How to keep insects under control

Given half the chance, we all enjoy an opportunity to spend time outdoors in the garden, whether it is enjoying a drink, having fun or eating. However, sooner or later some sort of insect or bug, whether a wasp, flying ant or fly will attempt to disturb the peace! The house cleaning experts at MOLLY MAID have a few ideas to help keep these insects at bay!

• Herbs: Certain herbs can help to repel insects such as, house flies and mosquitoes, such as basil. Try planting basil in containers by the entrances to your home and in outdoor areas where you like to relax or entertain. The beauty of basil to keep insects at bay is that it is delicious to use in salads too. Wasps are not a fan of mint either, so try planting some plant pots near your entertaining area and consider incorporating mint into your centre piece to decorate the table.
• Lavender: This gorgeously summery plant is very effective at keeping insects such as moths, fleas, flies and mosquitoes away as they hate it! Place tied bouquets in your home to help keep flies outdoors or plant it in pots near entrances or on patios where you will be entertaining to help keep those areas pest free.
• Cloves & Lemon: Halve a lemon and a lime and stud each half with a dozen whole cloves and place in a bowl on the table or near your pic-nic. Insects such as flies and wasps dislike the smell of both the citrus fruit and the cloves.
• Marigolds: If entertaining outside and you wish to keep bees away, try using marigolds as a centre piece to your table as bees and other insects find the scent unpleasant – they look really pretty too!
• Eucalyptus oil: Try dabbing some dots of oil around the table to ward off wasps as they dislike the smell.
• Colour: Avoid wearing or laying the table with too much white and yellow as wasps are attracted to these summer colours.
• Vinegar: Certain insect, such as ants, are immediately put off by vinegar. It is one of the most effective natural ingredients thanks to the powerful smell. You can also use vinegar to get rid of fruit flies and gnats from your kitchen. Why not try making your own vinegar ant spray by simply mixing equal parts of water and white vinegar in a spray bottle. Then, spray the vinegar solution directly on the ants to kill them. Then use the spray on the ant pheromone trails along floors, countertops and other places where they travel. Don’t forget about preventing them from coming into your home in the first place by using the vinegar spray around entry points where the ants enter from outside. The vinegar helps to disrupt the ants but you do need to repeat the process every few days because the vinegar dries and loses it pungency.

Good luck!

See Full Bio