Using chemical pesticides around your home can cause serious health problems for you and your family. This is why it is important to use eco-friendly solutions for your pest control needs.
Luckily, there are many green alternatives for pest control that don’t have a negative impact on the environment and your health. Here are a few of them to consider.
Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous Earth, also known as DE, is a natural and safe alternative to chemical pesticides. It can be used to control ants, cockroaches and bed bugs.
The small particles of DE are very sharp and abrasive and will damage insects’ exoskeletons. When these abrasions occur, the lipids from the insect’s waxy protective exoskeleton are absorbed, leading to dehydration and death.
A light dusting of DE can kill cockroaches, silverfish, ants, beetles and other crawling pests around the house. Use a hand duster or bulbous duster to apply a light coating of granules to areas where crawling pests are present.
It is a natural pesticide that can be purchased in most home improvement stores. It is also available as a dietary supplement. It can help improve the body’s use of calcium, fight free radicals and support bone mineralization and joint health.
Neem Oil
Neem Oil is a safe and effective organic pest control solution that’s also an excellent fungicide. It works well on powdery mildew, rust, spider mites, and whiteflies. It’s also an effective repellent to slugs and other garden pests.
As a foliar spray, neem oil can be applied to your plants at any time of year when insects appear. It’s a great way to protect your vegetables and herbs from pests all the way up to harvest day.
Neem oil is a natural pesticide that’s effective on over 200 insect and mite species. Its active ingredient is azadirachtin, a compound that inhibits insect hormones and disrupts their growth and feeding cycles.
Insecticidal Oils
Insecticidal Oils are a safe and natural option for pest control. They contain short-lived, non-toxic compounds and are formulated with the best interests of kids, pets, non-target species, and the environment in mind.
Insecticide soaps penetrate an insect’s outer body and break down their ability to retain liquids, causing death by dehydration. Abrasive powders like non-toxic diatomaceous earth also cause dehydration after scratching through an insect’s exoskeleton, killing them by removing the moisture from their bodies.
Neem oil is a versatile, organic insecticide that has been shown to effectively suffocate and kill insect pests and their eggs. It contains azadirachtin, a natural pesticide that affects insects at the genetic level.
Other insecticidal oils include d-limonene, an essential oil found in citrus fruit peels. This compound is generally considered safe for humans by the FDA and controls a number of common soft-bodied insects. It is effective against fire ant workers, several types of flies, paper wasps, and house crickets.
Cedar Oil
Cedar oil is an effective pesticide that can be used for a wide variety of insects. It works by disrupting pheromones, which are chemicals that insects use for navigation, mating, searching, and regulating bodily functions.
When bugs are in the early stages of their life cycle–eggs, larvae, and pupae–they are extremely vulnerable to the effects of cedar oil. When bugs touch the oil, it can dissolve their exoskeleton, impacting their body chemistry, breathing, and moisture content to an extent that they die quickly.
Cedar oil is also able to disintegrate fat particles that bugs require for their basic functions, including breathing. This process is called emulsification and it is a powerful, natural pest control strategy.