HOMEMADE PESTICIDES

Ants are as big of a nuisance inside the house. To keep them away from your food prep surfaces—and everywhere else, for that matter—deter them by washing countertops, floors, walls, and other surfaces with a mixture of equal parts apple cider vinegar and water. Another method for turning ants away involves mixing 1 cup borax with ½ cup flour. Carefully sprinkle the clumped solution around the foundation of your house. Note: Borax can be toxic if ingested by people or pets, so don’t use this around the house if you have young children or animals.

Prevent biting flies, horseflies, and mosquitoes with natural repellents. For example, lemongrass contains citronella, so mash up the inner leaves and rub the juice on your skin. Or, try making your own skin-safe bug spray. Fill a spray bottle with ½ teaspoon of pennyroyal essential oil, 1 cup isopropyl alcohol, and 1 cup water. Mix well and spray on skin, making sure to shield your eyes.

Fruit flies in your kitchen are a pain. Craft a simple homemade trap by pouring a thin layer of apple cider vinegar and a squirt of liquid dish soap in the bottom of a plastic jar or butter dish. Then cover the container with plastic wrap and poke a few small holes in the top. Flies will be lured in but won’t be able to find the small holes again.

Nothing ruins a day outside like a wasp sting. Cut a recycled water bottle in half, inverting the top (the bottleneck) and slip it inside the bottom half like a funnel and tape together. Then fill with a seasonally appropriate bait: In spring, wasps go for grease from cooked meat with water and a little dish soap, but in summer they’re more attracted to sugary fruit preserves with water and dish soap. They will fly in easily, but won’t be able to leave out through the funnel’s small hole.

Sticky traps can be wildly effective at snagging winged pests before they swoop in and chances are you already have materials in your home to recreate these effective pest traps. Mix 1 quart corn syrup with 1 quart water on the stovetop until it comes to a boil, then brush it on a brightly colored paper to attract the offending insects. The sticky corn syrup spread shouldn’t dry, and you can stick it in your garden on the end of a popsicle stick or clothespin, or by hanging from a string.