Humans have been sharing their homes with creepy-crawlies for centuries. As a result, a number of simple remedies have been devised to help rid our homes of uninvited visitors. If these don’t work, you may need to call in the professionals.
They may be after your food, your blood, the wood that provides the framework of your home or even your clothing. Here are some natural ways to deter or banish those hungry, biting, bacteria-spreading creatures from your property.
• Ants follow a scent trail, marching in a straight line one by one. Disrupt the trail by sprinkling dried mint leaves, crushed cloves or chili powder at the point where they enter the house. Once they lose the scent trail they can no longer find their way in.
• Draw a line with a piece of chalk or baby powder through the ants’ route. The tiny gatecrashers won’t be able to cross it.
• Ants will gobble down baking soda sprinkled on the floor and feed it to their young. This causes their stomachs to rupture, reducing the pest population. They can’t resist a solution of sugar, yeast and water, either, which has the same effect.
• Effective baits against ants also include honey, water and syrup. Set them out in a shallow dish; ants get trapped in the sticky solution and die.
• Prevent ants from coming indoors–put tomato leaves and stalks over their nests.
• The best solution is to install screens on your windows and doors and try to keep food covered.
• Set out bowls of vinegar; replace them daily.
• Use blue tablecloths–flies avoid this color.
• The smell of basil, peppermint, lavender or tomato plants also wards off flies.
• Coat meat with lemon balm or basil before grilling it and the flies will stay away.
AN ORANGE STUCK with cloves on the windowsill KEEPS FLIES AWAY.
• If fleas have taken up lodging in the sofa, sprinkle it with borax, leave overnight, then vacuum.
• A dish of lemon slices placed in a cupboard will keep fleas away.
• If a rug is infested, sprinkle it with salt, let it work for a few hours, then vacuum.
• Put a bottle of sweet liqueur or leftover wine outside the door. They will climb in and become intoxicated. Discard them and repeat as needed.
• Leave hollowed-out potatoes or turnips as a lure. Crush them together with the wood lice that have crawled inside.
• Peppermint oil, turpentine and camphor are scents that mice find unappetizing. Dab a little on cotton balls and place them where mice might enter.
• If you do decide to set traps, lure mice with peanut butter or chocolate.
• Mites dislike both fresh air and light, so shake out bedding and blankets regularly.
• Vacuum rugs or beat them outside, and wash them frequently.
• Replace carpets with wooden floors or tiles.
GOOD TO KNOW 
How to keep dogs and cats free from pests
After every walk, check your pet for fleas and ticks. If you suspect the presence of pests, put some walnut leaves in the pet’s bed. If your dog or cat becomes infested, mix 2 tablespoons (30 ml) vermouth and 1 quart (1 L) water. Let the solution steep for 2–3 hours then rub it on the animal’s fur. Lots of brushing and combing also helps keep pests at bay.
• Help to drive away moths with dried citrus peel or cedar chips in small bags–they dislike the smell.
• Moths won’t take up residence in fabrics that are clean and used frequently, so shake out and launder linens and clothing regularly.
• Store wool and cashmere clothes in sealed plastic bags immediately after wearing.
• Window screens will help keep mosquitoes out. A mosquito net will help to prevent them from biting you while you sleep.
• Keep the pests away from patios and balconies by hanging up a cloth sprayed with a few drops of clove or laurel oil. Alternatively, pour the oil into small bowls or an oil lamp.
• Vacuum regularly to stop hair and lint from providing food for carpet beetle larvae.
• Seal cracks in parquet flooring and spray neem oil (available from health product suppliers) along baseboards. This makes the larvae stop eating and prevents them from growing and reproducing. Be warned, it will take time.
• For a minor infestation, use a cloth moistened with wine or beer as bait. When the insects have gathered on the cloth, pour boiling water over it.
• Combat cockroaches with a lethal “roach dinner.” Mix equal parts of powdered boric acid, white flour and white sugar and place in bowls under the fridge, in the backs of drawers and behind the stove.
• Remove food supplies immediately if they become infested with weevils and wash out kitchen cupboards with vinegar and water.
• Sprinkle a little borax on damp cloths and place them in the bathroom or kitchen at night. In the morning, shake them and their load outside.
• Grate a potato on a piece of newspaper to attract silverfish, then fold the paper up and throw it away.
• Wasps make themselves scarce when they detect the smell of heated vinegar. Lemon slices studded with cloves will also keep them away.
• Make a wasp trap by filling a narrow-neck bottle with diluted fruit juice and a little detergent and vinegar. They will fly in but won’t be able to get out.
• Try spraying rubbing alcohol where bedbugs thrive. It will kill some bugs on contact.
• Placing clothing, shoes and boots, toys, stuffed animals, backpacks and other nonwashables in the dryer for 20 minutes or more on a high temperature may kill bedbugs.
• Wash and dry nightwear and bedclothes at as high a temperature as possible.
