HUMANE PEST CONTROL

If you’re one of the people who can’t remove a cobweb until the spider has vacated it; if you worry that the mouse living in the sofa is getting a balanced diet; and if you spend countless hours devising enrichment activities for the goldfish, it’s time to come out from under the fridge and be counted. You are not alone.

Many of the world’s great religions hold all life to be sacred, and they neither kill nor consume flesh. Vegans show the same compassion for their fellow creatures. I try, but I have a confession to make. I am a cockroach slayer. I can’t kill them personally, you understand (unless in dire fear for my life). I had to marry a hitman.

Most caring people will want to avoid chemical poisons, not only because they kill, but also because they introduce poisonous ingredients into the environment, often creating worse problems than the pests themselves.

Beware of the distinction between humane and natural methods of pest control. Humane methods avoid the taking of life. The natural approach is designed to kill the animals. Natural devices may use non toxic substances but can involve lingering, suffering deaths, often by starvation.

The following are some suggestions for maintaining a healthy, hygienic, pest-free home while avoiding breaking the precept against killing.

There are various devices that use ultrasonic sound to deter rats, mice, ants, roaches and spiders – one model covers all. While it is harmless to cats, dogs and birds, it may not be suitable for homes with gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs or other rodents.

Rats & Mice
Most good hardware or pet shops will stock humane traps that allow the animals to enter but not leave. They will also accommodate more than one animal at a time. Please CHECK TRAPS REGULARLY, preferably every few hours, as mice may die in them if not promptly released.

Mice dislike garlic, elderberry liquid or Crown Imperial. Rats dislike catnip.

Spiders
A spray made with chestnut and clove scents deters spiders.

If you don’t like catching them, a battery operated suction device is available that allows you to gently vacuum up spiders, wasps and other crawling and hovering insects and release them outside without harming them.

Flies
Try burning citronella oil or basil oil near open windows to prevent flies from entering.

Ants
Find the trail that leads between your house and their nest and obliterate it with mint, sodium bicarbonate or aromatic oils. Paprika is a good deterrent. Ants also dislike pennyroyal, lavender and garlic. The idea is to keep destroying their signposts that lead to your house.

Cockroaches
Even the cleanest of houses may host a small population of roaches. Apart from catching and relocating them, the most useful deterrent is the device mentioned earlier that emits a pulsing current which distresses them.

Mosquitos
Prevent mosquitos breeding by keeping sources of still or stale water away from the house. Herbs that repel them are citronella, pennyroyal, pyrethrum, basil, mint, chamomile and tansy.

Moths
Moths dislike the smell of lavender, natural camphor, cloves, mint, sage, wormwood and rosemary. Rid clothes of moth eggs by hanging them in the sun or putting them in a drier.

Weevils & Food Moths
Small moths in your cupboards usually indicate weevils or food moths. Check dried food for eggs and larvae. A bay leaf placed in your dry food containers will discourage them from laying their eggs.

Termites
Termimesh is an Australian designed termite barrier created in response to the environmental and health implications of toxic chemical spraying. Made from steel, the mesh is too fine for the termites to penetrate and too hard for them to chew through.

Fleas
Supplementing your pet’s diet with brewers yeast, garlic, zinc or barley grass concentrate can make the animal’s body chemistry inhospitable to fleas. Add several drops of essential oils such as citronella, tea tree, wintergreen or eucalyptus to your dogs shampoo as a deterrent. Dilute the oils with water to spray carpets and the pet’s bedding. Spritz the animal lightly with the solution before going outside to deter hitchhikers.

Possums
Establish where the possum is getting into the house, block up the access points and lay the trap. By law, possums aren’t allowed to be taken more than 50m from where they are caught. Providing a possum box in the garden will encourage them to live outdoors. Planting native trees as food sources will deter scavenging.

There are four general rules of thumb for humane and healthy household pest control:

• Remove all things that attract the pests (rubbish, food scraps, dirty dishes etc.)
• Install things that repel the pests (flyscreens, native plants, scented oils, electrical devices)
• Physically relocate pests (trap them or collect them by hand and release them in the bush away from the home)
• If you are faced with less than total victory, exercise tolerance and compassion.

For more information on humane pest controls, these websites are useful:
www.dharmathecat.com
www.vegansociety.com
www.abundantearth.com
www.homesite.com

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