How to Get Rid of Things ©2004 Jonathan Hatch

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How to Kill Bugs A very basic mixture of dish soap and warm water in a spray bottle is the perfect way to kill bugs without having to crush them and make a mess. This mixture is called an insecticidal soap, and it's probably the easiest and an ecologically sound way to kill bugs. Are you looking for a specific bug you want to get rid of? Then you should go back to the main index page and look there. Otherwise, here are some common bugs people are looking for: Ants Bed Bugs Fleas Flies Fruit Flies Gnats Lice Moths Roaches Spiders	How to Get Rid of Bugs	Biological Bug Control BTis or Mosquito Dunks are perhaps the most interesting biological control of bugs on the market today. They are cakes composed of a bacteria that is particularly fatal to insect larva. I'm not sure, but I think BTis are being tested as a biological control for other bugs as well, like gnats, which also spawn in standing pools of water. A similar form of flea control using what are called beneficial nematodes is becoming more popular as well. Encouraging nature to take care of the problem for you is the name of this bug killing game. Sodium Lights are a general kind of natural bug control because the light emitted from sodium lights is not so near the sun’s natural spectrum as your typical white light bulb. This means that bugs are less attracted to sodium lights than they are to white lights. Using sodium lights (low pressure sodium lamps contain no mercury) for your outdoor lighting needs is the most passive form of pest control I can think of. Boric Acid has been used by pest control professionals and Green people for a while now, and is usually used on ground-dwelling pests like cockroaches, silverfish, earwigs, ants, and other flightless insects, sometimes even on spiders and bees. If you’re thinking about killing some bugs, this is the natural way to do it. Pheromone Traps are a somewhat newer technology, and not always the most reliable bug control products. The reason people tend not to rely on these traps, though they are a chemical-free way to kill bugs, is because it’s difficult to synthesize precisely the right pheromone needed to attract particular bugs. I would recommend these traps, but only if you’re buying them from a reputed dealer, and only if they come with a money-back guarantee. The Classic Sugar Water & Soap Trap is perhaps the most popular form of natural bug control. Simply fill a small bowl, dish, bucket, or whatever kind of container you wish to use with sugar water and a drop of dish soap. The dish soap breaks the water tension, which is what keeps bugs from drowning in most cases. So, when a bug comes to feed it will get caught in the solution and drown. Bug problem solved. This is particularly effective with wasps.
I’ve been working on pest control articles for the better part of two years now, and you wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve simply been asked, “How do I get rid of bugs?” Well, you couldn’t have asked a more difficult question. Luckily for you I’m well versed in all manners of bug control. Now, for the purposes of this article, taking into account most people’s knowledge of invertebrate species, we’re not going to distinguish between insect, arachnid, or anything like that. We’ll simply call anything that has an exoskeleton, and little legs, a bug. So, what kind of bugs do you want to get rid of? I’ve narrowed the categories of bugs down to the primary problems each group of bugs presents: blood suckers, bugs that nest in your home, bugs that sting (you know who you are), bugs looking for a meal, and bugs that feed on you or your pets (parasites). These categories should cover just about every bug I’ve written about thus far, and under each topic you will find links to the more detailed articles written about each pest. So, we have all of these categories, now what are the best ways to get rid of these bugs? Do-it-Yourself Bug Control
Suggestions or Questions? Check our Pest Control Forum.
Screens, citronella, and Btis are fairly common ways to get rid of bugs that bite or suck blood. Mosquitoes, gnats, chiggers, and ticks can be considered good candidates for bugs that bite or suck blood. Window screens will keep most of these out of your house. You don’t have to worry about a chigger invasion; they tend to stay outdoors. One of the newer remedies for mosquitoes, biting flies and gnats in your yard are called BTis (Bacillus thuringiensis), often called mosquito dunks, which are dropped into ponds and other sources of standing water once every 30 days to help kill the larva before they mature. If you’re tromping around in the woods, lather yourself with DEET and tuck your socks into your pants to avoid chiggers and ticks.
Getting rid of bugs that nest in your home is a more difficult task than you might imagine because these bugs aren’t looking for food. Termites, lady bugs, box elder bugs, moths, silverfish, earwigs and crickets would be good examples of bugs that are just looking for a place to hide. And with the exception of termites, these can all be gotten rid of by dusting with pyrethrums (Ecozone Pyrethrum Insect Powder) or boric acid in the places where you think they might be hiding. Lady bugs and box elder bugs are best taken care of with a vacuum cleaner, which you can dump outside. The best way to prevent a termite infestation is to avoid having the wood of your house making contact with the dirt.
Usually a can of wasp killer is the best way to get rid of bugs that sting. When we think of bugs that sting, we’re usually thinking about wasps, bees, and hornets. Luckily for us, these bugs tend to go to sleep at night. This is when you’ll want to dress yourself in thick clothing from head to toe, grab that can of wasp or bee killer, and make for their nest like a thief in the night. If you can’t find their nest, wait until dawn or dusk and you should see a lot of bugs flying around in the twilight where their nests are. Make sure to spray that nest at least twice (two nights), and then remove the nest or bury the next when you’re certain they’re dead.
If you’re wondering how to get rid of bugs that are looking for a meal, you’re in luck because poison traps are quick and painless. Ants, cockroaches, spiders, house flies and fruit flies would be considered bugs that are coming into your home looking for a meal. All of these bugs, excluding the spider, have traps specifically designed to kill them, available at your local grocer. Personally, I prefer Terro brand ant killers and Raid roach hotels, and house flies are easily done away with Quick Strike fly strips, and spiders can be gotten rid of simply by getting rid of these other pests—cutting off their food supply. All of these bugs can be reduced in population and prevented by maintaining a clean household.
Parasitic bugs like bed bugs, dust mites, fleas, and head lice are probably the hardest bugs to get rid of. Bed bugs are a problem because a lot of the time controlling them requires throwing out a mattress, covering the new mattress with a rubber mattress cover, and dusting cracks and crevices with pyrethrums. Dust mites are equally expensive to remove, requiring carpet removal, hardwood floor installment, and constant vacuuming. Fleas and lice, on the other hand, are controlled more easily, usually only requiring a shampoo treatment with a product like Rid or Nix, anything that contains pyrethrins. Dusting the carpets with boric acid, otherwise known as Borax, is a good way to make certain leftover fleas are gotten rid of.
Suggestions or Questions? Check our Pest Control Forum.
How to Kill Bugs As you may have gathered by now, many bug control or bug killing products contain a chemical called pyrethrins, which are actually derivatives of pyrethrums, which are derived from dried pyrethrum flowers. So, in a way, I guess you could say pyrethrins are an organic or biological pest control substance. Problem is, pyrethrins are bad for everyone’s health, so it’s better not to just spray the stuff willy-nilly around your apartment or house. One other thing to consider is the idea that pest and bug control products are usually just a temporary solution to a bigger problem. If you want to learn more about getting to the source of each bug problem, each bug I’ve mentioned is linked to its own page. There you will find more permanent solutions to your bug problems.
Home \| Pest Control \| how to get rid of bugs

Disclaimer: Jonathan Hatch & Natasha Laumei cannot accept any responsibility for any injury or damage that you may cause to yourself, others, or property when following any advice given on this site.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License.

Home | Pest Control | how to get rid of bugs

How to Kill Bugs

A very basic mixture of dish soap and warm water in a spray bottle is the perfect way to kill bugs without having to crush them and make a mess. This mixture is called an insecticidal soap, and it's probably the easiest and an ecologically sound way to kill bugs.

Are you looking for a specific bug you want to get rid of? Then you should go back to the main index page and look there. Otherwise, here are some common bugs people are looking for:

Ants
Bed Bugs
Fleas
Flies
Fruit Flies
Gnats
Lice
Moths
Roaches
Spiders

How to Get Rid of Bugs

Biological Bug Control

BTis or Mosquito Dunks are perhaps the most interesting biological control of bugs on the market today. They are cakes composed of a bacteria that is particularly fatal to insect larva. I'm not sure, but I think BTis are being tested as a biological control for other bugs as well, like gnats, which also spawn in standing pools of water. A similar form of flea control using what are called beneficial nematodes is becoming more popular as well. Encouraging nature to take care of the problem for you is the name of this bug killing game.

Sodium Lights are a general kind of natural bug control because the light emitted from sodium lights is not so near the sun’s natural spectrum as your typical white light bulb. This means that bugs are less attracted to sodium lights than they are to white lights. Using sodium lights (low pressure sodium lamps contain no mercury) for your outdoor lighting needs is the most passive form of pest control I can think of.

Boric Acid has been used by pest control professionals and Green people for a while now, and is usually used on ground-dwelling pests like cockroaches, silverfish, earwigs, ants, and other flightless insects, sometimes even on spiders and bees. If you’re thinking about killing some bugs, this is the natural way to do it.

Pheromone Traps are a somewhat newer technology, and not always the most reliable bug control products. The reason people tend not to rely on these traps, though they are a chemical-free way to kill bugs, is because it’s difficult to synthesize precisely the right pheromone needed to attract particular bugs. I would recommend these traps, but only if you’re buying them from a reputed dealer, and only if they come with a money-back guarantee.

The Classic Sugar Water & Soap Trap is perhaps the most popular form of natural bug control. Simply fill a small bowl, dish, bucket, or whatever kind of container you wish to use with sugar water and a drop of dish soap. The dish soap breaks the water tension, which is what keeps bugs from drowning in most cases. So, when a bug comes to feed it will get caught in the solution and drown. Bug problem solved. This is particularly effective with wasps.

I’ve been working on pest control articles for the better part of two years now, and you wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve simply been asked, “How do I get rid of bugs?” Well, you couldn’t have asked a more difficult question. Luckily for you I’m well versed in all manners of bug control. Now, for the purposes of this article, taking into account most people’s knowledge of invertebrate species, we’re not going to distinguish between insect, arachnid, or anything like that. We’ll simply call anything that has an exoskeleton, and little legs, a bug.

So, what kind of bugs do you want to get rid of? I’ve narrowed the categories of bugs down to the primary problems each group of bugs presents: blood suckers, bugs that nest in your home, bugs that sting (you know who you are), bugs looking for a meal, and bugs that feed on you or your pets (parasites). These categories should cover just about every bug I’ve written about thus far, and under each topic you will find links to the more detailed articles written about each pest. So, we have all of these categories, now what are the best ways to get rid of these bugs?

Do-it-Yourself Bug Control

Suggestions or Questions? Check our Pest Control Forum.

Screens, citronella, and Btis are fairly common ways to get rid of bugs that bite or suck blood. Mosquitoes, gnats, chiggers, and ticks can be considered good candidates for bugs that bite or suck blood. Window screens will keep most of these out of your house. You don’t have to worry about a chigger invasion; they tend to stay outdoors. One of the newer remedies for mosquitoes, biting flies and gnats in your yard are called BTis (Bacillus thuringiensis), often called mosquito dunks, which are dropped into ponds and other sources of standing water once every 30 days to help kill the larva before they mature. If you’re tromping around in the woods, lather yourself with DEET and tuck your socks into your pants to avoid chiggers and ticks.

Getting rid of bugs that nest in your home is a more difficult task than you might imagine because these bugs aren’t looking for food. Termites, lady bugs, box elder bugs, moths, silverfish, earwigs and crickets would be good examples of bugs that are just looking for a place to hide. And with the exception of termites, these can all be gotten rid of by dusting with pyrethrums (Ecozone Pyrethrum Insect Powder) or boric acid in the places where you think they might be hiding. Lady bugs and box elder bugs are best taken care of with a vacuum cleaner, which you can dump outside. The best way to prevent a termite infestation is to avoid having the wood of your house making contact with the dirt.

Usually a can of wasp killer is the best way to get rid of bugs that sting. When we think of bugs that sting, we’re usually thinking about wasps, bees, and hornets. Luckily for us, these bugs tend to go to sleep at night. This is when you’ll want to dress yourself in thick clothing from head to toe, grab that can of wasp or bee killer, and make for their nest like a thief in the night. If you can’t find their nest, wait until dawn or dusk and you should see a lot of bugs flying around in the twilight where their nests are. Make sure to spray that nest at least twice (two nights), and then remove the nest or bury the next when you’re certain they’re dead.

If you’re wondering how to get rid of bugs that are looking for a meal, you’re in luck because poison traps are quick and painless. Ants, cockroaches, spiders, house flies and fruit flies would be considered bugs that are coming into your home looking for a meal. All of these bugs, excluding the spider, have traps specifically designed to kill them, available at your local grocer. Personally, I prefer Terro brand ant killers and Raid roach hotels, and house flies are easily done away with Quick Strike fly strips, and spiders can be gotten rid of simply by getting rid of these other pests—cutting off their food supply. All of these bugs can be reduced in population and prevented by maintaining a clean household.

Parasitic bugs like bed bugs, dust mites, fleas, and head lice are probably the hardest bugs to get rid of. Bed bugs are a problem because a lot of the time controlling them requires throwing out a mattress, covering the new mattress with a rubber mattress cover, and dusting cracks and crevices with pyrethrums. Dust mites are equally expensive to remove, requiring carpet removal, hardwood floor installment, and constant vacuuming. Fleas and lice, on the other hand, are controlled more easily, usually only requiring a shampoo treatment with a product like Rid or Nix, anything that contains pyrethrins. Dusting the carpets with boric acid, otherwise known as Borax, is a good way to make certain leftover fleas are gotten rid of.

Suggestions or Questions? Check our Pest Control Forum.

How to Kill Bugs

As you may have gathered by now, many bug control or bug killing products contain a chemical called pyrethrins, which are actually derivatives of pyrethrums, which are derived from dried pyrethrum flowers. So, in a way, I guess you could say pyrethrins are an organic or biological pest control substance. Problem is, pyrethrins are bad for everyone’s health, so it’s better not to just spray the stuff willy-nilly around your apartment or house.

One other thing to consider is the idea that pest and bug control products are usually just a temporary solution to a bigger problem. If you want to learn more about getting to the source of each bug problem, each bug I’ve mentioned is linked to its own page. There you will find more permanent solutions to your bug problems.

Home | Pest Control | how to get rid of bugs

Disclaimer: Jonathan Hatch & Natasha Laumei cannot accept any responsibility for any injury or damage that you may cause to yourself, others, or property when following any advice given on this site.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License.