Pest Control
Pest control
- GENERAL PURPOSE PEST CONTROL
Diatomacious Earth
Diatomacious Earth or Shell Flour is one of our favorite pest control products. It's very inexpensive (look on ebay or in your farm & home store). We use it in the house around baseboards because it is non-toxic. In fact some people (me included) have ingested it as a internal cleaner. It's safe around little ones. It's supposed to kill intestinal parasites and flush them out of your body. It's a form of silica which is supposed to be one of those things that your body needs. We use it in the summer time in the garden to control aphids and around the windows and doors of the house to keep ants and spiders away. They don't like crawling through it. The fine powder works on creepy crawlies by cutting up their tiny little bodies like a razor blade. One caveat...every time it rains or gets wet you'll need to spread some more because it loses it's effectiveness.
ANTS
Vinegar to get rid of tiny ants.
"One clove of garlic, one onion, one tablespoon of cayenne pepper and a quart of water. Steep for one hour, add a tablespoon of liquid soap and spray it around the house" for ant and roach control.
Mixing baking soda with powdered sugar and applying to infested areas.
Wash kitchen surfaces with vinegar solution and sprinkling bone meal, chili powder and powdered charcoal in and around suspected points of entry.
Pour a line of any of the following where the ants are entering the building: cinnamon, cream of tartar, red chili pepper, salt, dried mint or sage, or cucumber peelings.
Apply perfume to the entry point.
Mix a tablespoon of sugar and a tablespoon of borax with 2 tablespoons of water. Soak cotton balls in mixture and place on low lids.
Band sticky, adhesive materials around base of plants and trees to deter ants, which can carry and colonize aphids.
Border gardens with bone meal.
Mix 2 tablespoons boric acid, 2 tablespoons sugar and a cup of water. Soak paper towels, place on dishes, and set out for ants.
Mix 4 ounces of mint jelly with 2 tablespoons of powdered boric acid. Cut small squares of making tape and dab mixture on tape. Stick on floors behind cabinets and appliances.
Pour boiling water over the nest
Pour a line of cream of tartar or chili powder where ants enter house and they will not cross it. For fire ants, sprinkle a teaspoon of instant grits on each mound.
Mixture of 10 1/2 ounces of water, 3 ounces of Tabasco sauce, 2 1/2 ounces of Dr. Bronner's peppermint soap liquid (available at health food stores). Spray where ants enter the home.
Combine: 1 part active yeast 2 parts molasses 1 part sugar Mix the ingredients well. Drop a teaspoonful on several small squares of white paper. Place the paper squares along ant trails where they will not be disturbed. How does it work? The ants are attracted to the sugary feast and will consume it readily. The action of the yeast, however, will produce gas their bellies which they cannot rid themselves of. They essentially will pop. The best part of this method of pest control is that it utilizes no chemicals which could harm you or your family.
3 parts Apple Jelly 1 part boric acid crystals Mix ingredients thoroughly. Cut standard soda straws into 2 - 3 inch pieces. Fill a 5 - 10 ml disposable syringe (without needle) with mixture. Use this to fill soda straw pieces. Place in areas that ants have been observed. Keep out of reach of children and animals.
ROACHES
Make a roach dough by combining 1/2 cup and 1/4 cup shortening or bacon drippings. Add 1/2 cup onions, 1/2 cup flour and 8 ounces baking soda. Add enough water to make a dough-like consistency.
Bay leaf in flour bin to keep roaches out. Found ineffective by Dr. Mike Rust
"One clove of garlic, one onion, one tablespoon of cayenne pepper and a quart of water. Steep for one hour, add a tablespoon of liquid soap and "spray it around the house" for ant and roach control.
Mixing baking soda with powdered sugar and applying to infested areas. Equal amounts of oatmeal flour and plaster of Paris or equal amounts of baking soda and powdered sugar or equal amounts of borax and brown sugar.
Place bay leaves around cracks in room.
Set out a dish of equal parts oatmeal and plaster of Paris.
8 parts powdered rodent chow 3 parts granulated sugar 1 part boric acid crystals Add water to make the mix about the consistency for good mud pies and add green food coloring to avoid unintentional misuse as animal feed. Roll the mix into balls about 1- inch in diameter. Place balls of bait in locations used by roaches for raceways and harborage. The bait needs to be made up fresh every 3 months.
Take a one pound empty coffee can. Place 1 or 2 pieces of bread in the bottom of the can and soak thoroughly with beer - yes, beer. Place in areas known to have roach infestations. Be prepared to view a can 1/4 to 1/2 full of roaches the next day!
Roach repellant - equal parts of baking soda and powdered sugar (source: http://www.888CleanLA.com) Slices of fruit from Osage orange trees for repelling roaches. Limited value - Dr. Mike Rust FLEAS Eucalyptus, rosemary, citronella, pennyroyal, garlic on pets to keep fleas off - Ineffective Bayberry leaves as repellent on cats - Ineffective - William Dern and Richard Patterson Ultrasonic flea killers for pets - Do not kill, repel, affect jumping rates, interfere with reproduction or development of fleas - Dr. Michael Dryden of Kansas State University.
Brewers yeast, B-complex vitamins and elemental sulfur for flea control - Not effective Flea Shampoo (source: http://www.888CleanLA.com)
2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup sodium lauryl sulfate
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons peppermint essential oil
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons rosemary essential oil
2 tablespoons white cedar essential oil
1/2 cup citronella essential oil
2 tablespoons eucalyptus essential oil
Mix water and sodium lauryl sulfate together until completely dissolved. Cool. Mix vinegar and remaining ingredients and add to sodium lauryl sulfate mixture.
Flea Collar: (source: http://www.888CleanLA.com)
2 tablespoons peppermint essential oil
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons rosemary essential oil
2 tablespoons white cedar essential oil
1/4 cup citronella essential oil
2 tablespoons eucalyptus essential oil
Soak a natural fiber rope in mixture and let dry for several hours. Tie around pet's neck
Dog House Flea Repellant (source: http://www.888CleanLA.com)
Wash dog houses with salt water. Scatter fresh pine needles or cedar shavings under your pet's sleeping pad. Keep bedding clean
HOUSEFLIES Sugar and yeast for killing houseflies - Attracted more flies than it killed Sprinkle dry soap into garbage cans after they have been washed and allowed to dry; it acts as a repellent. Place tansy near your kitchen door or where flies tend to cluster. Other repellents include oil of cloves and mint springs. Set a sponge in a saucer and soak it with oil of lavender to repel flies. A pot of basil set on a window sill or table will help reduce the number of flies in the room.
MOSQUITOES Rub citronella oil on exposed areas or burn citronella candles. Pennyroyal, rubbed on the skin, tansy planted near a door, or basil plants will repel mosquitoes.
FABRIC PESTS
Cedar wood and cedar odors - not effective. At best only a few months of control in an airtight chamber. Cedar chips, newspapers, lavender and flower petals - Cedar chips known to be ineffective, others unknown. Mix 1/2 pound rosemary, 1/2 pound mint, 1/4 pound thyme, 1/4 pound ginseng, and 2 tablespoons cloves and put in cheesecloth bags to be used as a sachet.
Sachets of any of the following: dried lemon peels, dried lavender, bay leaves, whole cloves, cedar chips, dried rosemary and mint or whole peppercorns.
== GARDEN INSECTS ==
GENERAL 2-liter plastic bottle, string, 1 banana peel, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup strong vinegar Slice banana peel into strips and insert them into the plastic bottle. In a separate container, combine sugar and vinegar. Pour this mixture into the bottle, then fill it to within two inches of the neck with water. Tie the string around the neck of the bottle, then tie the other end around the lower branches of a tree.
Fruit and black flies, yellow jackets and other insects find the fermenting banana, sugar and vinegar more attractive than the fruit on the tree. Once they fly in, they get caught in the sticky mixture and drown. This reportedly works so well that it can make spraying fruit trees unnecessary.
Mix 1 tablespoon dishwashing detergent and one cup vegetable oil. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of this mixture with one cup of water and spray it on their plants.
Chili-vinegar Spray for Fruit Trees (source: http://www.888CleanLA.com)
4 jalapenos, habaneros or other hot chilies, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 quarts water
2 oz. beer
1/2 cup vinegar
Mix chopped chilies, garlic, water and beer. Cover and bring to a boil for 5 minutes, then let the mixture steep in the pot for 24 hours. Add the vinegar, strain well and pour into a sprayer. Spray leaves (but not blossoms).
General Pest Spray (source: http://www.888CleanLA.com)
1 cup grated castile soap
1 cup coarsely chopped tobacco leaves, fres or cured
3 cups boiling water, divided
1 entire bulb (not just one clove) garlic, peeled and crushed or chopped
1 cup of chopped fresh tansy (optional)
In a bowl, dissolve soap in 1 cup boiling water and set aside. In a blender, pour remainder of boiling water over tobacco leaves and let set for ten minutes or so. Add garlic and tansy (if available) and whirl until smooth. Strain through cheesecloth and discard solid materials. Add herbal liquid soap to mixture and stir; pour into a spray bottle. To use, spray the herbal liquid on insets and their environs at early morning and dusk for three days in a row. Because this mix drives most bugs away, but does not kill them, apply as needed.
Aphids on Rose Bushes (source: http://www.888CleanLA.com)
Mulch banana peels into the soil at the base of the rose bushes. This will strengthen them and ward off disease-bearing aphids.
Cucumber Beetles (source: http://www.888CleanLA.com)
Make beetle traps from open cans or milk cartons baited with melon or other garden targets. Place the traps around the garden and check them early in the morning and discard
Earwig Repellent (source: http://www.888CleanLA.com)
5 cloves garlic
1 cup water
3 drops liquid soap
Puree garlic and water in blender until liquefied. Strain the mixture and add 3 drops of soap. Add enough water to bring the mixture to 1 quart. Spray on plants Deer Repellent (source: http://www.888CleanLA.com)
To repel deer, roll several pounds of soft, scented herbal soap into balls. Tie the balls into small bundles, using cloth or net and string. Hang several bundles from each fruit tree. The deer won't come near the trees. As a bonus, rain will eventually melt the soap bundles and lend a bit of alkalinity to the soil below.
Snail Repellent (source: http://www.888CleanLA.com)
Option 1: Ring garden plants with bran cereal (plenty of it).
Option 2: Bury a small bowl or can flush with the ground and fill it with beer to attract and trap snails.
MICE
Stuff all cracks around gas and water pipes with steel wool (source: http://www.888CleanLA.com)
MOLES
Spearmint gum for mole control - useless - Bobby Corrigan, Purdue University Castor bean as a repellent
RATS
Plaster of Paris in rat baits - changed color of rodent droppings to light gray and nothing more, Dr. Bill Jackson, Bowling Green University. Also causes sore rectums, Bill Fitzwater.
HOUSEPLANT PESTS
Dishwater or soap and water. Spray of garlic, onion, cayenne pepper and soap.
INSECT BITES
Spider and other bites
I saw those pictures of the Recluse bite years ago.
I have known people with such bites.
Loxoscelism is the great danger in those type of bites but most people do not get that. It is the necrosis of the cell that creates a chain reaction of dying or dead cell waste killing adjacent cells. Your immune system may not kick in because it is your own cells poisoning the cells next to it. Once the dead flesh begins to appear or accumulate under the skin which is what those pictures suggest then you have a problem. Then you may need to do surgery although maggot therapy has been used even in ancient times and and has had modern success.
Young children or people with weak or poor immune systems are most vulnerable.
This necrosis can result from rattlesnake bite also. Most people who think they are bitten by a Recluse are not. They are not quick to bite nor aggressive. They are recluses.
I have been bitten by numerous spiders working for others under houses and in attics. One of the most common spiders out here have been the black widow and we do have recluses. I have been bitten by smaller spiders I did not see. I have had several bites that have ulcer because I did not attend to it right away. They were in hard to see spots and the bites are not always painful at the time.
I cannot say for sure that it was a Recluse but what I did was run very hot water on it for 10 minutes or more numerous times during the day, very hot and very often for no less than ten minutes and the redness and ring went away quickly and the ulcer shrank and healed up in short order.
I am not saying do not go to a doctor but that will not always be an option. Even Antivenom does not do much good if more than 24 hours has passed. Since the bites of recluses are not painful they often go unnoticed as in my case.
Some doctors use dapsone in conjunction with other drugs for treatment but this can cause Hemolysis which can cause rupturing of red blood cells which can create side effects. Antibiotics are not recommended but some doctors jump to their use when the word "bite " appears in the conversation.
Glyceryl trinitrate or rather Nitroglycerin like the heart pills can be used because it causes vasodilation a widening of the blood vessels and can bring about a delusion of the venom.
This of course is what the hot water can do. I just did what God told me to do at the time.
Cutting to cause bleeding has caused problem as with rattlesnake bites. The trauma may cause blood flow to washout poison but it can also cause restriction of blood flow after the fact as the body automatically tries to restrict blood flow after the cut takes place.
We have a lot of knowledgeable people in the network and we will need them to have a thorough understanding of things to protect us from the disease and the cures offered by the world...
As I was writing this I got a notice on the PCM group that there is a knowledgeable naturepath that is a part of the North east group and has met with a local PCM there.
This is the value of the network... people coming together for the purpose of helping others... not just themselves.
I hope you have all chosen a PCM in order to tap into the whole value of the Living Network.
Bees
Pain can be soothed by a thick paste of baking soda and water
Half an onion applied to a bee sting help to stop the pain and swelling.
Chiggers To ease the pain and itching of chigger bites, rub with a moist aspirin tablet
General
To treat insect bites, rub on apple cider vinegar to relieve the itching. A paste made of baking soda also helps.
To avoid insect bites, avoid wearing perfume, bright colors and flowery print clothes or bright jewelry.
The herb Plantain (common weed) works well for snakebite and insect and spider bites. It is also known as Ribwort. It is long or broadened leaf with long veins. The flowers are small cones on top of long stems which shoot up from the center of the clump of leaves.
One may crush the leaves and apply as a poultice, and also eat the herb (however one can get it down). Also, one might drink some diluted epsom salt or sea salt to get a madnesium drink to open the bowels immediately, and eat blood cleansing herbs and charcoal powder capsules or tablets (from hardwood) to adsorb the poisens inside. Also one could apply clay and/or charcoal to wound as well as eat them.
Blood cleansing herbs are: Goldenseal Root, Burdock Root, Barberry Rootbark, Oregon Grape Root, Turkey Rhubarb Root, Sheep Sorrel leaves, Red Clover Blossoms, Saffron -- to name a few.
Mosquitoes
Soak bites in salt water or apply a paste of salt mixed into lard or cold cream.
Skunk Odors
For those who may have been exposed to skunks, here is a home remedy to get rid of the odor: Mix one part of 3% hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup of baking soda, and 1 teaspoon of liquid soap. All of these are available at your local drugstore. Use the concoction immediately and then rinse off with tap water.