Nowadays, more and more people ramp up their efforts to establish an environment-conscious lifestyle. This significant step is of great importance to both health and environmental protection, as the use of varying chemicals for pest control, especially pesticides, is only getting worse, not to mention nature adapting.

Green-oriented people buy and consume organic food and bits – cleaners, cosmetics, clothes, etc., or create such themselves. Alongside organic products, they seek services that are ecological, too.

Amongst these services are green treatments for both your home and pest control for business. Appealing to the upward sustainable trend, it gains a lot of attention these days. That’s because conscious consumers prefer to avoid traditional pest treatments since they create health risks and contribute to environmental pollution. And green pest control eliminates pests with the lowest possible harmful impact on the surroundings.

So, you are part of this new wave of environmentalism and want to learn more about green pest management?

Read ahead to discover a detailed variety of organic pest control methods and products to handle troublemakers, put together by the team of experts at the Panther Pest Control Company.

In the pest management industry, there are a lot of similar terms related to ecological services. You hear about “green”, “natural”, “eco-friendly”, “chemical-free” pest control, and more. But none of them owns a well-defined explanation. So, it’s important that you learn the major differences to make a well-informed decision when you choose a service for your home or office.

Green/Chemical-free Pest Control

This type of pest management refers to products that come only from earth-based materials and contain non-chemical matters. Such natural materials are borates and desiccant dust (diatomaceous earth and silica).

Green pest control doesn’t exclude pesticides entirely. It’s a practice focused on the secure application of naturally occurring pesticides, because just as pests cause allergies, so could traditional pest treatments.

Botanical insecticides and pesticides are perfect examples. These substances kill pests on contact effectively. But mind that they lack residual effect. Thus green pesticides are not suitable for persistent pest troubles.

Environmentally Conscious Pest Control

This is another alternative of pest control with reduced harmful effects. But it doesn’t limit the use of synthetic products and non-natural pesticides.

However, they contain only low toxicity chemicals and reduced-risk materials. Plus, eco-friendly products usually come in handy for particular situations – to target a specific pest or treat a specific area.

Exterminators & Green Pest Control

There are progressive pest management companies that respond to the growing demands for eco-friendly services. How do they perform green control to combat rodents and insects?

Alongside with green and environmentally conscious products, detergent water, vacuum cleaners, and door sweeps are on the front lines of green pest control.

Compared to traditional exterminators who rely on strong and harmful pesticides, eco exterminators have a different approach.

1. First, experts investigate how and why pests infiltrate a particular place.
2. Then, professionals use the mentioned tools and natural products to eliminate the problem.

For example, door sweeps are great to fill gaps underneath doors and stop mice invasion. And a natural insecticide like Orange Guard suffocates insects. Products with earth-based materials like diatomaceous earth (mentioned above) destroy the insects’ protective shells to kill them for good.

The goal of eco-exterminators is the use of techniques and products detrimental to pests, but as low toxic as possible for you and the environment.

Now, Let’s Review Green Pest Control Methods

1. Companion Planting

This is a gardening method to control pests in your yard. It’s a technique in which plants protect other plants. Plant specific greenery near your existing plants to eliminate pests, maximise space, and also increase crop productivity.

Crops provide a habitat for insects that feed on bugs inhabiting the crops of your existing plants. That’s how you get rid of pests and save your plants.

Leeks work great to protect carrots. Lettuces planted near radishes repel flies from them thanks to a specific smell. Daffodils drive out mice, while onions – rabbits. And castor beans get you rid of moles.

Learn How To Protect Your Garden & Get Rid of Woodlice

2. Trap Crops

If you don’t need additional plants, there are trap crops to plant directly and attract unwanted pests from existing crops that you need. When you protect the wanted crops from bugs, you preserve them healthy to harvest.

Plant the trap crops around the perimeter of your garden and match the pests’ invasion period for best results.

3. Parasitic Nematodes

These microorganisms naturally thrive in the soil. Once inside an insect, they release bacteria which kill the pest in a day or two. Better still, the animal experts at All About Cats state, “Parasitic nematodes are safe around pets as well as plants and people.”

So, there is a pest control technique to increase the number of parasitic nematodes in the soil. This stimulates the elimination of the troublemakers.

Try Nematodes to fight armyworms, squash vine borers, soil-dwelling grubs, and roots maggots.

Green Pest Control Products

1. Floating Row Cover

This is a translucent, porous polyester fabric that acts as a barrier for pests. Cover your plants to protect them when they are most vulnerable, like when the pests are most active.

Row covers are useful to keep away mobile pests, such as cabbage moths, aphids, squash bugs, beetles, and tomato hornworms.

Combine row covers with trap crops to handle pests that overwinter in the soil.

2. Pheromone Traps

Many insects release a strong smell to lure the opposite sex.

There are special traps infused with such a scent to attract a target insect. Mind that they lure mostly male insects, so they are not quite effective. Also, when you notice a pest trapped in the bait, use other control strategies like the application of the row cover.

Pheromones lure is powerful towards moths, corn earworms, tomato pinworms, cutworms, etc.

3. Sticky Traps

These are tapes from a specific rigid material and texture, covered with a sticky matter. They are in a particular colour that attracts the target insect. Use at least several sticky traps and keep them clean for efficient results.

This safe pest control gear gets you rid of whiteflies, fruit flies, leafhoppers, cucumber beetles, flea beetles, and fungus gnats.

4. Insecticidal Soap

This product contains unsaturated fatty acids that dissolve the skin of insects, so they die. It’s best to use the soap while it’s liquid. Once it dries, it has no effects on the pests. So apply as a solution with a spray bottle.

The soap is effective against mites, whiteflies, and the softer nymph stages of some bugs.

5. Bacillus Thuringiensis

Another microorganism that naturally occurs in the soil. Once in a pest, these bacteria release a specific protein. This detrimental to pests protein makes them stop eating, and eventually, they die.

Buy a liquid containing Bacillus Thuringiensis (BT) or a powder of it to dilute with water. Spray the product directly on the plants you want to protect.

BT combats the diversity of caterpillars and Colorado potato beetles.

Essential Oils as Natural Pesticides

What’s a better way to let organic pest control in your home or office than the application of everyday natural products?

Essential oils are a simple, inexpensive, and effective approach for that.

• Peppermint, Eucalyptus. These work great for handling spiders, roaches, and flying bugs infestations. They cope with even bigger pests, too – beetles, caterpillars, moths, etc.

If you know where the bugs get in your house, place an undiluted line of these oils on the area. This is a certain trick to keep them out.

And what if you’re not sure how the pests enter? Then, prepare a mixture of 15 drops of oil and 12 ounces of water. Spray the solution to a wider area. Or spray cotton balls with the mixture and display them in crevices around the place.

• Lavender, Lemongrass. Use these essential oils before you reach out to professional exterminators of fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, and other insects that bite.

Again, make a mixture like the previous with any of these oils and apply it the same way.

Use it also to spray your pet’s coat once a week or add 2 drops of oil to their shampoo to prevent fleas on pets.

• Rosemary, Basil. Get these oils to repel flies and protect yourself and your close ones from the awful diseases they carry.

Put a sponge in a jar and drip it with several drops of oil. Place the jar near the affected area, so the oil scent drives the flies away.

• Spearmint, Lemon. These essential oils help get rid of ants. These tenacious bugs crawl everywhere there’s food.

Mix 15 drops of spearmint oil and 7 drops of lemon oil in a spray bottle. Saray your kitchen counters, cabinets, table, and fridge to eliminate ants and preserve your food.

Remarks On Green Pest Control

Whether you perform it yourself or hire a pest control company to do it, green pest control exists and is worth a try.

Pests are, without a doubt, a serious problem that deserves a responsible solution. But rather than strong, harmful synthetic chemicals, consider using natural products and methods to get rid of creatures, causing trouble in your life.