really try to eradicate a pest, there are three important steps to take. First, eliminate outdoor attractants. Do you have old or dead plants or greenery near your house? This attracts pests to the perimeter of your house, where they will often then find their way inside. Second block entry points. Older houses especially may have cracks around windows and door frames. Caulk these up to prevent unwanted access. Third, remove what’s attracting them. You might need to do a deep clean of your house to figure this out. Years ago we had a problem with German cockroaches and realized our fridge had a tiny leak underneath. The moisture under the fridge was attracting them. If you put out bait or attempt to control a pest but you still have the thing they’re attracted to, it will never end!

The Frugal Homeowner’s Guide to Pest Control

Ants

When it comes to ants, there are several options. The first thing I try if there aren’t very many of them is to soak cotton balls in a solution of water, Borax, and sugar. The sugar attracts them and the Borax kills them. You can place these at intervals around the floorboards.

For ants outside or close to exterior doors, diatomaceous earth is a great remedy. Buy the food grade kind if you have pets. This is harmless to people and animals but dries out insects so they eventually die. It takes some time to work but is highly effective.

There are many kinds of ant baits and traps you can get at Walmart or your local hardware store, but by and far the best ant treatment I’ve ever found is Advion ant gel. I discovered this a few years ago and it works quickly and effectively. A few weeks ago I noticed a trail of ants coming out of our downstairs bathroom. I had some ant gel left, so I used that up and quickly overnighted another tube. Within 24 hours the ants were gone and have not returned. It can be a little disconcerting at first because you will see what looks like a million ants flocking to the gel. But once they’ve gotten some they will take it back to wherever they came from, never to return.

Cockroaches (Palmetto bugs and German cockroaches)

For a large infestation you might need to call the professionals, but for smaller ones, I recommend Advion cockroach gel bait. While it might seem a little pricey compared to the traps you can get at the store, like the ant gel, it works quickly and effectively.

House flies 

Flies are the bane of my existence. They try to get into our house for a solid 9 months every year and succeed because our kids sometimes leave doors open. Even with our best efforts, they manage to slip through.

My first line of defense is invisible fly traps. Put one on every window. I put two on our front door. In the summer I change them out about once a week.

In addition to the fly traps, I also use pressurized fly bait. This is a spray that is highly effective at killing flies. While it is toxic to some degree, I only spray it around window frames and around our exterior door frames. Last summer it didn’t cause any issues for our dog. It dries once you spray it and the only way it could hurt you is if you’re somehow ingesting it. This took care of probably 75% of the flies last year, and the fly traps got almost all of the rest.

Fruit flies

I also hate fruit flies, and in the summer when we have lots of fresh produce inside, they are inevitable. If I notice an infestation, the first thing I do is pour some bleach and hot water down into the garbage disposal and run it for a minute. They love to nest in there. Then I place a bowl and put about 1/2 cup of vinegar and a few drops of dish soap and swirl it around. Place this near the sink or your fruit bowl, wherever you are noticing the flies. They are attracted to the vinegar and then the dish soap kills them. Dump it out and refill it until you see that no more flies are being attracted.

Carpet bugs

A friend of mine has been experiencing carpet bugs and it has been a lot of trial and error to get rid of them. The top recommendation is Gentrol, which disrupts the growth cycle of the beetles. (It appears this may also help with cockroaches!) Nygard Plus is another option, but it’s a spray and you may need to be careful if you have pets.

Rodents

Rat poison is obviously the most effective option, but if the rats are in an area where pets or children play, it’s a no-go. Many gardeners also don’t like to use rat poison because of chemicals that leech into the soil. If that is the case, we have found rat traps filled with peanut butter to work really well. You can use each rat trap several times.

Wasps / hornets / yellow jackets

If you can figure out where their nests are, a good wasp spray is your best bet.

When to Call a Professional

While there are so many frugal ways to deal with pests, there are some circumstances when you need to call a professional. Don’t waste time or mess around with bed bugs, termites, or bees. While it may be pricey up front to deal with these kind of infestations, you will be glad you dealt with them and eliminated them quickly.

Have you ever had issues with pest control? Share your best tips!