Natural Ways To Prevent Indoor Pests

Are moths, ants or buzzing insects invading your home? If the thought of using poisons and harsh chemicals makes you shudder as much as spotting an eight-legged creepy crawlie, we've put together some natural solutions that can keep the bugs at bay – and keep your family safe, too.

1. Flies and fruit flies

• To attract and capture flies, drop mango peels into a longneck bottle and leave it open. Or place a little water, a couple of tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and a few drops of dish soap into an empty spice container

Tip: Decorate the outside of the bottle or spice jar with a scrap of fabric, chalkboard paint or patterned card stock.

• Purchase a decorative fruit fly trap from your local housewares store. Most come with packets of a lure mixture to combine with water
• Plant basil, mint or lemongrass in small pots in the kitchen
• Hang decorative sachets of cloves, eucalyptus and clover blossoms around the house

2. Ants

Sprinkle food-grade diatomaceous earth, black pepper or ground cloves along the ants’ path. (Diatomaceous earth is finely ground sedimentary rock. Find it at your local home improvement store or nursery.) After the ants have gone, use a Swiffer sweeper to sweep away loose particles.

You can also spray ants directly with white vinegar and then wipe away with a paper towel – the vinegar scent will also help prevent future ant problems.

Tip: Try either of these methods on earwigs, silverfish, cockroaches and centipedes, too.

3. Flour moths

Store dry goods in covered containers, and add a bay leaf to each one.

4. Moths

Hang decorative sachets filled with dried mint, lavender, cloves, thyme or rosemary around your home.

5. Spiders

Plant mint or lavender, leave citrus peels outside, and spray doorways with white vinegar mixed with chili pepper oil to deter spiders from entering your home.

6. Ticks

Plant rose geraniums in the yard or dip your pet’s collar in rose geranium oil to prevent ticks from coming inside.