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Pest Control info from Inkpot.
14 years ago
We are honored to have some good tips for home and garden prevention of unwanted pests. This comes from 
inkpot Please go check their page
for some other info and wonderful photos. :3
Good Evening to creature.comforts,
Since I have been receiving quite a few questions about dealing with pests, I thought that it would be a good idea to pass along a few helpful tips.
1. slugs and snails and earwigs outdoors (pet and people safe)
This is a fairly easy one to remedy, all you need is a glass or plastic jar and either a can of beer and a spade.
Go into the garden or affected area and dig a hole large enough to hold the jar so that the lip is just below the surface, now pour the beer into the jar. A few inches should be fine. Now you can leave it alone.
The beer will attract the insects such as snails and slugs, ear wigs etc. They will climb or fall into the jar where they will drown. Remember to change the jar regularly to keep down infestations.
2. Interior / exterior insect control (pet and people safe)
Quite a few people have been complaining about common household pests which have been hiding generally in their basements. This deals with the ones that creep on the ground.
For this one, I would suggest buying diatomaceous earth, basically it is a single-celled alga that has a cell wall of silica.
What you want to do next is line the border of your house's foundation all the way around. I have heard of people using it inside of their houses, but I am guessing that it can get messy. Like have chalk dust piled up around your floors...
While it is harmless to humans and other animals, it is deadly to insects. Why? Well if you look at the particles under a microscope they look pretty sharp.
To insects this is like crawling across broken glass. The reason why it is so effective is because unlike the other animal kingdoms which have skins, feathers etc. the insect kingdom has exoskeletons which hold their moisture in. This leads to the insects literally dehydrating to death.
Finally
3. Dealing with wasps outdoors (prevention)
Never rile a hornet / wasp / bees nest, you are going to regret it.
Now, if there appears to be no nests in the area, but they are looking for a new home, go out and buy an artificial wasp nest. These insects are highly territorial and if they see a nest they will look else where.
Another way to deal with them is to either purchase a wasp catcher or make one. this item has a little dome with legs to keep it high enough for insects to fly into and it has an inverted funnel which they can access. Once inside there is no way out. For the glass ones there is a cork in the top to allow for filling and disposal.
This can also be made into a fun art project for your kids, etc. All you need is a 1 two litre plastic bottle, a pair of scissors, a good strong glue or tape and a wire or string, fishing line can also work.
Cut the top off of the bottle so that the neck of the bottle is the same width as the rest of the bottle. Turn the now cut top of the bottle spout downwards so that it rests inside the bottom of the bottle, tape or glue into place. Finally if it is going to be hung from a tree or other hanger, make two small holes in the bottle near the top and tie the string. Now all you have to do is fill it with a sweet beverage or beer and you're all set.
I hope that these tips are helpful
Ink
inkpot Please go check their page for some other info and wonderful photos. :3
Good Evening to creature.comforts,
Since I have been receiving quite a few questions about dealing with pests, I thought that it would be a good idea to pass along a few helpful tips.
1. slugs and snails and earwigs outdoors (pet and people safe)
This is a fairly easy one to remedy, all you need is a glass or plastic jar and either a can of beer and a spade.
Go into the garden or affected area and dig a hole large enough to hold the jar so that the lip is just below the surface, now pour the beer into the jar. A few inches should be fine. Now you can leave it alone.
The beer will attract the insects such as snails and slugs, ear wigs etc. They will climb or fall into the jar where they will drown. Remember to change the jar regularly to keep down infestations.
2. Interior / exterior insect control (pet and people safe)
Quite a few people have been complaining about common household pests which have been hiding generally in their basements. This deals with the ones that creep on the ground.
For this one, I would suggest buying diatomaceous earth, basically it is a single-celled alga that has a cell wall of silica.
What you want to do next is line the border of your house's foundation all the way around. I have heard of people using it inside of their houses, but I am guessing that it can get messy. Like have chalk dust piled up around your floors...
While it is harmless to humans and other animals, it is deadly to insects. Why? Well if you look at the particles under a microscope they look pretty sharp.
To insects this is like crawling across broken glass. The reason why it is so effective is because unlike the other animal kingdoms which have skins, feathers etc. the insect kingdom has exoskeletons which hold their moisture in. This leads to the insects literally dehydrating to death.
Finally
3. Dealing with wasps outdoors (prevention)
Never rile a hornet / wasp / bees nest, you are going to regret it.
Now, if there appears to be no nests in the area, but they are looking for a new home, go out and buy an artificial wasp nest. These insects are highly territorial and if they see a nest they will look else where.
Another way to deal with them is to either purchase a wasp catcher or make one. this item has a little dome with legs to keep it high enough for insects to fly into and it has an inverted funnel which they can access. Once inside there is no way out. For the glass ones there is a cork in the top to allow for filling and disposal.
This can also be made into a fun art project for your kids, etc. All you need is a 1 two litre plastic bottle, a pair of scissors, a good strong glue or tape and a wire or string, fishing line can also work.
Cut the top off of the bottle so that the neck of the bottle is the same width as the rest of the bottle. Turn the now cut top of the bottle spout downwards so that it rests inside the bottom of the bottle, tape or glue into place. Finally if it is going to be hung from a tree or other hanger, make two small holes in the bottle near the top and tie the string. Now all you have to do is fill it with a sweet beverage or beer and you're all set.
I hope that these tips are helpful
Ink
