Get Rid of House and Garden Pests
Pests, pests. Everywhere. They eat your food and pull your hair. Why won't they die? Everything has been tried, and now you're falling into despair. Well, despair no more! Here are several good remedies for making annoying pests move away without harming them.
Steps
- Lessen the vole (field mice) population.
- Weed your garden and keep it clear of debris.
- Plant dense ground coverage.
- Spread coyote or fox urine around the yard. The scent will act as a deterrent.
- Set mouse and rat traps.
- 'Free' the ground of ground hogs.
- Spread Epsom salts or ammonia soaked rags around the yard.
- A home "flamethrower" can be used to clear and destroy underground tunnels. Other methods include smoking the tunnels or filling them with water from a garden hose.
- Try to get a jump on rabbits and have fewer of them.
- Protect gardens with chicken-wire fence buried at least 1' deep.
- Plant foxglove, monkshood, lavender, or catnip. These plants are detested by bunnies.
- To have fewer moles:
- Plant daffodils or caper spurge.
- Place castor oil-soaked rags in heavily trafficked areas.
- Purchase a hunting cat.
- Get rid of raccoons.
- Use acoustic repellent system.
- Spread jalapeño or cayenne pepper in heavily trafficked areas.
- Get beavers to move out of the area.
- Surround tree trunks with heavy-gauge wire fencing.
- Keep the deer out of the garden.
- Spread coyote urine in affected areas.
- Place hot sauce or containers holding chicken eggs in water in heavily trafficked areas.
- To get bees to move, if you don't want them.
- Place sugar water or soda in open containers in unobtrusive areas to draw bees away.
- After using the previous method, spray the nest with wasp killer.
- To eradicate mosquitoes.
- Do not leave any standing pools or puddles of water in the yard. Empty birdbaths, wheelbarrows, buckets, etc on a regular basis to avoid providing a breeding ground.
- Plant rosemary bushes or citronella geraniums.
- When grilling, toss fresh rosemary leaves on the coals and burn a citronella candle or two.
- Feed the slugs to lessen their activity.
- Place a plate of beer or wine in affected areas. The slugs will attempt to drink the liquid, become drunk, fall asleep, and drown in the alcohol.
- A line of salt around affected plants can serve to ward slugs off, though the salt must be replaced regularly.
- To lessen the mice population.
- Dab peppermint oil on surfaces where the animal has been spotted.
- For fewer bats
- Illuminate your yard with bright lights and create strong drafts with electrical fans.
- Spread mothballs around home to repel the mammals.
- For fewer squirrels, try this.
- Scare them from their lair with an extremely loud noise.
- Wait until they forage for food, then cover their entrance with a heavy-gauge hardware screen.
Warnings
- Some of these animals bite hard. Be careful.
