Come monsoon, and a range of uninvited guests – cockroaches, centipedes, mosquitoes - infiltrate your home. To tackle this menace, you use a range of insect repellants –sprays, Lakshman Rekha, and cakes; all laden with chemicals and might prove risky, especially to children and elderly occupants.
Here are a few home remedies to keep these winged and multi-legged visitors at bay, without having to call in an exterminator.
Mosquitoes
Plant marigolds near windows and doors, as the flowers repel mosquitoes. Boil a 6-7 minced garlic cloves in a glass of water. When the liquid is reduced a bit, put it in a spray bottle. Since garlic has a strong foul smell, add drops of essential oil like lavender to balance it. Spray this mixture inside the house when required. Odor of sprayed garlic juice becomes undetectable to humans within minutes, but it lasts much longer for mosquitoes. Light a few balls of camphor in the house for 15-20 minutes.
Flies
Eucalyptus oil is useful in repelling flies. Pour a few drops of it on a cotton cloth, and place it in the areas where flies are in excess. Bay leaves, cloves and eucalyptus hung at doors or windows also repel flies.
Set a fly trap at a place as far away from where you don’t want the flies as possible. You can make a mix of sugar water in a bowl. The flies start getting trapped in the sweet water and the dead ones will start to become an attractant to the live ones.
Cockroaches
Mix equal parts of sugar and baking soda in a dish. Place another dish or a lid close to the first one and fill it with water. Sugar acts as a bait to attract cockroaches and the baking soda will kill them. You just need to identify their hideouts and sprinkle this mixture in those corners. Neem oil or powder contains potent components that can kill cockroaches. Mix a small amount of neem oil with water and spray it where you have spotted the roaches. If you are using neem powder, sprinkle it in cockroach infested areas at night and repeat the process in the morning. Crush some bay leaves and sprinkle them in your cupboards or where you spot them often.
Centipedes
Put 25 drops of peppermint oil in one cup water, and pour the mixture into a spray bottle. Spray the solution along all entryways of your home, including windows, doors, and baseboards. Spray dark corners and any other hiding spaces centipedes like to lurk. Take one cup water, and add one cup rubbing alcohol, and one teaspoon vegetable oil to it. Add this mixture to a spray bottle and sprinkle it on flower beds and plants invaded with centipedes and other insects. To make the sticky paste, bring one cup water and one cup corn syrup to a boil in a large pot. Cut the construction paper into sizes according to where you place them. Use a paintbrush to apply the sticky paste on one side of the paper. Set each piece in the damp areas of your home where centipedes hang out.