Insects play a crucial role in maintaining a healthy ecosystem, but you don’t want them in your home. If insects have taken up residence in your kitchen, consider using environmentally friendly methods to remove them. Eco-friendly techniques are as effective at insect removal as toxic ones, but they are more humane and less damaging to the environment. Here are several eco-friendly ways to remove insects from your kitchen:
 

Keep Your Kitchen Clean

Image via Flickr by bark
The most eco-friendly way to treat insects is to keep them outside where they belong, and maintaining a clean kitchen will deter them from entering your home.
Since a dirty kitchen is a haven for bugs, especially cockroaches and ants, the most effective way to keep them out of your kitchen is to clean it often. Wipe countertops every night, and don’t let dirty dishes sit in the sink. Clean up spills and pick up messes immediately. Bag food waste and take it outside as soon as possible.
 

Use Natural Methods to Remove Ants

Ants are useful insects, and their presence in nature is essential to the environment’s health. However, they’re much more valuable outside in their natural habitat than they are in your kitchen. While ants are some of the most common insect intruders, they’re also relatively easy to deal with naturally.
If you can determine where they’re entering your home, spraying the area with vinegar or lemon juice will deter them from coming inside without harming them. Planting mint and tansy, two herbs that effectively keep ants away, near your kitchen door will discourage them from entering your home. Tansy and mint are resilient perennials that will return year after year, and tansy’s yellow flowers and mint’s purple ones will add a dash of color to your home’s exterior. Mint is especially effective since it keeps flies away, too.
 

Banish Fruit Flies With Vinegar and Soap

To get rid of fruit flies, eliminate their food source first. A common food source for fruit flies is fresh fruit, so store it in the refrigerator or an airtight container. Emptying the trash can regularly is also helpful.
If removing their food source doesn’t work, pour a few tablespoons of cider vinegar into a small dish, add four or five drops of dish soap, and leave the dish on the counter for a few days. Fruit flies are attracted to the smell of vinegar and will swarm the dish instead of your food.
 

Seal Cracks and Gaps

Make your home difficult for insects to enter. Replace or repair torn window screens. Seal cracks around window seals with caulk. Search the outside of your home for openings, closely examining areas around vents, pipes, windows, and doors; seal any gaps you find. Preventing insects from entering is easier than getting rid of them.
Insects are a valuable part of the ecosystem, but no one wants them inside. Cleaning your home and performing regular maintenance prevents most insects from entering, but it’s difficult to stop them entirely. To get insects out of your kitchen, skip the harsh, toxic chemical treatments, and use eco-friendly methods instead. Nontoxic methods are effective, humane, and better for the environment.
 
What are your favorite eco-friendly ways to remove insects from your kitchen?
Share your thoughts and comments with us.
 

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