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06/14/2003 Archived Entry: "SUMMER PESTS"

SUMMER PESTS

It is fly and mosquito time. Along with intense summer heat, they can make life rather miserable. I’m ever-ready to try any home remedy that might deter their presence around my home and body. Here are a couple of remedies I’m trying and thought you might give them a fling as well.

My friend Rachael swears this works for flies. Take a gallon plastic milk jug or one for vinegar. Rinse out the milk container. The vinegar one is okay as is as you’re going to put vinegar in it anyway. Take some handy sharp hole-poking object and while aiming away from your innards, jab a hole in the middle of the neck of the container about the size of large fly. Put the hole a couple inches or so down from the lid. I don’t know if position is really important or not, but that’s where she told me to put it, so we’ll go with her instructions.

To the container add ½ cup sugar, ½ cup vinegar (any kind…I used distilled), 1 cup water and two banana peels. Pull the banana peels in strips and drop them in. Put the cap on. Then let this ferment, rot and smell to high heaven in the hot sun until you can’t stand getting close to it. Keep the lid on all this time. Hang it in a tree, one presumably not close to where you’re going to be sitting. Rachael claims this draws flies like crazy. Once you can’t stand it anymore, start another. I’ve got a couple jugs of stuff fermenting and when I see the first fly crawl into that mess, I’ll let you know.

The other is from my friend, Sandra, who has not tried this but figures it’s worth a try. I agree although I don’t know why it would work. It was given at a gardening forum so depending on how you feel about gardening forums, go from there.

Put some water in a white dinner plate and add just a couple of drops of Lemon Fresh Joy dishwashing soap. Set the dish on a porch or patio. They aren’t sure what attracts them, the lemon smell, the white color, or what, but mosquitoes flock to it, they say, and drop dead, or fall into the water, or on the floor within about 10 ft. Ridding ourselves of mosquitoes is a good thing as they carry too many bad things along with them. Get a shovel ready to scoop them up.

No more pesky pest hints today!