Home remedies to control pesky intruders in your home

They’re creepy, they’re crawly and, to some of us, they’re just plain scary. The worst part is they’re coming out of hiding.

With summer approaching, we’ll be seeing more bugs trying to come into our homes.

Marquee Rasmuson, the office manager of Colling Pest Solutions, said, “Part of spring is huge with hobo spiders. We’re seeing a lot of that. Pretty soon, we’ll be seeing earwigs, centipedes, and ants. It just has to do with the weather changing.”

There are a few home remedies to help control insect problems, including the following methods:

Setting out a bowl of water and mixing it with dish soap can help lure and trap gnats. Setting out a glass of wine will work just the same.

Mixing apple cider vinegar with dish soap will help catch and trap flies.

Setting out a bowl of beer is good for catching slugs.

Rubbing peppermint oil is useful for keeping spiders away.

Though these tips are helpful, they are not a permanent solution and, according to Rasmuson, there is a more effective way to keep bugs out of your home.

Rasmuson said, “There are a lot of different theories and methods to keep pest away that work and a lot of those things can be effective, but the issue that you run into is: How long is it effective?”​​​​​​​

“We always try for integrated pest management, which means there are some different ways you can control insects and pest. Chemical pest control is just one of those ways. Setting traps is a mechanical method. When we are talking about inside homes, there are different things that you can do. It just depends on your pest situation. The spraying technique is the predominant type of pest control.”

As of right now, there are two major pest problems in Eastern Idaho.

Rasmuson said “Hobo spiders. Right now, everyone is gearing up for those. Home traps are filling up with them. We have already received notifications from many people being bit. Ultimately, the biggest problem we are seeing, and have been seeing for many months, are bedbugs.”​​​​​​​

If you’re starting to get itchy and are unsure if it’s the dry weather or bedbugs, there’s an easy way to check your house for those pests.

If you’re suspicious of having pesky intruders in your home but can’t see them, a black light might be able to help you spot what your eyes can’t.

Something to remember about bedbugs is that they’re not easy to get rid of on your own.

There are two ways to effectively get rid of them — with chemicals and with heat.

Rasmuson would like residents to keep in mind that if home remedies don’t seem to be resolving your pest problem, contacting an exterminator might be the best solution for you.