Early Retirement Extreme Forums

Early Retirement Extreme Forums » Housing Questions

1. 

   Mirwen
   

   Journeyman
   Joined: Jun '11
   Posts: 169

   I'm trying to find a way to cut the cost of pest control service. I currently pay $32.50 a month.

   I have a small child (almost 2) and two small dogs and I live in a place where untreated areas have black widows every 16 inches along the walls in the summer. So this isn't just a convenience issue, it's a big safety concern.

   I need something reliable for keeping spiders at bay. If I have to pay over $30/mo for that I will, but it seems like it could be done more inexpensively.

   What do you do for pest control?

   Posted 1 year ago #
2. 

   C40
   

   Master
   Joined: Feb '11
   Posts: 573

   I don't know a lot about this subject, but for certain types of bugs there are things you can put out to keep them away. There's a certain type of fruit (the green things that have an outer texture kind of like a good orange - I think some people call them Hedge Apples). I guess cedar blocks keep moths away. Maybe there's something that black widows don't like?

   Maybe a cat would get rid of them, hopefully without getting bitten.

   Posted 1 year ago #
3. 

   S
   

   Journeyman
   Joined: Jul '10
   Posts: 288

   My grandmother uses Borax for roaches. It's cheap and relatively safe. I don't know if it works for spiders though. I've been fortunate to not need this myself.

   Posted 1 year ago #
4. 

   dotdot
   

   Novice
   Joined: Oct '11
   Posts: 15

   Looks like a rolled up newspaper will do the trick (and maybe switch to motion-sensor light if the wall in question has light on it constantly at night):
   http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74149.html

   Posted 1 year ago #
5. 

   JasonR
   

   Master
   Joined: Feb '11
   Posts: 334

   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth (under pest control)

   Got it from the Permie site. Cheap, safe, seems like it might work. Killing things with Fick's Law of Diffusion is almost as cool as using nerve agents.

   Posted 1 year ago #
6. 

   chenda
   

   Master
   Joined: Jun '11
   Posts: 369

   I had rats in my loft last week. I could hear them running around at night right above my bed, its just a plywood ceiling so it was very loud and somewhat disconcerting.

   I called the council who sent around a man who put some poison in the roof (and charged £35 for this, I sure it used to be a free service) Apparently its illegal for a non-licenced rat catcher to use professional grade rat poison, so no chance of a diy job.

   Anyway, it seemed to do the trick; that night the rats were extra lively, perhaps driven mad by the poison. The next night they were silent.

   A more ERE solution though might be to borrow a cat. I heard of a women whos rural house was invaded by rats. She borrowed a suitably assertive cat, which proceeded to brutally slaughter them all. It left a mess but dealt with the problem.

   Posted 1 year ago #

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