Acetic acid makes vinegar an excellent tool for pest control, repelling some of the most common backyard nuisances and even killing weaker insects. It's most effective against ants, spiders, and mosquitos.
Vinegar is one of the best ingredients to make a pest control spray. It is effective in repelling ants, mosquitoes, fruit flies, and many others. Creating a mix is quite simple and is considered safe for humans and pets. Acidity of the vinegar is potent enough to kill many pests.
One of the easiest homemade bug sprays, simply mix one cup of white vinegar, at Walmart, with three cups of water. You can also add half a teaspoon of dishwashing soap to help the solution adhere. Shake thoroughly and apply to the affected areas.
Both apple cider vinegar and white vinegar are a good base for an insect repellent, as they deter flies and, combined with specific essential oils, will deter mosquitoes and ticks as well.
Make an All-Purpose Insect Repellent
Lemongrass or citronella oil, and 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar. 1 cup isopropyl alcohol, 1 cup water, ½ tsp. catnip oil. 1 cup alcohol or witch hazel and 10-20 drops of essential oils such as lemongrass, peppermint, or lemon eucalyptus.
Grain insects: These teeny tiny bugs typically hide in dry food pantries. They enjoy munching on foods like flour, rice, dry pasta, and cereals. Also known as weevils, or flour beetles, they are typically between 2mm and 3mm long.
Bay leaves can help to deter some bugs from hanging out in your home. Place these in your cabinets to help keep pests, like cockroaches, ants, and weevils, away. You can also try putting them in your containers as well.
Windex – Windex is one of the most common and most effective DIY household products for pest control. Windex is toxic to most pests, especially spiders. Spraying window cleaner directly onto small insects like ants or mosquitoes will kill them within a few moments.
Distilled vinegar does not kill or repel roaches, making it completely ineffective. Distilled vinegar will help keep your kitchen clean, giving cockroaches less to snack on. However, roaches can live for months at a time without any food at all, and they will eat almost anything to survive.
For this DIY fruit fly trap, sweet apple cider vinegar (ACV) is more effective than white vinegar. They can't resist the scent of vinegar, and they won't be able to exit once they're inside! For an even better chance at success, make several of these traps and place them around your kitchen.
Create a fly and wasp repellent.
Upstairs Downstairs Cleaning says that you can use full-strength Pine-Sol as an insecticide or a 4:1 Pine-Sol to water solution spray for staving off wasps and other stinging insects—just steer clear of honeybees!
Unfortunately, there is no scientific evidence that baking soda works to kill bed bugs. Baking soda is said to dehydrate bed bugs. While baking soda may kill off one or two bugs, it's rarely strong enough to get rid of an entire infestation.
One common spot for pesky pests is the often-overlooked cabinet beneath the sink. Start by taking everything out and wiping it all down. Scrub the entire cabinet, making sure you focus on the hard-to-reach corners, then spray with a product designed to kill roaches.
The abundance of food and moisture in this household area, coupled with the warmth provided by cooking appliances, helps make pests feel right at home in the kitchen. Additionally, cluttered cabinets and trash serve as ideal nesting sites for rodents.
To make this natural roach repellent, mix equal parts sugar and baking soda in a small bowl, and place it in your cabinets. Check it every few days and refill it as necessary.
Finding the infested material and the source of the infestation is the key to getting them eliminated. If the cabinets and pantry are cluttered, discard whatever is old and no longer needed. Once the cabinets are empty, vacuum them very well. This will remove any hidden insects and all debris.
Pantry moths (Indian meal moths)
Indian meal moths are small pests commonly found in kitchens and pantries. They typically invade homes after being released from packaged food full of eggs and larvae. Larvae feed on grains before transforming into adults, which quickly leave bags.
The most common small brown beetles are the drugstore beetles, also known as bread beetles or biscuit beetles. They are one of the most common stored produce pest insects in the U.S. These beetles get their name from their love of stored products and, oddly, prescription drugs.
Most dryer sheets contain the ingredient linalool, which can be found in plants like lavender, basil, and coriander, all of which naturally repel common garden pests. Similar studies found that this ingredient is also useful for repelling bugs like mites, weevils, beetles, and German cockroaches.
A mixture of ½ cup rubbing alcohol and 1 quart of liquid soap can make an effective pest control spray to get rid of whiteflies, aphids, mealy bugs, scale insects, and thrips.
Peppermint. Peppermint essential oil might just be the holy grail of natural pest repellents to leave around your home's entry points, as it can help keep away ticks, spiders, roaches, moths, flies, fleas, beetles, and ants. Use sachets of this oil near your doors and windows or try making a diffuser or spray.