I don’t know anyone who is having luck with their allergies this year, even me. Usually I’m immune to things like pollen and pet dander, but even beautiful days find me suffering from symptoms like sneezing and watery eyes. As an avid outdoorsman, this sudden rush of allergy symptoms has given me a case of the blues. My family doctor referred me to an allergist who was able to pinpoint some of the issues, one of which was chemical sensitivity.
A Place for Every Insect, and Every Insect in its Place
While I enjoyed the outdoors and all it has to offer, there are certain elements that I do not want to see inside my home. Imagine my surprise when pouring a glass of water I saw a neat line of ants traveling along the backsplash behind the sink! After slamming all the windows, I went to wipe down the counters and that was when I saw the problem. When I lifted the toaster to clean beneath it, the crumb tray was overflowing. Because one of my newly developed chemical sensitivity, I had to find a way to get rid of the ants that didn’t involve any kind of bug spray.
As I continued tidying up, I discovered that the cat’s food dish was another thing attracting ants. I dumped the ant-infested food into the outside garbage bin and washed the dish with warm, soapy water. However, putting new food in the bowl would just attract more ants. A little online research gave me some great ideas. Some worked better than others, and what will work for you depends on both the type of ants you have and what’s attracting them. Regardless of your unique situation, hopefully one of these solutions will help you get rid of annoying insect pests.
1.Bamboozle them with alcohol. No, no, not that kind of alcohol! A mixture of forty percent water, forty percent rubbing alcohol, and twenty percent dish soap in a spray bottle not only kills ants, but it also cleans up the chemical trail they leave behind, leaving it nearly impossible for their buggy scent to attract any others of their kind.
2.It’s peanut butter jelly time. Mixing peanut butter, jelly, and boric acid together will act as a type of chemical-free ant bait guaranteed to attract smaller species of ants. While it won’t do much good on varieties like big-headed or carpenter ants, general house ants will flock to the mix like preschoolers at snack time. Because children and pets are both fond of two-thirds of the ingredients for this mixture, it’s imperative that you put the bait inside a small, cardboard box that’s out of their way but where the ants can still find it.
3.Off with her head! In Lewis Carroll’s classic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, he describes one of the book’s most iconic characters as such, “The Queen had only one way of settling all difficulties, great or small. ‘Off with his head!’ she said, without even looking around.” Getting into the queen’s lair of an ant’s nest is not easy. However, you can sprinkle grits around on the ground around the next on a day when the weather forecast calls for rain. The queen will eat the grits, and when she drinks the rain it will cause them to expand until they are too big to remain inside her, causing her to explode. Without their queen, the ants have no purpose until they choose a new queen. Because they no longer feel safe in their former nest, they’re likely to move elsewhere.
If you suffer from a chemical allergy, then pest removal isn’t the only problem you’ll face. A neighboring family uses the safest skin care products and organic cosmetics to avoid the chemicals used in health and beauty products. Fortunately products like baking soda, white vinegar, rubbing alcohol, lemons, cornstarch, salt, and dish soap prove effective cleaners. Because most of these items are already in your kitchen, they are less likely to cause any kind of reaction.
You can replace pesticides, air fresheners, mold and mildew removers, carpet cleaners, laundry detergent, furniture polish, scouring powders, and bathroom cleaners with natural, household products. One family member hasn’t used traditional household cleaners in a couple of years now, and her house is virtually spotless. Even if you aren’t ready to make the jump to ridding your home of over-the-counter cleaners, there is a broad range of organic options to choose from both online and in retail stores.
Successful online marketer Rick Mercado and his wife found that using organic products to clean their home was a decision that was both more efficient and more economical. When writing a series of articles on the topic, he turned to websites such as www.mysensitiveskincare.com for his research. In his free time, Rick and his wife enjoy spending their time exploring the rugged Canadian coastline around their Halifax home through activities such as kayaking, long walks, and hiking.