Frugal Kitchens 101 - Insect Control

Over the past month I have discussed dealing with mice and ants in the kitchen.  The problem is the kitchen can be a real magnet for both mice and ants.  From time to time though, other insects invade the kitchen.  For the most part, these insects tend to be more of an annoyance than anything else.  Where the house is located and where the kitchen is located in the house can have a huge influence on insects getting in.  Our third purchased house was located in a subdivision bordering on farmland with a pig farm just a stone's throw away.  Flies were a huge problem!  Our last house had the kitchen located mainly below grade with window about four inches from the ground and patio doors at the lower grade.  Well, insects were a problem there simply because of where the kitchen was.  Insects are also cyclic so while you may go several years not ever seeing an earwig in the kitchen, one year can be to bad you see earwigs on a daily basis.

More often than not, insects are introduced into your home.  They can come in on new plants (eg. white flies, aphids), on freshly picked garden produce (eg. spiders, beetles) or purchased produce (eg. tropic spiders).  Other insects will take advantage of unsealed cracks, loose fitting screens or a screen door that was accidently left open and others still can get in through screen windows attracted by light (eg. fungus gnats).  The frugal approach to these transient insect problems is to use non-toxic to humans or pets methods of control.  These insects tend to be seasonal, do little food damage, and basically are just a nuisance so use natural control.  Here's a few tips:

• spiders - Spiders are predators and some spiders can be poisonous so know what spiders are in your area.  If you spot a spider web, mark the location then use your vacuum cleaner to get rid of the spider and nest.  Go back and check the area where the nest was.  Caulk any cracks you find as spiders construct their nests where there is a cool draft.  They are a great indicator species for drafts and the presence of other insects.
• bees/hornets/yellow jackets - These insects usually enter a home via an open window or door but they will build hives in attics, under eves and in crawlspaces.  If you suspect a hive, call an exterminator as this is not something for the layperson to fool around with.  Quite often you will not know if you are allergic to their sting until stung and it can end up being a matter of life or death.  If one finds it's way into the house, either shoo it back outdoors or use a fly swatter.
• fruit flies (Drosophilla melanogaster) - Despite their name these little flies (near and dear to my heart) do not eat fruit.  Rather the yeast on the ripening fruit attracts them.  Once the fruit is removed they move along as well.  I dealt with fruit flies throughout my academic career and deal with them every year when large amounts of produce (eg. tomatoes) are brought indoors for canning.  They don't bother me but if you want to catch them, put a piece of banana in a 2 L pop bottle.  The fruit flies will go into the bottle where you can cap the lid and allow to die before resetting your trap.
• gnats - Gnats are similar in appearance to mosquitoes ranging in size so small you can barely see them to about the size of a mosquito.  They are simply an nuisance attracted by light.  Gnats do bite adding a bit to their annoyance.  The worst thing is though gnats can get through window screen.  Last year was horrid for gnats so every morning I was cleaning up their carcasses from the kitchen windowsill and bathroom counter.  I finally developed a lights off policy which was rather difficult given the kitchen was open to the family room and the gnats just switched to swarming around the television giving me one more area to clean up.  Gnats are attracted to cider vinegar so a pour a bit of cider vinegar in a shallow dish and set where gnats are a problem.  
• sstrawberry beetles - These little black beetles with yellow dots are commonly found on strawberries.  They make their way into your home via freshly picked strawberries either from the garden or berry farm.  The beetles feed on over ripe berries so if you pick at prime ripeness you can avoid the beetles.  Manual removal is the only method I use for strawberry beetles.
• aphid - Aphids are sap sucking insects that are introduced to your home via store bought plants including some herbs.  All new plants should be isolated from your main house plant collection for a period of two weeks.  Safer's Insecticidal Soap or a homemade version should be used on any indoor plant with aphids.
• spider mites/whitefly/mealy bugs - Refer to aphids.  Although most herbs are problem free some are prone to minor insect infestations.  Treat with Safer's Insecticidal Soap as a precautionary before adding the plant to your collection.  Isolate for two weeks before adding to your plant collection.  All plants coming in from your garden for wintering over should be treated as well using the same procedure.

Frugal Kitchens 101 - Ants in the Kitchen

A very common complaint is ants in the kitchen.  Now we have been extremely lucky in that over our married life of more than 30 years and spanning a total of 19 kitchens including our RV and vacation home, ants have not been a major problem.  I dealt with one small infestation of very tiny ants in a bag of barley I had just brought home from the grocery store.  In our last house I dealt with a very small infestation of carpenter ants last year and surprisingly it was over as quick as it started.  Our new house sat basically empty with a full cupboard of open foods (eg. crackers, cookies, etc.) that we tossed when we moved in but not in time to prevent the small sugar ants from invading.  In some areas though, ants can be a huge problem.  I remember visiting my husband's aunt and uncle in the Florida Keys where a very busy line of ants could be seen coming and going over the counter and up the walls.  The problem with ants in the kitchen it two-fold.  First that is the most likely room of the house to attract ants and second, insecticidal sprays should not be used anywhere that food can be contaminated.  There are several natural methods of dealing with ants in the kitchen but first here are a few basics.

Controlling ants in the kitchen needs to follow the same basics for any pest control - knock down, seal out, eliminate food source, prevention.  Ants have a tendency to come indoors just before a rain so they are good weather predictors.  If you have the black carpenter ants in your house it is a strong indication of wood rot and/or moisture damage so be sure to investigate further and correct the problem before you have a very costly repair.  Ants have no problem getting into open boxed foods, breads and sugar costing you considerable dollars in some cases.  Discard any contaminated food then put all dried foods in glass, metal or plastic containers with tight sealing lids.   Now ants are smart critters in that they leave a scent trail for all their brothers, sisters, cousins and friends to find their way to the newly found food source.  It is very important to observe where this trail is then wash the trail away.  Soap and water will work or if you want something a bit stronger use a cleaner like Pinesol.  Go through and thoroughly wash any cupboard ants have been in before putting your protected food back inside.  Get out your trusty vacuum cleaner to clean up any crumbs on the floor, behind appliances, under stove burners and anywhere else that crumbs may be lurking.  If you don't have a hand held vacuum cleaner buy an inexpensive one for under $20.  This will be a very handy addition in your kitchen for cleaning up crumbs and eliminating crawling beasties.  Once you have completed all these steps, you are ready to move onto the most important step - prevention using natural control:

• white vinegar -White vinegar is a fungicide with antibacterial and insecticidal properties.  Spray white vinegar where you have seen ants.
• cinnamon  - Cinnamon acts as a natural ant deterrent and they smell good.  Place cinnamon sticks in patio door or window tracks and behind appliances.  Powdered cinnamon will work too if placed in a container that won't get tipped over.
• garlic cloves - Garlic cloves are not as pleasant of a scent as cinnamon but they are quite effective at deterring ants.  Peel and slice the cloves then place where ants have been seen.
• mint - Mint affects the ants' sense of smell acting as an effective deterrent.  Plant mint around your house but be warned any member of the mint family can be quite invasive.  I recommend planting in pots then placing them strategically around your house, indoors and outdoors.  You can use dried mint or mint essential oil as well but my experience is while the dried mint is effective it is a dust collector.
• black pepper - Black pepper is a very effective ant deterrent.  Watch for ants then sprinkle with black pepper.  The ants will scatter immediately to their point of entry.  Treat that area as well with black pepper.
• boiling water - If you have an ant problem in your home pour boiling water over any ant hill near your house.  This can be a very effective knock-down method but be warned should not be used around vegetation as the boiling water will kill it also.  
• cornmeal/cornstarch - Ants cannot digest cornmeal or cornstarch yet they will eat it as well as carry it back to the ant hill, effectively killing them off.  Place cornmeal where you have seen ants.
• borax - Borax will kill off ants.  Place it where you see ants or sprinkle over any ant hills near your house.
• bay leaves - Place a couple of bay leaves where you see ants and along their trail to deter them.  Bay leaves have a lovely deep, savory smell as well.
• salt - Ants will not cross a salt barrier.  The salt crystals are sharp, cutting into the ants' exoskeleton much the same as diatomaceous earth, another natural remedy for ants outdoors.  Food grade diatomaceous earth is available for use indoors but it can be hard to find.
• ginger - Ants do not like ginger so it acts as a natural deterrent and like cinnamon will make your kitchen smell nice.
• lavender - Grow lavender around your house and/or indoors to deter ants.  Dried lavender works indoors as does lavender essential oil.  Just place where ants have been spotted.
• coffee grounds - Used coffee grounds have a lot of uses in gardens and they are effective at deterring ants indoors.  Just place the wet grounds in a small bowl (eg. dipping bowl) and place where ants have been a problem.