Summer do-it-yourself tips from Westside Pest Control

Wasps

Wasp Pheromone traps

Most people do not like yellow-jackets! Pheromone wasp traps are a natural, chemical-free way to help keep pesky wasps away and can be purchased from many hardware stores or on-line retailers. The traps help keep the wasps from the areas you don’t want them and they also assist in preventing nests from being built.

Follow the instructions on the trap. Most traps require you to cut open the top of the trap and fill with water to the fill line. Then, after looping a string or zap strap through the top, secured the pheromone wasp trap slightly away from your deck, patio or area of choice. The trick is not to attract the wasps to the deck or patio but away from it.

Do-it-yourself wasp trap

Cut the top off a 2 liter plastic pop bottle and fill the bottom half with sugar water or really sweet juice with sugar added (the key is lots of sugar – wasps love anything sweet). Give it a good stir. Then flip the top half of the pop bottle upside down and slide it into the bottom half. If you are going to be setting your wasp trap on a surface, you are ready to go. To hang the wasp trap, use a hole punch or knife and make holes near the top of the bottle that you can feed a string through.

We prefer the pheromone traps because when competing food sources get introduced, the homemade trap might not trump your steak dinner however the pheromone trap still should.

Ants

Do-it-yourself ant control: Dish soap and water

What you will need:

• Empty spray bottle
• water
• 2 table spoons of dish soap

This do-it-yourself ant control will provide instant relief.

Ants drag their abdomens on the ground and secrete pheromones when they find food so that others ants will follow. This is why you will rarely see a kitchen full of disoriented, ants running aimlessly in every direction. Instead you are likely to seeing ant congo lines, marching soldiers heading from A to B as efficiently as possible. You can stop ants right in their path by simply spraying the soapy water around door frames. baseboards, window frames, cracks and crevices. It is important to not wipe up the residual after you have sprayed.

This soapy solution is also a great method to keep ants off of berries and other plants in the garden.

Cinnamon

Ants do not like cinnamon. Finely ground fresh cloves will work best. It doesn’t need to be applied everywhere you see ants. First, don’t squash them all. Follow the trail to see where they are entering the room, then liberally sprinkle cinnamon around there entry points and areas adjacent – windows sills, door frames and baseboards are common areas to apply. Cinnamon is not a complete fix by any means but sprinkling a little around kitchen and door frames and it will provide some relief from pesky ants and your house will smell pretty good!

Cayenne pepper

Similar application to applying cinnamon – to help keep ants out using cayenne pepper, apply in areas where they are emerging from – often window sills, door frames and baseboards. The capsaicin in cayenne pepper is an irritant to ants, making them stay away. Just be cautious if you have pets – however, household animal sneezing fits do make for good you-tube videos.

Tea kettle

One of the best and oldest tricks for getting rid of ants requires nothing more than boiling water! When pavement ants begin to form sand piles in the yard, on the sidewalk or patio, boiling water is a great way to slow them down! Pour the water directly over the pile of sand. Pavement ant colonies can number 100,000 so although boiling water will slow them down, you will be winning only the battle, not the war.

Caulking gun, caulking and silicone

What you will need:

• Caulking gun
• Caulking
• Silicone (for kitchens and bathrooms)
• Disposable gloves

Caulking or silicone are effective do-it yourself products for helping to prevent small ants, wood bugs and other insects from entering your home.
Caulking: If you or someone in your household is a bit handy, a little calking applied around door frames, windows or baseboards will help prevent pesky insects from entering your home!

Caulking. There are many types of caulking so take a picture of the areas that you are going to be doing the work and show them to your local hardware store attendant. They should be able to help you match the consistency and colour (if not you can paint over).

If you have nice baseboards and you don’t want to see the caulking a little more work is required to keep the insects out. You will have to remove the baseboards first. Baseboards will usually come off pretty easily – just be cautious not to strip the paint above. Caulking can then be applied in the space between the floor and dry wall where ants and other insects are likely to enter. ”

Raccoons

Cayenne pepper for raccoons

What you will need:

• Bulk bag of cayenne pepper
• Empty rosemary shaker (or any shaker with large holes)

Cayenne pepper is a good way to keep raccoons and other unwanted critters away from the house. Save money and buy it in bulk. Sprinkle liberally around garden, planter boxes, patio – wherever they are a nuisance. The reason that this helps is that most animals groom themselves so they will begin to associate your house or property with the unpleasant grooming experience. It is important to start applying as soon as you suspect they are coming around and also to be consistent in re-applying every time it rains. The reason for this, is once visiting your place becomes habitual, no amount of cayenne pepper, music, motion censored lights or sprinklers will keep the raccoons away!”

Silicone dioxide/Diatomaceous earth

“Silicone dioxide or “diatomaceous earth” is made up of very finely crushed crustaceans. It is a very green product because it has no harmful effects on plants of bodies of water. However, these fine particles can be very harsh on the respiratory system. Even though it is promoted as a green product, I would advise caution when applying it (use a dust mask) and caution about applying it indoors or in places where curious pets or children may encounter.”

Rodents (Rats and Mice)

Ultra sonic devices for rodents

As summer comes to an end and we shut down the cabin or close up the shed for the winter, mice and rats are just getting their bags packed and waiting to move in. Ultra sonic devices are good deterrent to keep them out. Ultra sonic devices have become a popular means of helping to prevent rodents and they can be helpful if there are not rodents already present. Rodents are very habitual creatures f the problem has already been established, don’t waste your money on an ultrasonic device, the mice or rats will ignore it.

This is what you will need: (show jar of peanut butter and a snap trap)”

Skunks

How to get rid of skunk odour

We are all familiar with the unpleasant odour emitted by Pepe. Especially when it comes home on your pet! Getting it off the fur of your golden retriever is not an easy task! However, this formula is hands down better than tomato juice and as good or better than anything you can purchase from the store (I can tell you from personal experience, it works!)

Pour a couple of big globs of dish soap into a bowl. Add equal parts hydrogen peroxide and baking soda. Add baking soda last. It will bubble up instantly. Lather into fur, clothes, or directly onto skin. Scrub, rinse and repeat until smell dissipates.