Spring is here and hopefully consistently warmer days aren’t far behind. It’s also the time of year where David typically stocks up on poison to spray around the house. Nope, not for giggles, but for pests, bugs and creepy crawly things. I figured this was a necessary evil, mostly because I didn’t think an alternative existed. It turns out, one does!
After my focus on green-i-fying (it’s a word… just go with it) my home and life during February, Noosa Pest Management reached out to me about their botanical services. Being pregnant, with a toddler and a dog, I was immediately interested. After all, I had never heard of such a service and I’m constantly interested in ways to reduce my family’s exposure to harmful chemicals.
We set up a time for Will to come out and visit my house. I’m going to stop right there and say a word or two about Will. As a stay-at-home mom I am very vigilant about anyone that comes near my house, as safety is a top concern. Because of this, I was overly impressed with Will. He called ahead of time to give a me a heads up that he was a few minutes away, giving me time to put Koda in her crate. He arrived on time, was professionally dressed and incredibly polite.
I also had roughly a bazillion questions, which he knew all the answers to and he even allowed me to snap some pictures of him. What a guy!
In a previous visit, we had gone over my concerns and areas on focus. For us, living near water can bring on a lot of spiders. There are also a lot of rolly pollies and other similar creepy crawlers (can you tell I know my bugs by name, or what?) in the flowers beds beside the house and sometimes I see some ants getting closer to the house than I’d like.
So, what about the service itself?
It occurred in three steps.
First, he removed cobwebs from the house with a large brush covered with Pyganic Dust. This dust has Pyrethrins which is derived from the Chrysanthemum plant. It is naturally repellant, and helps in the reduction of spider activity. Physically brushing the webs is what removes them, not the dust.
Next up was the spray. He applied ECO PCO WPX to the exterior foundation, windowsills, and doorways to create a barrier against common invaders. All those letters (ECO PCO WPX) stand for a wettable powder containing Pyrethrins, rosemary, and thyme oil which are naturally occurring repellant substances.
Will warned me it had a strong odor and he was right, I could smell it. However, it smelled like rosemary! I loved it.
Finally, he spread Intice granules in the beddings around the exterior perimeter and in the crawlspace. Intice is a bait consisting of borates that must be consumed by the target insect. Bugs with chewing mouth parts are affected (roaches, ants, centipedes, crickets, etc).
He mentioned that since it’s a bait, he spread the granules a few feet from the house. This made sense because the rosemary spray would repel the bugs, then they’d get drawn to the bait. Homeowner win!
Since we have no issues currently inside the house, all treatments were outside only. However, Will said to give him a call if I noticed anything new, but they also come out every 2 months to reapply, since botanical treatments do not hold up as steadily to the elements as the usual chemicals. He also stuck these glue traps in our garage so he could check on them at the next visit.
Will also shared a fun fact for managing silverfish. These little bugs are my nemesis. I was going to post a picture, but I couldn’t bring myself to do that to you. I find them so creepy. Anyways, they are common in new construction, but I’ve seen one or two in the shower since we’ve moved in and they FREAK ME OUT. He said one of the best things you can do for silverfish is to vacuum the baseboards. They lay their eggs in the cracks of the baseboards and vacuuming along those cracks will suck them right out!
I should mention that Noosa also offers traditional pest control options, as well as the ability to combine the two. For example, if you had a serious ant infestation, it would be most beneficial to rectify the situation, then pivot back to the botanical options. I think that’s pretty neat, as I’m a mixture of crunchy-green-living and modern-solution-appreciation myself.
Overall, I am very impressed with the botanical option that Noosa offers. I will post a follow up down the road and let you know how it is working, but initially I have high hopes. I love that the products use are low-impact solutions. Low impact on the environment, on pets, on people.
To learn more about Noosa Pest Management, visit them on the web or on facebook.
I was provided with a complimentary botanical service by Noosa, but all thoughts and opinions expressed are 100% my own.
How do you currently manage pests at your house?
Would you be interested in using botanical services versus traditional?
Marjorie says
Interesting…I need to research this in my local area. We stopped spraying altogether when the baby was born because it freaked me out to expose my son to all of the chemicals! Several months went by, and we started to get ants and other creepy crawlers, so I relented and agreed to have them spray outside and in the unfinished part of our basement only. This would ne a great option! Thanks for sharing.
Ali says
This is awesome! I hate putting all those chemicals all over with kids and pets (and even us). I’m going to look into this in Denver. I hope they have a service like this.
Heather says
Love this! I only wished they were located in Minnesota! We had major spiders and wasps last year and since I didn’t want to use chemicals in the house I used homemade sprays with essential oils, and they just didn’t quite do the trick. You can bet I’m going to try and find someone local that doesn’t use a ton of chemicals, now!
Brittany Dixon says
Hope you can find something similar in your area! And maybe even look into planting some Chrysanthemum plants? I might look into that as extra spider repellent 🙂
Rachel says
Since moving to Arizona last years we have learned that pest management is a MUST! There are lots of creepy crawlies out here. Um, hi tarantulas!? But scorpions are the major concern for us so we have the interior & exterior of our house sprayed every month. I doubt there’s anything natural available to effectively kill scorpions but it’s worth looking into. I saw a scorpion walking across our front walk the other morning so gross…
Brittany Dixon says
Woah! Yes, tarantulas and scorpions are on a whole different level- yikes!! Those don’t sound like anything worth messing around with.
Keith V. Birkemeyer says
Rachel,
One of the best things to do is to home-seal your home http://callprobest.com/home-seal this prevents a lot of those pests actually getting into the home. Also check out http://www.whatisipm.org it is a sight full of helpful information. We stopped spraying inside homes years ago, many others still continue that practice. Scorpions love to hang out on those block walls because of the heat well into the night time here in AZ. Getting rid of harborage and food can also help.
Keith
Tia says
I should look into this! Last summer, I got bitten by a spider…twice!…just hanging out in the living room. No special powers unfortunately, just pain.
Kelli says
Ugh! I live in Florida where nothing dies! Silverfish are nemesis too! We have tried so many things and they keep coming back I vacuum we have a pest guy but nope still can’t rid of these things!!
Brittany Dixon says
Aren’t they the creepiest?! I think it’s all those legs- EW.
Susan Kennedy says
Is this the first time you have sprayed for spiders? Man, we have to spray every few months except in the winter. They hibernate. 🙂 We mostly see the wolf spiders but also other bugs as well. We use bulwark and they’ll come out anytime to spray again if I see a spider in the house. It’s great! The only thing I hate about loving on the lake is the spiders! Ewwww!
Brittany Dixon says
Luckily we really haven’t seen too many in the house, but down by the dock, it’s terrible! I know they eat mosquitoes and what not, but man, I just don’t like spiders!
April says
So glad you posted this! I have often wondered if there are options like this out there. We are hopefully moving soon, and I want to use products like this on our new house. Thanks so much!
And thanks for not posting the silverfish pic- those things are just awful looking! 😉
julia says
I’m unfamiliar with why you are spraying for spiders and other bugs outside of your house? Do they come into your house each year if you don’t spray? Or do you just not like them anywhere near your house?
Brittany Dixon says
Yes, if we spray the outside, it keeps them away from the house so they don’t come in. If we see any troubles inside, then we’ll consider an interior treatment too 🙂
Brittany @ Delights and Delectables says
I need to look and see if we have something like that here! I really don’t like all the chemicals in the house!
Susan says
We are moving into a house with a yard in a couple of weeks. Living in apartments or condos for most of my life, we never had major bug issues, but since we moved to Southern California I’m majorly scared of black and brown widows. Especially with a curious 2.5 year old and a new baby coming in July, even though I’d love to be green about it, I think we’ll just have to spray. And I’m normally a toxin-avoiding, semi-crunchy mama, but i just can’t do spiders!
Brittany Dixon says
I’m a mixture of crunchy and modern myself, so no need to explain! I’m not a spider fan either 😉
Kate @ Indulgent Wellness says
Ooooh…good tip about silverfish! We’re out of town, but I’m vacuuming all baseboards as soon as we get home! Those things move fast…sends shivers down my spine just thinking of them!
Keith V. Birkemeyer says
Brittany,
Try using a othroboric acid bait (tradename Niban -FG) 5% granules in your attic, it can also be put into wall voids. Silverfish love paper so sometimes they will eat the backing on insulation and attics and wall voids are prime areas. If you use this type bait, it can be hidden away and pose no movement from those areas.
Keith
Pest Removal says
We had major spiders and wasps last year and since I didn’t want to use chemicals in the house I used homemade sprays with essential oils, and they just didn’t quite do the trick. You can bet I’m going to try and find someone local that doesn’t use a ton of chemicals, now
pest control's says
Hi i am kavin, its my first time to commenting anywhere, when i read this post i thought i could also create comment due
to this brilliant post.
pest control tamp florida says
My brother recommended I might like this blog. He was entirely right. This publish truly made my day. You can not believe just how so much time I had spent for this info! Thanks!
No Hands SEO says
I love the valuable details an individual give to the articles you write. I am going to search for your web site and check out yet again listed here frequently. We are relatively certain I am explained to quite a few brand-new material listed here! All the best ! for one more!
pest control jobs says
It’s amazing ffor me too have a website, which
is valuable in support of mmy know-how. thanks admin
alveo condo in cebu says
Condominiums started one in the most standard types akin to residential Australia properties for sale today associated with its many benefits which adjusts in today’s modern but fast-paced lifestyles.
Eugene says
I have quite a large garden full of flowering plants. Pest control is quite a challenge for me and especially coming from the Philippines I haven’t seen much of natural methods. So far my little efforts are keeping the pests at bay.
home improvement ideas pictures says
It’s awesome to pay a quick visit this web site and reading the views of all friends regarding this article, while I
am also keen of getting knowledge.
david says
Great website love the graphics and also your content on your site good job.
Marc says
Hi Brittany,
This sounds pretty interesting. For major pest infestation I favor pesticides but for pest prevention and minor infestations it is always better to favor natural techniques.
I hope it worked for you but it usually does. If you avoid to let food lying around and if you avoid to create interesting shelters for pest they usually will go somewhere else because, like us, they need food and shelter to survive.
Pesticides should always be used as a last resort option. They are toxic for pests but also for pets, other animals and for us and our kids.
Thank you for sharing these tips
Kaye says
For me, it is always important to keep our home clean and well maintained. and that i particularly hate those pests invading my home. I make sure to control and as much as possible prevent these bugs from repopulating. Thanks for this share!
Stephan Nagy says
Hello, My name is Stephan Nagy, owner of Nagy Pest Control located in Stuarts Draft, Virginia which up I-81, 100 north of Roanoke. I own a small, family owned and operated business providing botanical pest control services. I was doing some research on botanical pest control and ran across this blog which I found very well written and some great info on botanical pest control. I only use botanical pest control products and safe methods since I started my business in 2011. It looks like Will at Noosa Pest Control is doing a great job of providing a service in controlling pest with botanical products as we both share the same quality of service values, safe products and to help save the environment. Great Blog!!!!
Erin L says
Ugh I feel the same way as you do re: silverfish. They are so disgusting. And what makes our situation harder, despite my daily vacuuming, is that in our apartment I can’t figure out the source!! We are right next to the mechanical room…. As soon as I think they are gone, nope. Back to disgust me again. I thought our bitterly cold Canadian winter would have an impact… We recently spotted an older one (more silver than the babies) under a piece of furniture in our kitchen!!! So disgusting. Essential oils don’t work… Please help! What do u do?! I’m dreading spring (never thought I’d ever say that!)
Pria says
Brit, this is very helpful! I’ve always opted liquid chemicals for pest control and have not tried the botanical option yet, it seemed to have successfully bugged the dents away! “Low impact on the environment, on pets, on people.” Aye to this!
Gloria Miranda says
Interesting… I haven’t tried natural methods yet. But I think I should try this one at my garden, unique! Thanks Brittany!
Julieane Hernandez says
Useful tips! I want to try the ECO PCO for my doorways where some pests are living. Such interesting tips!
KimberlyGayeta says
I’ve never seen a silverfish before and I don’t think I wanna see one ever! I clicked the link and it just grossed me out! lol. Thank you for sharing these tips Brittany!
Bound for Style says
Awesome post! Thanks for sharing. I really learned a lot from this.