Logic dictates that if you can’t get to the wasp hoard, they can come to you.

Right?

So you should look into baiting them into some DIY solutions to bring their population down.

Here are some possible solutions to get rid of wasps when you can’t find the nest or can’t see it.

Identifying the nest

Note that yellow jackets don’t nest in eaves or awnings. Their nests are on ground level rather than hanging.

Wasp nests will hang from eaves or roofing. This is one way to easily tell the difference between yellow jackets vs. wasp nests.

It’s important to know the difference because they’re two different species with different housing habits.

Wasps build their nests in a variety of locations, depending on the species.

Some common places where wasps build their nests include trees and branches (bald-faced hornets). Paper wasps tend to nest in house eaves. Potter wasps like to nest in sides of homes like mud daubers.

Yellow jackets tend to hide in random holes and containers.

Some species even excavate large holes in the ground like cicada killer wasps.

Types of wasp nests

They are typically made of a material known as paper, which is made up of chewed-up wood and plant fibers.

This is why soaking it with water makes it clump, which eventually can ruin the nest entirely.

Some common types of wasp nests include the following:

1. Paper Wasp Nest: These are small and flat, with a honeycomb-like structure- not to be confused with bee’s nests. You can find them hanging from eaves, branches, or other structures.
2. Mud Dauber Nest: These nests are made of mud. Because of their structure, they’re big and are often long and cylindrical. These nests are usually found attached to walls or other vertical surfaces.
3. Yellowjacket Nest: These secretive nests are usually located underground or in other hidden locations because of their nature. They are often made of paper and have a distinctive spherical shape, which makes it easy to tell the difference from wasp nests.
4. Bald-Faced Hornet Nest: These nests are usually large and round with a signature, dark grayish-brown color. They are often found hanging from trees or other tall structures.
5. Potter Wasp Nest: These nests look like miniature clay pots with a small hole at the top similar to paper nests. Female wasps will build their nests on the walls of houses or underground, mixing dirt and water in their mouths to build it.
6. Cicada Killer Wasp Nest: These nests are usually located in the ground and can be identified by the large holes, but you’ll need to look closely. They use this to deposit eggs.

How to find the wasp nest

If you’ve tried all the passive approaches but you’re still finding them buzzing around your property, maybe it’s time to locate the nest itself. Then you can get it removed.

Check around the eves, window corners, and fencing. They love to hide in wooden objects that have joints or provide some kind of gap for them to nestle in.

Look for cluttered areas with junk storage. Windowsills, awnings, shingles, roofing, porches, barns, sheds, rafters, or patios are all prime targets for nests.

They like covered areas that safeguard them from the elements (rain, sun, etc.). If you find it, there are some things you need to consider.

If it’s a paper nest, use a sprayer to soak it down. Stay at least 20 feet away wearing proper PPE in case they swarm. Do NOT attempt this if you don’t have the proper protection to shield yourself from them.

Call a professional instead. The ideal time to spray is in the evening twilight because they’re quietly resting during that time. Once you spray it, they’ll start flying out. Pay careful attention to the exit of the nest.

When the nest is soaked, use an insecticide wasp killer at the entrance of the nest. It’s where you saw wasps coming out of earlier. You can use an insecticide spray or dust right on this spot.

Do it in the evening. Be extremely quiet with proper protection. Again, do NOT attempt if you don’t have the proper gear or if you don’t know what you’re doing.

Eventually, they’ll come into contact with the poison, which kills the queen. They’ll abandon the nest.

Wasps bring food back to the nest to feed their young.

Use a spray

You can buy a wasp spray made just for wasps. Read all warnings before use.

This can help kill the wasps that are active within an area but won’t eliminate them as you don’t know where the nest is.

It’s only good for temporary wasp control if you have a lot of them.

If you can’t get to the nest, using a wasp spray is ideal.

Use a wasp trap

Buy a wasp trap from your local hardware store. These are specifically designed with pheromones to bait in male wasps.

They fly into the trap. Then they get stuck in the adhesive or funnel-shaped cone depending on what kind of trap it is. It works by killing the males because they can’t procreate without them so eventually the wasp population will be forced to migrate.

Even if you can’t see the nest or don’t know where it is, these traps work because you only need to place them where you see wasp activity. Usually, they hang to a hook or a stake.

Use as directed. Set up multiple stations for effective wasp control, but don’t place two of them too close in proximity because it reduces the effect. It’s cheap and passive, and it works even if you can’t get to the nest.

This is probably the easiest solution, but it does take some time for it to kick in. So if you’re in a rush, you may want to try something else. Keep reading.

Here are some popular choices (links to Amazon):

• RESCUE WHY trap
• Hanging wasp traps
• Defendy traps
• RESCUE TrapStick
• Wasp cather

Build a DIY wasp catcher

You can also build your own wasp nest if you don’t want to buy one.

Simply fill an empty plastic bottle with something sweet like dish soap.

The wasps will be drawn to the soap and will be trapped inside.

Here’s how to make one:

1. Cut off the top third of any 2 liter bottle.
2. Invert the top part of the bottle and place it inside the bottom two-thirds of the bottle. So it’s basically like a funnel.
3. Fill the trap with a mixture of sugar water or fruit juice. You can use anything sweet.
4. Some pole use Dawn dish soap. Experiments with the volume of water you use.
5. Place the trap in an area where wasps frequent, like your patio or garden.

If you have no access to their nest or can’t see it, it’s an ideal solution to use a wasp trap instead.

Make a wasp killer

Use a natural wasp killer. You can make a natural wasp killer at home using water and Dawn dish soap.

See the video following:

Call a professional

Tried everything but can’t get rid of the nest. Or do the wasps just keep building new ones?

Consider calling a pro to come handle the issue. They have access to industrial-grade supplies that the public can’t buy.

If you want to save time or energy (or just get it done right), just hire someone to do it for you. Call your local pest control companies. Get some quotes. If you’re able to find one that offers green or organic solutions, go for it.

Keeping wasps out

There are several ways to prevent wasps from building nests on your property.

Remove food sources

Wasps are attracted to sweet and sugary foods. Dish soap too.

Wasps love this sweet smelling foods so make sure to clean up any spills or crumbs around your home. This is why you see them buzzing around your plants or other edibles.

Keep your garbage cans tightly sealed and remove any overripe fruit from your yard.

Seal entry points

Seal any cracks or gaps in your home’s exterior, such as around windows and doors. Don’t forget the door gaps and the windowsills. You need to repair any gaps or cracks to prevent wasps from entering.

If you have a problem with them getting inside, consider patching up your house. Make sure there’s no gaps where they can get in.

Plant wasp repelling plants in your garden

Certain plants, such as mint, onion, garlic, citrus, eucalyptus, and citronella, can help repel wasps.

Plant them around the perimeter of your garden so it acts like a barrier.

You can also try hanging fake wasp nests around your property to deter them from building their own nests in your garden..  This is good if you can’t get to it or it’s hidden.

Did you get rid of the wasps?

Now you’re armed with the knowledge you need to identify, find, and eliminate the nest.

Even if you don’t know where it is, you have some places to look now.

You don’t need to know the specific location to get rid of the wasps. It’s important to set up repellents and exclusion so they don’t get into your home or garden.

Using repelling plants plus sealing up your house will keep them away. But if you can find the nest, get rid of it or call a professional.

There are plenty of things you can do even if you don’t know where it is located precisely.

If you have questions about your specific wasp issue, please post a comment.

The post How to Get Rid of Wasps (When You Can’t Find The Nest) appeared first on BugWiz.

Okay, that’s probably making you more worried. But why?

Because they don’t infest the house! Congrats…

But seriously though, you still want to get rid of them. They’re ugly. They’re big. They’re a nuisance.

Thankfully though, they’re usually just lone wanderers that got lost inside your home.

But if you have them in the yard, they’re likely to find their way in over and over.

In this guide, you’ll learn about:

• How to identify wood roaches
• Ways to get rid of them naturally
• How to keep them out of your home/garden

If you have questions about your specific infestation, please leave a comment at the end of this guide. I’ll try to get back to you ASAP- as usual!

Let’s dive in and send those roaches back where they came from!

What’s a wood roach?

Wood roaches are often confused with German, American, or the Smoky Brown cockroach.

These pests generally inhabit the outdoors, but may find their way into your house.

Other names

You may have heard wood roaches referred to as the following aliases:

• Pennsylvania roaches
• Virginia roaches
• Dusky roaches
• American roach or German roach (incorrectly)

Identification

The males have a tan coloration because of their wings.

The females have no wings and are not often seen because they hide. Both sexes have a clear stripe on the outside edge of their thorax, wings, and body.

The body is very similar to a German roach, but the behavior is different. While it may look like your typical household roach, they’re very different in how they act.

For instance, wood cockroaches don’t mind the light while other roaches will scatter when you flip on the switch. Wood roaches also come out during the day and night.

They aren’t skittish, so they won’t be afraid of you or the environment. They’re less likely to run away from you. They’ll wander around your garden, house, or garage.

There are a handful of common species of wood roach:

• Brown-hooded wood roach (Cryptocercus punctulatus)
• Pennsylvania wood roach (Parcoblatta pennsylvanica) 
• Dusky cockroach (Ectobius lapponicus)
• Fulvous wood cockroach (Parcoblatta fulvescens)
• Virginia wood cockroach (Parcoblatta virginica) 
• Spotted Mediterranean or tawny cockroach (Ectobius pallidus)

Wood roach vs. other roaches – How to tell the difference?

It’s important you correctly identify that you’re dealing with wood roaches rather than German or American cockroaches.

Using the wrong method to get rid of it will waste your time/money.

Here are some ways to tell the differences:

Wood roaches are very similar to the American cockroach. They have flat bodies with long antennae, legs, and visible spines. They’re smaller than the adult American roach.

They’re brown just like most other common household roaches.

These guys can get up to almost 2” in length. But most are under 1”.

Males can fly, but females can’t. Males can fly long distances and can mate with females far away.

Females have wings, but can’t fly. Females are smaller, shinier, darker, and have shorter wings with smaller wing pads.

Adults have cream stripes on their outer edges. Nymphs may have this feature too.

Do they bite? Are they dangerous?

These roaches don’t bite. They also aren’t known to carry pathogens. So you don’t have to worry about them.

Of course, if you see them in your kitchen, you should throw out food items that may have been exposed.

Why? Because their body fluids, poop, shed skin, and other waste products can cause adverse reactions. So while they won’t bite you, they’re still “dirty.”

Unlike other roaches, they don’t infest homes so they’re not a pest. While they’re scary, they’re harmless.

They don’t damage furniture, houses, or other items. Adults will fly around inside your house during mating season, but that’s about as annoying as they can get.

Can they infest your house?

These guys won’t infest your house or apartment because they require moisture and wood to thrive.

If you find one inside, it’s probably a lost wanderer. Just get rid of it by tossing it back out. If you find a lot of them, you may want to assess the situation.

They can be coming in because of poor garden hygiene or they’re native to your area.

Perhaps you have a wet room in your house? Consider the humidity levels. That’s the key to finding where they’re coming from.

They tend to favor zones with plenty of hiding places combined with very high humidity levels so they can thrive.

They feed on wood or rotting organic materials. So you must have that present too.

Where do they come from? Why do I have them in the house?

They can get inside from any of the common pathways like any other pest.

Unlike other cockroaches, they’re drawn to light sources.

So they can come in through window openings, crawl spaces, under your door, foundation cracks, houseplant hitchhiking, or even through firewood.

The males will be drawn towards bright lights at night. So if your home is “leaky” with a light source, they’ll come inside wherever the light leaks.

Wood roaches are found globally, but are native to the US. They’re found in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and other nearby regions. They live in the forest in moist woodlands with softwood logs.

You can also find them in plant waste, rain gutters, barks, leaf piles, wood piles, wooden siding, or other plant materials.

They often hide in garages, sheds, cabinets, crawl spaces, wood pits, or other zones that are wet. If you live near woody areas, you may see more of them because they’re natives.

Signs of infestation

Wood roaches are easily spotted visually. They’re not like regular roaches.

They have different behaviors so it’s easy to tell the difference between a wood roach vs. German or American cockroaches. They don’t infest your microwave, car, or house like other cockroaches do.

For example, they enter your house without caution. They remain active during the day and night.

They don’t scatter when you approach them. They aren’t afraid of you. A regular household roach will only come out at night in normal circumstances.

They’re also quick to scatter when they sense danger. Wood roaches just don’t care. They wander around inside your house in search of food (or a way to exit).

But they can’t mate inside, which is a good thing. You won’t find them in the dozens unless you’re in a woody area.

They can be quite a nuisance, but they won’t stay inside because they don’t get enough moisture inside. But if you have areas with high humidity, they can nest.

Note that they’re not common household pests. They’re in by accident. You may have brought them in with wood or soil. They may also seek shelter from the temperature.

If there’s a lack of food, they can come in. They can also enter because of lighting, such as indoor lights on porch lighting. Garden lights can also draw them to your yard.

Where do they hide? Nest?

Wooden roaches generally stay outside in moist woodlands.

But because roaches are often found cohabiting with humans, you may find them in your garden and eventually in your house.

They hide in wood piles, dirt, mulch, bark, or logs. They love organic matter where they can breed and nest.

These roaches require environments that are consistently moist so they can properly breed. Wood roaches won’t breed indoors due to the difference in humidity, so they’ll either leave your home or find a way out since they can’t breed.

The female wood roach rarely goes indoors.

She stays out in the moist environment to deposit egg capsules in loose barks of logs or stumps. This keeps them hidden from predators.

They’re easiest to spot if you know where to look. They naturally forage in forests, jungles, yards, etc.

They don’t come inside buildings. They don’t breed inside either. If you find one, it’s probably seeking relief from the temperature.

Once they get in, they look for warmth, moisture, food, and water. They may not know how to get back out.

So while it may look like they’re infesting your house, they’re just lost.

These roaches don’t usually infest the house like most other cockroaches. But you may spot one or two inside your house occasionally, especially when the weather changes.

If it’s too hot or cold outside, they may come inside for temporary shelter. So there’s no need to worry about them taking over your house. They’ll go away on their own unless you have them outside your house!

When they’re indoors, they will leave after the spring season.

What do they eat?

They eat organic materials like decaying litter, leaves, or other natural foliage. They don’t damage or eat your home’s structure.

They also don’t damage furniture, clothing, or other man-made goods. If they get inside your home, they may be eating dirt, houseplants, fungus, mold, waste, trash, or food bits that you dropped.

Similar to termites, wood borers, woodworms, etc. These guys will feed on rotting wood. They’re commonly seen in piles of firewood with high moisture levels.

Without moisture, they won’t breed. So you can use that to your benefit- if you remove the moisture from the room, they’ll leave on their own.

When are they active?

Wood roaches are most active during the summer months of May through June, which is their breeding season. Males and females seek out light and find each other in wooden logs in the forest.

They breed and then stay inside the log for years to raise the offspring. A single female can deposit up to 100 eggs in the same log!

Just like household roaches, they can infest your garden in huge numbers. This is why if you’re living in a woody area, you’ll likely find them natively in your yard.

How to get rid of wood roaches naturally

These guys rarely need any intervention because they don’t infest houses.

They go away on their own in the summertime. I’m sure you’ve already heard that mentioned multiple times already.

However, there are some things you can do if you have a lot of wood roaches exploring your property. Try the following DIY techniques to keep them out.

Get rid of firewood

This is probably the most effective thing you can do to keep wood roaches out.

You likely have some source of wood or organic matter nearby that they’re using as a temporary shelter. It doesn’t matter if it’s fireplace wood, piles of wood, bark, pallets, logs, etc. Whatever is wood is food.

They wander into your house from this shelter when they’re actively hunting or breeding. If you have firewood, make sure that you store it properly or completely get rid of it.

The same goes for anything else that’s wood or natural material. It can be where the roaches are hiding. Wood piles and logs should be stored away from your house as far as possible.

They should also be elevated so they can’t be easily infested by bugs. Never spray pesticides on firewood.

Store firewood as far as possible from your house. Moving the wood roach breeding site can help prevent infestation. Clean any firewood you bring inside.

Manually remove roaches

If you see any wood roaches inside your house, just vacuum them up or sweep them with a broom. Then discard them.

There’s no reason to freak out because they’re not interested in you- they just want to forage for food or hide from the weather. Be sure to clean up any roach guts because they’re food sources for OTHER roaches.

Remove dead roaches

Roaches that you kill should be removed immediately.

Once killed, the roach body will bring in other roaches that feast on it. Do not use a vacuum cleaner to kill roaches.

They get cut up inside the appliance and you’ll have to clean it even more. Use a brush/dustpan or gloves to pick it up. Sanitize the roach area free of guts.

What smell do they hate?

Roaches, in general, don’t like the smell of cedar.

You can use cedar wood around the garden to keep roaches out. You can also put them around your property like a fence. They also despise some scents like onion, garlic, or citrus.

Citrus oils work well as a natural, organic repellent. Dip cotton balls in the oil then place them in your house. It acts like a small bug bomb.

Reduce unnecessary lighting

Switch off lights on your patio, kitchen, porch, or garden that are not necessary. Male wood roaches will gravitate towards light in the mating season. Female roaches are also drawn to light as well.

By turning off lights, you remove their ability to seek out your property. You can also use curtains or blinds if you need to use light inside to stop the light from bleeding out into the yard where they’re scavenging.

Remove pathway markers if possible. They also drawn in bugs. Since they turn on at night, this is what gets them to your garden.

You’ll want to remove them if you don’t need them. Most pathway or patio lights are LED too, which is bug bait!

Switch to yellow lighting instead of white light. Adult males are attracted to bright lights. Yellow is less likely to bring in insects during the summer season.

Keep your garden clean

Your garden is likely the source of infestation for roaches. As mentioned earlier, they hide in decaying organic matter.

This includes wooden logs, stumps, bark, leaf litter, or foliage. If your garden is scattered with this kind of litter, then they have plenty of places to hide.

Keep your garden clean so you eliminate their hiding places. Doing basic things like:

• Mowing the lawn regularly
• Harvesting edibles on time
• Pruning plants
• Cleaning up grass clippings
• Clean up leaf litter
• Remove leaves, plant waste, or other debris from gutters and roofs.
• Wood, leaves, stumps, and other clutter should be removed because they’re breeding sites.
• Don’t let plant litter build-up
• Removing unnecessary plants
• Don’t plant edibles

Use dehumidifiers

If you suspect you have a roach infestation in the house, keep that area dry.

This will create an environment that they can breed in because of no humidity. It may force them to leave the area. You can also use fans to help evaporate water.

Keep it dry

Be sure to clean up spills or water in places where water is present. Don’t let water pool or collect stagnantly.

They only need a tiny amount of water to breed.

So it’s important to clean up spills immediately when you spill. Reduce humidity levels where possible. Running the AC may also help.

Plant insect-repelling plants

Some plants are known for their ability to repel roaches.

You may want to plant them around the perimeter of your garden like a fence to keep them out.

Here are some good plants for wood roaches:

• Rosemary
• Bay leaves
• Lavender
• Catnip
• Lemongrass
• Mint
• Garlic
• Onion
• Chrysanthemum
• Cedar

Fix leaks in your household

Got leaks?

These provide moisture to the roaches which will lure them into your house.

You need to fix them so the humidity doesn’t increase. Leaky plumbing is a common issue that brings bugs inside.

If you use a leak detector, you can find the source of it so you can repair it. Hire a professional if you need to.

Fixing the leaks will prevent pests like scorpions or cave crickets. Plus, it’s probably good for your property value.

Seal your house

Your house is your barrier from the outdoors. If it’s compromised, then that’s how they get inside. Roaches will enter your house from the tiniest of cracks or crevices.

Therefore, you must seal up your house so you keep them out.

Here are some of the most common points of infestation for roaches:

• Repair damaged screens on windows or doors
• Seal door gaps
• Fix wall damage
• Replace damaged weather-stripping
• Fix broken fencing
• Seal cracks in the foundation with caulk so they can’t sneak inside

They eat just about anything they can get but mostly are drawn to organic materials or just unhygienic conditions. Dirty homes or messy gardens are prime targets.

If you don’t know what you’re doing or how to fix something, hire a local contractor to do it for you. This investment goes more than just keeping your home free.

Hire a pro

If you don’t have the time or energy to get rid of them, hire a professional to do the work.

Find some local companies that offer green or organic pest control. They can assess the situation and then use the proper technique to eradicate the roaches.

They also have some products that are not available to the public. It’s up to you. Do you value saving money more or time more?

Of course, doing it yourself is much more rewarding and you learn how to fish. But other times, you just don’t want to deal with it.

Wood roach spray

If you must use a spray, consider using a green or organic choice.

Only do it when you’ve tried all the other DIY methods on this list. Sprays are often not good for people, pets, or the garden itself.

You can get started on Amazon for organic roach products.

If you have edible plants like fruits or vegetables, you need to use something that’s safe to spray. Be sure to use as directed. Read the label.

Wood roach prevention

When you’ve finally ridden the last wood roach, you probably don’t want to go through that again.

Sadly, if you’re in an area that has these guys natively in the surrounding area, you may find more in the future.

Here are some ways to keep the wood roaches out of your home for good:

• Replace roach traps regularly. Continue your indoor monitoring of pests even after you’ve ridden them.
• Check on them to see if new roaches have been caught. If you notice more roaches showing up on the glue, it may mean that roach season is probably taking place.
• Use sprays if you must. Apply as directed. Avoid using indoor roach sprays if possible.
• Get organic or green sprays that are rated safe for pets, people, and vegetables. This will make it safer for your garden should you have edible plants or ever plan to grow them.
• Continue keeping your garden clean and tidy. Clean your gutters, vents, window wells, etc.
• Keep plants pruned with zero leaf litter. Remove unnecessary foliage so that you eliminate hiding places.
• Keep your home in good condition. Make sure that it’s well sealed with no cracks so they can’t get inside through the crevices in the walls, foundation, doors, etc.
• Use wire mesh, caulk, or putty. Hire a professional repairperson if you don’t know what you’re doing.

If you don’t have the time or expertise to DIY it, call local pest control companies. Ask for green or organic methods if possible.

You’re not trying to kill the roaches inside your property. You’re trying to discourage them from coming in. They’ll leave on their own if the conditions are unfavorable.

Try to keep your house well insulated so they can’t get in. That’s the main thing you can do.

Did you get rid of the wood roaches?

So there you have it.

You now have everything you need to know to eliminate, repel, and get rid of wood roaches without using chemicals in your property.

While they may be scary to see, you can easily get them out just by making a few small changes.

Since they don’t infest your house, you just need to make it less favorable to them. Then they’ll leave on their own.

Do you have questions about your specific wood roach problem? Leave a comment!

If you found this guide helpful, please share some feedback by letting me know!

The post How to Get Rid of Wood Roaches (Beginner’s Guide) appeared first on BugWiz.

While beneficial in some cases, the majority of gardeners will want to keep them out of the yard. They chew on roots of plants, which will severally damage them.

Gophers will also dig extensive tunnels that can compromise the infrastructure of your home, not to mention uproot plants in their paths.

Thankfully, there are a few things you can do at home to get rid of them naturally.

In this guide, you’ll learn about:

• Why you have pocket gophers
• How to identify them
• How to get rid of them naturally
• Ways to keep them out of your garden

If you have questions about your specific gopher problem, please leave a message at the end of this guide.

Let’s get started.

What’s a pocket gopher?

Pocket gophers are rodents known for their small ears. They have large front paws with claws, which aid their teeth in digging through dirt.

These gophers are rarely an issue, but they can become a nuisance. This guide will teach you how to deter them from your yard without hurting these cute gophers.

Identification

They get their name because of their cheek pouches, which look like pockets. They’re also known as Thomomys.

They use them for something you may already know. They carry food. They can also open their pockets on the outside for cleaning or depositing food.

These gophers can be identified by looking for the following physical features:

• Large whiskers
• 12” in size when grown
• Yellow, brown, or black fur
• Lighter shade on their underside
• Extensive tunnel systems
• Large claws with large front teeth
• Short stubby tails
• Pink or skin tone feet
• Darker shade on the ventral side (top)

Wrongly identifying gophers can lead to using the wrong methods, so make sure you know what gopher you’re drawing with.

Pocket gophers are often referred to as generic “gophers.”

Finding pocket gophers

It’s important to pinpoint the areas where pocket gophers are hiding.

To do this, you’ll need to thoroughly inspect your yard, which means finding their burrow or tunnel system. Search newer crops, gardens, lawns, turfs, or fields.

The mounds are the giveaway. They’re usually 12 inches tall and 24 inches in diameter.

Pocket gophers can be deterred using some lightweight methods that don’t hurt them.

These gophers are often not appreciated for the things they do for the environment or local ecosystem.

These gophers perform some substantial environmental benefits.

For instance, they eat damaged orchards, wilting foliage, till the soil, and even clean up some insects (for omnivorous species).

For homeowners, gophers can be a seasonal nuisance. They do go away after some time, so they’re not a problem that you’ll have to deal with for a long time.

These animals also don’t infest in large numbers, so they don’t cause heavy damage.

They’re pretty much a neutral threat since they do clean up the garden even if they’ll uproot or destroy some plants.

Similar to bees, these creatures can be nuisances or beneficial in the garden.

Some are even of conservation concern, so you may not want to disturb them.

The Brush Prairie pocket gopher and the Mazama gopher are both protected species.

So you need to be careful if you plan to use mechanical, chemicals, or otherwise disturb their environment. Contact your local FWS if you’re unsure.

If you’re cleared for pocket gopher control, here are some ways you can deter them from your garden.

First, you’ll want to inspect your garden, field, or turf. Search near crops.

Look for piles of dirt or mounds so you can pinpoint the areas where they’re occupying. The dirt mounds will lead you to their tunnels.

The mounds are about 12” tall and up to 25” in diameter. They won’t have surface tunnels, which is one way you can separate them from molehills.

Once you find the mounds, use a broomstick to locate the tunnel. Shove the broomstick into the dirt to find their burrow.

Move a couple of inches away from the mound. Constantly probe until you break through the soil. Congrats. You’ve found the tunnel.

The dirt should give with no resistance. Finding their system is half the work. Next is to prevent them.

What do they eat?

They’re well-equipped for digging. They have large front claws for traversing tunnels, small eyes, tiny ears, and sensitive whiskers. The food is primarily why they come to your yard.

This all helps them move in the dark. They can also move quickly. With their large front teeth, they can be used to loosen soil and cut dirt. They’re quick, agile, and nimble.

Because of their long paws and powerful legs, they’re well suited for hunting a variety of food sources.

Unlike moles, which eat insects, pocket gophers only eat food. In other words, they’re herbivores. They mainly feed on roots, bulbs, or fleshy plants. Stems, leaves, and other foliage may be eaten too.

This is why people may want to get rid of them because they can be quite damaging to plants in the garden. Their tunneling can also cause damage to root systems.

Because they get enough water content from the plant materials they eat, they don’t need large sources of water. They can also hide in harborage if it’s too cold.

Where do they hide?

Pocket gophers are active all day, all season. But they may still be hard to spot because they spend most of their time hiding in their tunnels.

The Mazama gopher is easiest to spot because it spends a large amount of time above ground, especially at night or on gloomy days.

Pocket gophers will gather food from vegetation quickly and then go back into their tunnel.

So you need to watch from a distance when it comes out to forage.

Their burrow systems let them find food, rearing young, or storage of their harvest. They have escape tunnels as well so they’re hard to catch.

Gophers will plug any entrances in the system within just 24 hours. So they’re far from doing digging randomly. It’s a sophisticated network of tunnels.

What are they good for?

Pocket gophers are good for a variety of things so you may think twice about deterring them.

First, they’re good at moving a lot of soil. This serves as a very important ecological reason. Their tunnels will help vegetation grow by providing space.

Their waste also becomes fertilization for plants. So soil becomes more porous after being tunneled. It’s like a free soil tiling.

Soil quality often increases where gophers have stayed. The soil on the surface mounds created by pocket gophers also provides fresh seedbeds for plants, which can help increase the variety of plants in your yard.

Some larger predatory creatures will also prey on gophers like snakes, birds, or mammals.

Some reptiles like toads or lizards use their burrows as homes. As you can see, there are plenty of benefits to having pocket gophers.

Do they bite?

They will bite if provoked.

This is why you should never handle them without proper protection. They have sharp claws and sharper teeth.

Never touch or handle without proper PPE. Gophers will bite if in danger. They can also carry rabies.

Do they damage the garden?

If you see soil plugs, winter soil casts, mounds, or destroyed plants, you may have pocket gophers.

When they tunnel, they loosen the soil. They push the loose, dug soil to the surface like a bulldozer using its feet/head. This just goes to show how strong their paws are.

The excavated soil is pushed out of the exit. So a pile of dirt right outside is usually pocket gopher territory.

They can dig through hard soil, clay, and even mulch. They can create several mounds daily, especially when it’s wet outside after rains.

Irrigated areas like your garden where there’s plenty of water make it easier for digging.

Tunnels

Pocket gophers dig extensive networks right under the soil line. They’re about 5-10 deep.

Diameter-wise, they’re about 1-3 inches in length. It varies depending on the gopher size/species.

Sometimes, the nest and food storage area can be several feet deep. Drier soils often call for deeper tunnels.

Their system can be sloped, lateral, or short. They connect to the main tunnel system for pushing dirt out.

This is useful for having somewhere to clear the dirt when they’re actively creating more paths in their tunnel system. It also allows for escape pathways or forage access on the surface.

Soil plugs

Sometimes, you may come across these small plugs of soil. They’re about 1-3 inches.

They’re circular and easily come loose. These are made by the gopher.

hey use them to plug the exits along the burrow system or mounds. Vegetation may be clipped around the plugs where they forage.

The plugs are made because the gopher comes out for food or deposits. Then they go back in. They plug the exit they made to safeguard their network.

Pretty cool huh? You can use these plugs to discover how far their network goes.

Soil casts in the winter

Soil casts are created from previously backfilled tunnels. They fill their tunnels when they dig new ones.

The casts you see are the result of the extra soil.

The backfilled tunnels are full of soil, which becomes visible when the snow is gone.

Castings from the soil are always fragmented into small sections.

Only a small percentage of tunnels are backfilled with this soil, so the castings only represent a small section of the entire tunnel system.

Do they invade the house?

Thankfully, pocket gophers have no interest in infesting households. Since they’re a burrowing species, they have nowhere to hide inside. They don’t stay in your garage or crawl spaces UNLESS there’s an active tunnel burrow there.

Unlike moles, these gophers will generally stay in the garden away from buildings.

How to get rid of pocket gophers naturally

This section include various DIY techniques to get rid of pocket gophers without using chemicals. See what works for you. I suggest trying them out from the easiest to hardest to save you time/effort.

You’ll find that you can’t really force them out of your garden, but rather deter them.

Use fencing

Use physical barriers to protect crops.

Build them around your flower beds, gardens, laws, etc. Bury the bottom of it a few feet below the soil to protect the root systems of veggies or flowers.

Using physical fencing is also how you can prevent them from invading your property in the future. Combine this with planting fewer plants that are gopher bait.

Set up pocket gopher traps

You can buy pocket gopher traps at any hardware store.

These come in a variety of designs, but they generally work by using a spring-loaded mechanism that catches gophers when they come out of their burrows. Whichever design you choose, make sure you read the label.

Use it correctly because they can cause injury if not properly set up. This is often the passive, easiest way to catch those gophers. Look for humane traps that don’t have gases or poisons.

You’ll also want to make sure that it’s OK to trap gophers in your state. Simple, spring-loaded ones without fancy setups generally work. The weirder the gopher trap is, the more they tend to avoid it.

Here are two traps for you to look into (links to Amazon.com):

• Victor Gopher Traps
• GopherHawk

Use ultrasonic stakes

These are spikes that stick into the dirt above their tunnels. It emits a high frequency sound that basically deters them because it’s so disturbing. Humans and dogs can’t hear it, but gophers can.

The nice part is that they don’t require anything but your time initially in plotting them. Then they do the rest of the work. They can be powered by solar or battery. Solar is highly recommended if you have a lot of gophers. You’ll save time from not having to get new batteries or recharging.

For them to work correctly, they need to be positioned very specifically with correct spacing. This is why it’s imperative you read the labels for them to work properly. You should read the reviews to make sure that the product you’re getting the right product.

Here are some products to get you started (links to Amazon.com):

• Yardec Gopher Stakes
• Victor Stakes
• Generic Stakes

Relocate plants

Once you know where they reside, you can relocate important or vulnerable plants away from the mound.

Consider replanting them in raised beds or behind barriers, which we’ll cover in a bit.

Remove plants

If you don’t need plants, get rid of them! They’re just free food for gophers. This means doing regular yardwork in your garden too. Prune overgrown plants. Clean up grass clippings. Immediately remove foliage. Get rid of spent buds.

Keeping your garden clean will supply fewer plants to bring in creatures that eat them.

Use gopher-repelling plants

Some plants repel pocket gophers naturally.

Plants like lavender, rosemary, geraniums, catnip, skill, sage, pine, eucalyptus, Nandina, lilies, or salvia are excellent repellents. Pocket gophers can cause a lot of damage from burrowing, eating, and destroying plant roots.

Garlic is also proven to keep gophers away- that’s why they use garlic in odor repellents.

They eat just about anything. They pull plants down from the root and eat them in their tunnel.

Thankfully, you can plant plants that they don’t have any preferences for or even repel them due to scent or thorns.

Don’t plant their favorites

Similar to using plants that repel gophers, some bring them in.

Some of their favorites include the following:

• Roots
• Bulbs
• Fleshy portions of plants
• Potatoes
• Grasses
• Weeds
• Cover crops
• Herbaceous greens
• Seeds
• Ornamental shrubs
• Crowns
• Shrubs
• Tubers
• Vegetables

They’re not particularly picky, but tend to draw towards plants that offer lots of nutritional value for the work they need to put in. Starchy, dense greens are ideal. This is why they like roots. They’re chock full of fibers.

Avoid planting these plants to reduce pocket gophers in general. If they don’t have anything to eat, why would they nest in your yard?

Use spent coffee

Coffee grounds can be sprinkled around the garden to help repel gophers.

They dislike the scent of coffee, plus it helps add some nutrients to your soils. It also has a residual effect so you only need to do it once in a blue moon.

Coffee can keep other insects out of your garden too, including squash bugs, stink bugs, and even barn spiders.

Use garlic stakes

Gophers hate garlic. This is why manufactures use it in gopher repellents. You can either plant garlic or onion around the perimeter of your garden, or you can use premade garlic repellents (Amazon).

If your zone is suitable for garlic, consider planting plenty of it. Not only does it keep gophers out, it also makes a delicious meal!

Dogs or cats

The domestic dog is a natural predator of pocket gophers.

They can be used to chase them out of the garden. Of course, you’ll want to watch out for gopher retaliation, which can cause serious injury to domestic animals.

Farm dogs are the preferred choice, but if you’re not sure if Fido is up to it, don’t do it! The same goes for cats.

Consider predators

Pocket gophers do have a few predators they’re afraid of.

If you have these species native in your zone, do some reading on how to get more of them to your zone. Gophers won’t inhabit the area if it’s constantly disturbed by predators like:

• Bull snakes
• Rattlesnakes
• Weasels
• Coyotes
• Badges
• Hawks
• Owls

Build barriers

Use a metal cloth or mesh around the bottom of garden planters. This keeps them out so they can’t get to the roots of your crops.

This will prevent gopher foraging. Barriers will help keep them from tunneling into an area that has valuable plants.

Garden beds or flower beds should be protected by putting mesh on the sides, bottom, and sometimes the top if possible.

For raised planters, you can do the same on the bottom. They don’t need side support.

The wire is also an excellent and economical way to keep gophers away from roots. They can be purchased from hardware stores. Look for a 1” mesh chicken wire, light gauge.

Put double layers around the bases of your plants that are vulnerable to gophers. Leave some space so the plant can grow or else you’ll need to constantly reposition the wire.

There are also wire baskets that are sold specifically for this purpose. They have the mesh built in. Using a perimeter fence a few feet below the soil line can prevent pocket gophers from getting to your plant roots.

Note that the wire does rust over time. Some gardeners like to spray on rust-proof paint to help keep it from rusting.

Never dig in areas that may have utility or power lines. Always double-check with your local authority before digging.

Gravel can also be used to deter gopher chewing by surrounding vulnerable utility lines. Use 8 inches of coarse gravel 1” or bigger. This will stop them from chewing on your cables.

Some barriers, such as plastic tubes or plastic pots, can be effective at keeping gophers out of plants on the soil surface, such as conifers. You can use chicken fencing above the soil too.

Commercial solutions for pocket gophers

If you’ve tried the above DIY remedies, but none of them worked, you may want to consider using commercial solutions.

There are some leading products out there with high success rates. Read the label and use as directed. Get organic or green products if possible.

Here are some products for you to check out (links to Amazon.com):

• Tomcat Gopher Repellent Spray
• Tomcat Ready to Use Spray
• Kaput-D Gopher Bait

Consider hiring a professional if you can’t get rid of the pocket gophers yourself.

There are plenty of experts who have industrial solutions not available to the public. Contact your local pest control company for more details.

How to get rid of them permanently

If you’re located in an area where pocket gophers are natives, you’ll have difficulty completely getting rid of them.

The most you can do is setup your property to be as inhabitable to gophers are you possibly can.

This means using a combination of the techniques outlined in this guide:

• Set up fencing around your garden
• Plant fewer bait plants, plant extra deterrent plants
• Use secure plant potters, raised planters, etc.
• Use mesh to keep gophers out of plants
• Use commercial solutions if needed

It’s all about assessing the situation, then using the most efficient technique. Be persistent, but patient. That’s it!

Get rid of pocket gophers for good!

now you know everything you need to know to get rid of those pesky gophers.

Keeping them out of the yard is one thing, but deterring them from munching on your plants is another. You’ll have to work from both sides in order to get rid of them.

If you have specific questions about your pocket gopher problem, please leave a comment for suggestions.

If you found this guide helpful, please consider telling a friend who may get some value out of it!

The post How to Get Rid of Pocket Gophers Naturally (DIY) appeared first on BugWiz.

I’ve written a guide about how to repel scorpions before. This one is more for keeping them out of your garden and house.

There’s a lot of info in this guide. So bookmark it for easy reference. It’s not going to be instant to get rid of them. So you’ll have to be patient.

But with persistence, you should be able to see fewer scorpions in your home/garden.

Try out a few of the DIY remedies to see what works for you (while adhering to safety precautions). They won’t work for all situations, but should for most.

If you have questions, post them at the end of this page and I’ll try to help you out.

Warning: Scorpions will retaliate!

While scorpions would rather avoid confrontation with humans, they will retaliate if you disturb them. If you don’t know what you’re doing, do not try to handle or kill them.

Do NOT try any remedy or method without consulting a professional exterminator first. Never handle or approach scorpions without proper protective equipment.

How dangerous are they?

Scorpions can be extremely painful. They’re venomous, but the venom varies greatly in how strong they are. Pets and sensitive individuals are more vulnerable to the venom and are at risk for complications.

Out of over 1700 scorpions, there are about 25 species that are lethal to humans. While the number is small, you should never assume that the species you’re dealing with is safe to handle or eliminate.

This is why you should never go near anywhere that scorpions nest without proper protection and the advice of a professional.

If you don’t know what you’re doing, hire a pro.

Does killing a scorpion attract more?

If you kill one, it doesn’t usually bring more to your home. Scorpions are solitary creatures, so there are no other scorpions that nest nearby.

If you kill one, be sure to dispose of it properly because other pests may show up to eat it, which will then bring in other scorpions that eat said bugs.

What scent do scorpions hate?

Scorpions hate fruity or strong-scented herbs. Lavender and cedarwood oil both come to mind. You can use these by dipping a cotton ball into either one as an essential oil.

Then place the balls around the house or garden where you suspect them to be scavenging. This will instantly repel them.

Cedarwood oil can even kill them almost instantly if they’re exposed to it.

Other scents include the strong aroma that comes from herb plants. See the list in this guide.

What is the best natural scorpion repellent?

Lavender or peppermint.

Both of these are said to be effective against scorpions. It keeps them away without having to resort to dangerous sprays. This is one of the quickest ways to get rid of scorpions.

Try these first. 5-20 drops mixed with some water should be enough to spray around the household.

Dilute as directed. Read all warnings as some pets or people can be sensitive to these oils.

What does vinegar do to scorpions?

Vinegar is a natural scorpion repellent because of its strong, acidic scent.

It works well because of the low pH makeup of vinegar which makes scorpions want to avoid it.

You can utilize this as a repellent by placing containers of vinegar in your house or outside the perimeter. The scent of it will deter them.

You can also spray vinegar around the house in areas where you suspect them to be hiding or nesting. Vinegar is very effective for driving them away and keeping them out of your house.

Spray areas that they frequent outside the house. They hide in places where they won’t be found.

Vinegar is cheap, natural, and works well against scorpions, spiders, centipedes, crickets, and millipedes. It’s a very basic home remedy to get rid of scorpions.

Where are scorpion nests found?

Scorpion nests are usually found in dark areas such as inside holes or under debris.

Scorpions can’t climb vertically on smooth surfaces, such as glass, wood, or stainless steel.

They like to hide in hard objects like fencing, stone, etc. Scorpions generally live by themselves.

They’re solitary creatures. If you find multiple scorpions in one nest, it’s likely due to increased competition or limited resources in the area.

What does cinnamon do to scorpions?

Cinnamon, like cedar, is a scent that scorpions hate.

If you get some cinnamon powder and then sprinkle it around the house, it can limit their entry into your home.

Put it in key areas like doorways, windows, or foundational cracks.

The cinnamon naturally keeps scorpions out. You can also use it in the garden, but replace it after rain or wind. Cinnamon doesn’t kill scorpions. It only repels them.

But cinnamon OIL acts like a natural insecticide. Its strong scent helps repel them while being safe for most pets and people.

What kills scorpions instantly?

People will generally stomp on them or use a knife to pierce their shells.

This will kill them instantly, but it’s risky. Never do this if you don’t have proper protective equipment (gloves, clothing, shoes, etc.)

They’re quicker than you think, so don’t underestimate them.

Scorpions are known to be very hard to kill.

They have a tough outer shell that’s hard to pierce.

Most insecticides are useless against them. They used to live in harsh environments so your home is paradise.

How to prevent scorpions from getting in your bed

Putting horror movies aside, there are some surefire ways to help reduce the chance of scorpions getting into your bed.

Here are some general tips:

• Use elevated posts for your bed legs if possible. These are raised posts that the legs sit on top of. You can put it with some cedarwood oil spray to keep scorpions off. If they can’t get up the posts, then they can’t get into your bed.
• Put the feet of your bed in glass mason jars. This makes scorpions not able to climb up their feet!
• Keep the bed away from the walls.
• Keep the windows shut.
• Never let bedding off the bed. It provides a ladder for scorpions to easily climb up. Scorpions like beds because of the soft material. They can climb sheets, blankets, clothing, etc. Scorpions are excellent climbers unless the surface is smooth.
• Use blacklights (UV lights) at night. This will let you see them visibly in the dark.
• Spray cedarwood oil around the perimeter of your room.
• If you have pets, put them on raised beds.

What are scorpions afraid of? What scares them?

Scorpions are afraid of humans, believe it or not. They will avoid people if possible but will retaliate if you provoke them.

Because of this, you should be careful to disturb them when working in the garden.

When you’re cleaning up leaves or doing other work in the yard, you should be careful because they can be hiding under debris or leaf litter.

You can say that they’re just as afraid of humans as you are as much as you’re afraid of them. Scorpion phobia is real.

What is a scorpion’s natural enemy?

Where do they hide in the house?

Here is the most common place they tend to nest inside the household:

• Crawl spaces
• Kitchen cabinets
• Garages
• Bathrooms
• Ceiling fans
• Under or behind furniture
• Damp areas
• Houseplants
• Sink cabinets
• Shoes
• Beds
• Baseboards
• Cardboard boxes
• Toy boxes
• Cracks in the wall
• Crevices
• Windowsills
• Storage spaces
• Attics
• Showers
• HVAC units
• Laundry rooms

They seek out damp, undisturbed areas with plenty of moisture, food, and shelter. They don’t ask for much as they’re not picky.

You can use citrus or lavender sprays to help keep them away. Pour some bleach into your drains to prevent them from crawling up.

If there’s no food to eat, nowhere to hide, and no water available, they won’t nest. Some people say that peppermint oils work well too. So try it if no other essential oils don’t work for you.

Why is my house full of scorpions?

Scorpions may suddenly show up in the house because of environmental factors.

They’re attracted to shelter, food, and water. Some common themes that force scorpions inside the house include rain, extreme heat or cold, drought, competition, lack of food, lack of shelter, or seasonal changes.

This can force them to seek shelter inside the house, which can make it seem like a lot of them show up at once out of nowhere.

It’s also possible that scorpions may have mated and the clutch of babies is now foraging. Many of the smaller ecosystems inside the house can be suitable environments for them to nest.

This includes damp areas, clutter, dark or warm places, or humid environments. Debris in the yard makes your property favorable to them.

They love vegetation, firewood, or clutter in the garden. This provides harborage for scorpions, especially bark or firewood storage.

This is how you end up with Arizona bark scorpions. Be sure to store your firewood properly to keep it free from pests.

If you’re going hunting for them, wait until 11 PM. Then use a portable, bright blacklight. This will light them up so you can easily spot them in the dark.

Where do they hide?

They love to hide in dusty clothes, cardboard boxes, napkins, magazines, books, shoes, or other clutter.

Clutter is what they love. This is why keeping your house clean is important.

You need to keep it clean if you want to keep your house free of scorpions, amongst other pests.

If you find one scorpion, it doesn’t necessarily mean that there are more. These are solitary creatures.

So you don’t usually see them in groups. But if your garden is favorable to them, there could be many outside in the yard. One single change in the weather can force them inside all at once.

How do you keep scorpions away at night?

There are multiple things you can do:

• Use yellow porch lights to deter pests
• Set up passive scorpion traps
• Line the perimeter of your home with diatomaceous earth
• Spray peppermint oil around the home
• Use citrus candles
• Soak cotton balls in pure lavender extract then place them in key entry points
• Keep your house and garden clean
• Don’t leave food out overnight
• Wipe up moisture from sinks, showers, etc.
• Keep clothing, towels, shoes, and other soft fabrics elevated
• Use dehumidifiers around wet zones in the house

This should help you rest easier knowing that scorpions are less likely to forage in your house at nighttime.

Of course, it’s not guaranteed to keep them away.

If you’re afraid of them getting into your bed, read the tips for keeping them off below in this article.

When are scorpions active?

Scorpions are active at night. They’re nocturnal creatures.

This makes them hard to catch since they’re hiding in the daytime, which is why homeowners may not even notice that they have a scorpion infestation. They usually come out right around sunset.

When the sun sets, they start hunting for insects to eat. Timewise, this is around 10 PM nightly. If you want to check for them, do it around this time.

Scorpion season starts from March to October. If you see scorpions between November and February, you probably have a serious scorpion nest nearby. Traditional scorpion mating season is in July and August.

In what states are scorpions common?

Scorpions are not in all 50 states. There are some environments they can’t thrive in.

But a lot of regions have warm, dry climates, which is ideal for them. Some of the most common states  where they’re found are Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, Nevada, California, Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Alaska, and Utah.

What attracts scorpions in the house?

The main thing is food, water, and shelter.

Your home provides relief from the extreme heat outside. If you have standing water or leaks in your plumbing, this can bring more scorpions to invade your property.

Damp spaces with lots of clutter are perfect environments for scorpions to nest in.

Of course, scorpions also need food. Small insects, flies, and other prey are sources of food.

If your home has existing insect infestations, then you’re just providing scorpions a buffet to feast upon.

Get rid of existing food sources so that there’s no additional food for them to consume.

Some common insects that scorpions hunt include:

• Wasps
• Beetles
• Tarantulas
• Centipedes
• Reptiles (lizards)
• Birds (owls)
• Bats
• Shrews
• Grasshopper mice
• Spiders
• Bees
• Cockroaches
• Ants
• Crickets
• Rats
• Small insects
• Other scorpions (they’re cannibalistic and they don’t care)

If you have these around your home or garden, they’re prime meals for scorpions. Scorpions don’t usually feed daily unless food is scarce.

They eat every 2-3 weeks, so you may not see them come out. They’re opportunistic feeders, meaning they wait for their food to come to them rather than hunt. Unless they need to.

If you get rid of these, you may starve the scorpion and make it leave on its own.

What brings scorpions to the garden?

Scorpions love to nest in damp foliage, leaf litter, bark, straw, logs, hay, foliage, soggy materials, compost, trash, vegetation, mulch, soil, stones, and debris.

Keep your garden free of clutter, eliminate hiding places, and drain standing water. This will greatly reduce the chance of infestation in your yard, which means a reduction in them getting inside the household.

They hide in debris with tight spaces and high humidity.

So you’ll find them in tight cracks in clutter, which is why you need to get rid of nesting zones.

If there’s food available, they’ll be happy to nest. Did you know they can nest in palm bark too?

Types of scorpions

There are a few scorpions that are commonly found in the garden and hiding in yoru home. Here’s a shortlist:

• Bark scorpion
• Striped bark scorpion
• Tailess whip scorpion
• Striped tail scorpion
• Giant hairy scorpion
• Arizona bark scorpion
• Stripetail scorpions

How to get rid of scorpions naturally

The following sections include various DIY home remedies to repel, manage, and control scorpions. Feel free to skim through them and do what you can.

Start with the easiest, then see what works. Scale up from there.

Use plants that repel scorpions

There are many plants that deter scorpions naturally.

Thankfully, you can use this to your benefit. Since there are so many types, you’re sure to find something that can be planted in your yard.

Here’s a list of the most popular plants that are said to naturally repel scorpions.

See which ones grow in your hardiness zone, then plant them around the garden strategically.

Try to line the perimeter of your yard or house with them so you basically build a physical barrier of natural scorpion repellent.

Scorpions hate these plants:

• Citrus plants
• Cedar
• Peppermint
• Spearmint
• Cinnamon oil
• Essential oils
• Lavender
• Marigolds
• Garlic
• Catnip
• Fennel
• Chrysanthemums
• Rosemary
• Fruity plants

The most popular choice is lavender. You can scatter lavender flowers around window sills, sinks, baseboards, or any other dark, humid area with scorpion activity.

This will help keep them from nesting in those areas. Lavender can be purchased online for cheap. The scent is proven to repel scorpions. If it doesn’t work, try peppermint.

Clean up your yard

Keeping your garden clean.

Keep it free of debris is imperative to keeping it free of bugs. Scorpions find clutter-free gardens much less favorable to inhabit. Remove standing water, keep plants prune, remove leaf litter, and keep it clutter-free.

Never overwater or overfertilize your plants when actively trying to get rid of a scorpion infestation. Shady areas with water blockage or damp, tight spaces are key areas to watch out for.

Cool places during the daytime in extreme heat are common areas you’ll find them nesting. Never let plants touch the walls of your home.

They use bridges to allow them to climb up. Remove unnecessary items like decorative pieces, gear, lawn equipment, compost, mulch, or wood storage. Keep equipment secure. They can nest inside lawnmowers or even grass trimmers.

Your garden should also have proper drainage for water. They like to hang out in the shade. Be careful when you prune. They can make their way into your attic using them.

If you have vegetables or fruits, clean up any fallen ones so it doesn’t rot. This is how you get rid of them in the garden.

Keep your home clutter-free

Similar to keeping the garden clean, you’ll want to do the same for your house. This means cleaning up areas with junk.

They’ll hide in clothing, magazines, cardboard, cracks in walls or foundations, or holes. You’ll want to do a thorough cleaning and remove or properly store all possible objects where they can nest in.

Get rid of all objects by throwing them out that you no longer need.

Old equipment like vacuums, storage crates, or paper products is prone to them. Dust your home regularly. Don’t skimp over dusty corners or undisturbed spaces that accumulate dirt.

Be sure to clean cabinets, ceiling fans, baseboards, vents, grates, etc. Vacuum regularly to remove dust. This is how you get rid of them in the house.

Organize clutter

Keep your home free of clutter by properly organizing your storage places.

Scorpions love to hide in areas that are undisturbed, which usually is occupied by clutter.

Think of the places that are out of the way in your house. Cabinets, closets, drawers, or the corner with the junk.

Try to keep these spaces clean so there’s less clutter, which means fewer nesting sites. Use plastic storage bins with tight-fitting lids. Toss things you don’t need or use.

Seal your home

You’ll want to keep your home well-maintained to prevent them from getting in. This means doing regular home repairs like fixing window screens or repairing damaged cracks in the wall.

Seal foundational cracks. Replace vents or grills. Keep light switches, outlets, futures, and ceiling fans well kept. These are popular places where they get inside.

Use caulk to seal small cracks. The same thing should be done on the outside of your home. Don’t ignore doorways. They can get in from under it.

Use screens and seals on these entryways. Caulk is cheap and can be found at home improvement stores. Make sure the material is fully inside the crack. Use as directed.

Check for gaps around dryer vents and AC unit too.

Sprinkle cedar chips

Cedar chips are cheap. You can buy them in bulk to decorate your garden. But they also serve as a scorpion repellent. Scorpions hate the smell of cedar oil.

You can use these chips around your house and the perimeter of your yard. Sprinkle the chips on flower beds, sidewalks, etc. It’s a cheap but effective scorpion repellent.

Use yellow bulbs

If you have cool white lights in your garden, this brings in more pests.

Change all your garden, patio, or path light bulbs. Yellow light attracts fewer insects that scorpions eat.

If there are fewer bugs, then they may not be interested in nesting near your house. Regardless of the bulb color, you should turn OFF lights when they’re not in use. Yellow light doesn’t repel.

It just doesn’t attract bugs as much as white lights do.

The same goes for using curtains to block light leaks from your home.

Get rid of moisture

Leaky plumbing will harbor scorpions. They need a source of water to properly molt. Moisture loss will kill them, so they usually nest near a source of water so they can cool down and molt.

Get rid of water on the inside and outside of your house. Puddles, leaky faucets, damaged plumbing, or stagnant water are all perfect for scorpions.

Keep your home free of leaks. Check for plumbing issues if you suspect leaks. Use dehumidifiers if necessary.

Get rid of insects

As you know by now, scorpions hunt for insects at night. If you have a reliable food source (e.g. insect infestation), then it gives them all the more reason to nest inside your house or within the garden.

Depending on the insects you have in your home, you’ll need to take proper planning to get rid of them. If you know what bugs frequent your house, search this site for tips on getting rid of them.

Whether they’re in the garden or inside your house, you’ll want to eliminate them so they have nothing to consume.

Get chickens!

Did you know chickens are actually excellent pest control agents?

They work for free, too. If your neighborhood allows captive chickens, consider getting a pair.

They roam and will feed on bugs. This means less food for scorpions. They may also try to eat smaller scorpions too. Plus, they lay eggs!

DIY scorpion spray

You can easily make a natural repellent at home using 10-20 drops of lavender oil with 2 cups of water.

Pour into a spray bottle.

Then spray it around windows, doors, and other entry points. This will help keep them away with minimal effort. Lavender is proven to be an effective way to keep scorpions out.

Planting lavender around the perimeter of your house is also a great way to keep them out. They despise these plants.

If your yard has lavender in a perimeter, it’s like a physical barrier that keeps them away without using harsh sprays or poison.

Use essential oils

Similar to making your own spray, using some essential oils can help act as a repellent. Use lavender, cedar, or citrus essential oils. Mix with water as directed.

Then spray it around common areas where they hang out. This will repel scorpions naturally.

You can also soak those small cotton balls with essential oils and then put them near places where scorpions enter your home or yard. These oils are pleasant to humans, but nasty to scorpions, spiders, and other similar creatures.

But even though they’re natural, some pets or people can be sensitive to them. So read the label and do your research first.

The essential oil is too much to bear to their sensitive glands, which keeps them away so they don’t infiltrate your home.

Peppermint, neem, or cedar are excellent alternative oils. Spray the mixture on areas where they nest, such as crawl spaces, furniture, corners, etc.

Catch and release

If you want to get rid of scorpions but don’t want to harm them, consider using the catch-and-release method. Use protective clothing and gloves when hunting for them.

Go out at night using a blacklight flashlight. Pick them up with pair of kitchen tongs then put them inside a safe container. Transport it securely to an undisturbed habitat.

Be very careful if you go hunting.

They’ll retaliate if you disturb them. If you don’t have proper gear or don’t know what you’re doing, do NOT catch them. Use a passive scorpion trap instead.

Use traps

Burn citrus candles

You can put some citrus candles around your home or in the garden. This will repel them, which is good when they come out at night.

Spray vinegar

Vinegar can have the same effect in keeping pests out.

White vinegar can be mixed with water in equal parts. Spray around areas where scorpions frequent.

This is a cheap way to do it without spending a lot. This is a cheap, homemade repellent.

Use diatomaceous earth

Use food-grade diatomaceous earth to help dehydrate scorpions.

This is often sold as a dietary supplement. It’s a fine powder that’s made from diatoms, which is a type of algae. It works as a repellent for pests with hard exoskeletons (like spiders or scorpions).

They get small cuts in their shell which dries them out. DE can be sprinkled around room perimeters, baseboards, or other entryways. Keep people/pets away from it.

You can also use it outside in the yard, but be sure that reapplying it when it rains as water makes it useless. It kills scorpions over time, but they need to come into contact with it.

Dish soap

Dish soap has always been a fan favorite in the DIY community against scorpions.

Use eco-friendly dish soap with some towels to wipe down some of the surfaces in your home.

Focus on areas that scorpions may encounter. Don’t forget to clean cabinets, ceiling fans, or shelves. The dish soap will help keep the areas clean.

Scorpions hate the scent. You can also use vinegar or essential oils. Vinegar is acidic, which keeps them away.

You can also use apple cider or malt vinegar too. The point of this is to coat the surfaces with something that scorpions hate.

If your entire house is covered with it, they’re less likely to infest it. Focus on the entryways or batteries to the outdoors.

Use the spray or wipe method on windowsills, doors, and windows. These are common places that they use to get inside your property.

How do you permanently get rid of scorpions?

It’s not easy. If your in one of the hot zones, your home is basically bait for them. They’ll infest your garden every season because it provides a favorable setup for that.

The key is to make it less favorable. Use repelling plants. Spray essential oils. Keep your garden clean. You know. The basics.

Get creative. Make your home less favorable for inhabitants. But don’t assume you can keep them away for good.

Did you get rid of them?

Scorpions will infest the house if it’s favorable, whether you like it or not. The trick is to make your garden less favorable.

If your garden isn’t suitable for them to nest, then they likely won’t go into your home either.

Use the various methods outlined in this guide to repel them and get rid of the existing scorpions.

Be patient.

If you have questions about your specific infestation, please leave a comment. If you found this guide helpful, I’d appreciate your feedback.

The post How to Get Rid of Scorpions in Your House (DIY Guide) appeared first on BugWiz.

They love the warmer winters. These insects are the larvae of armyworm moths. They’re extremely hard to see once they burrow into the crop.

While infested crops need to be thrown out, there are some things you can do to save the remaining ones.

There are some simple DIY remedies you can practice to help reduce the population of earworms.

In this guide, you’ll learn about:

• Why earworms are in your garden
• Natural ways to get rid of them
• Preventing corn earworm infestations

If you have questions about your infestation, you can post them at the end of this page. I’ll try to get back to you ASAP (as usual).

Let’s learn about how to control, manage, and get rid of corn earworms.

What’s a corn earworm?

Corn earworms, also known as H. zea or Boddies, are caterpillars that can grow up to 2 inches in length.

They can be brown, orange, red, green, or even yellow. They’re marked with stripes that go down their back and are masters of camouflage. They can even be maroon or pink. Some are almost black.

As you can tell by their name, they’re a common garden insect that feeds on corn. This is why their colors match that of corn kernels so they can feast while in hiding.

They’re similar to their cousins the tobacco budworm, so many pest management techniques can be used between the two species.

They’re commonly confused with the fall armyworm, corn borer, bean cutworm, and tobacco budworm, so it’s important that you distinguish between the species so you know what insect you’re darling with.

The larvae feed on foliage but will feed on the nutritious tips of corn ears, beans, or tomatoes. They usually infest the crop from the tip, rather than the sides like the European corn borer.

What do they turn into?

The corn earworm is simply the larval form of the adult earworm moth. The adults are brown with patterned wings.

The earworms do what you need to worry about as they do the majority of the damage to your crop.

The moth doesn’t do significant harm, so don’t waste your time on them. The moths are about 1” in length from wing to wing. The front wings have a comma-shaped spot.

How to tell the difference between these caterpillars

The body of the corn earworm is covered by bumps that have black hairs coming out. The heads are also tan or dark brown.

Compared to tobacco budworms, you can distinguish them by checking out the shape of the mandible and the presence of micro spines.

Only the budworm has spikes on the bumps of the body with black hairs. The sorghum webworm is also a common insect that may be found with earworms.

Identification

These bugs are easy to identify if you know what to focus on. There are several species, but the most common are H. zea, H. armigera, H. assulta, H. punctigera, and other subspecies in the Helicoverpa genus.

For adults, look for the “comma” markings on the wings.

For larvae, look for caterpillars that have stripes going down the back. Segments are visible with a darker, tan head.

The worm looks very similar to a cutworm or budworm. See this video for more info:

Lifecycle

Corn earworms possess a similar lifecycle to any other caterpillar. The adult moths will look a place to oviposit their eggs in the springtime after they mate.

Eggs

Hornworm eggs are small, yellow, and deposited individually. They lay eggs in fresh corn silk.

Each egg is about the size of half a pinhead with no pattern in laying. The larvae will begin following the silk channel to the corn ear tip where they’ll eat the kernels.

Once they get inside the ear, the cone is destroyed. The eggs are tiny white and laid singly in the foliage on the corn silk. Eggs will get a brown ring on the top when they’re about to hatch, which takes about 2-5 days. Eggs are deposited in a row.

This is where they start seeking a host plant to infest.

Larvae

The larvae will hatch from the eggs. They’re green with black heads and tiny caterpillar hairs on the body. They’ll begin to feed on the corn ear tips. As they eat, they’ll burrow into the crop over time.

They get bigger until they reach about 1.5″ in length. Once they’re full size, they can be green, brown, or even pink.

Pupation

In the winter, the larvae are fully grown. They’ll drop to the soil line to pupate for the winter. If the temperature doesn’t dip below 25F, the larvae will turn into moths when temperatures warm up in the spring. Then they mate.

Signs of earworm damage

Corn earworms are voracious. They’re one of the most expensive and costly pests in the US.

For farms in areas where they can overwinter, they can do some real damage. The caterpillars will eat valuable crops and also stop plants from blooming as they feed on blossoms, buds, and fruit.

Earworms generally hide in grassy, woody, or agricultural farms.

On corn, the larvae will feed on the silks, which can stop pollination. When they get to the kernels, they’ll eat at the tip downward. This can also introduce pathogens into the ears. If the ears have not produced silk, the caterpillars will burrow into the ear.

While the larvae don’t generally move from one ear to another, they can cause extensive damage to a single ear. Larvae can also damage whorl corn by feeding on the leaves.

Caterpillars will burrow into fruits, feed for a short period, then continue on to other fruits if the fruit does not supply enough food.

Tomato is easily damaged by earworms when corn isn’t present or silking. Lettuce will be infested at the head.

These caterpillars will cause major damage to crops. This is why they’re such a nuisance in the garden, but a disaster in the farmlands.

Do they bite?

Yes, corn earworms do bite. Their bite can be very painful, so you don’t want to just dive in there with your bare hands.

They also produce toxins that can cause adverse reactions in humans and pets.

So always use PPE to protect yourself (gloves, jeans, closed-toed shoes, etc.) before venturing into the foliage that may contain corn earworms.

Never try to handle them directly. Consult an extent micro before you attempt any DIY pest control program on your own.

Did you know they like to bite so much that they even eat each other? Yes, they’re cannibals.

Where do they hide?

During the daytime, they hide in the crop they’re eating. The larvae often hide in the vegetation of the corn, tomato, bean pod, etc.

Once they get inside, it’s hard to see them. Sometimes you can see the adults foraging for nectar. Freshly silking corn is highly inhabitable for larvae to hide inside. The moths lay eggs on the silks of the corn. However, adult moths have been seen in the daytime foraging for food.

Did you know earworms have been seen to migrate over 400 miles? That’s crazy.

Both the larvae and the moths will hide during the day. Moths come out at dusk. When sampling for pests, scout in the early morning or early evening. This is the time to catch them while feeding.

What do they eat?

Younger caterpillars will eat their own eggshell for nutrients, then venture on to feed on younger, tender leaves. As they get older, they’ll move on to fruit. Corn earworms don’t only eat corn.

They love to munch on a variety of foods, such as:

Beans, corn, cotton, peanuts, sorghum, tomato, and ornamental (bedding and flowering).

Caterpillars will produce silk threads as they eat, so if you see a bunch of silk in a small area, it’s likely a feeding site for them.

You’ll also find their poop under their feeding sites, which look like small black pebbles.

They have chewing mouthparts so they can eat larger, stiffer foliage.

Adult moths have siphoning mouths to suck up juices for the plants.

What else do they eat?

This list is lengthy, but if you really want to know everything they’ve been spotted eating…

Corn earworms also eat artichoke, asparagus, cabbage, cantaloupe, collard, cowpea, cucumber, eggplant, lettuce, lima bean, melon, okra, pea, pepper, potato, pumpkin, snap bean, spinach, squash, sweet potato, and watermelon alfalfa, clover, cotton, flax, oat, millet, rice, sorghum, soybean, sugarcane, sunflower, tobacco, vetch, wheat, common mallow, crown vetch, fall panicum, hemp, horsenettle, lambs quarters, lupine, morning glory, pigweed, prickly sida, purslane, ragweed, Spanish needles, sunflower, toadflax, and velvetleaf, have been reported to serve as larval bait, ripening avocado, grape, peaches, pear, plum, raspberry, strawberry, carnation, geranium, gladiolus, nasturtium, rose, snapdragon, milkweed, Joe Pye weed, and zinnia.

Corn earworms have been seen on over 200 types of plants.

But their preferred plants are sorghum and corn. As you can see, they have a wide variety of plants they can eat. This makes them an extremely adaptable nuisance.

Damaged crops should never be used as compost because they’re infected. They need to be properly disposed of using insecticides.

Where do they come from?

Corn earworms are found a