by Lisa Chiplaskey

Created on: June 11, 2008   Last Updated: May 15, 2010

Summer Guests That Are Not Invited and What to Do About Them: Stop Bugging Me!

The sounds and sights of summer are everywhere. The sound of a buzzing mosquito, deer chomping on all your freshly planted bulbs, the sight of a black ant, fleas in your yard or those pesky slugs roaming through your garden, that is what homeowners deal with every summer season. Although they are a nuisance, don't despair. Some natural, quick tricks can keep you from going buggy.

Mosquitoes: The best natural mosquito repellent for your deck and lawn is a spray bottle filled with Listerine. Spray around the lawn, around the deck or around a children's outdoor play set for a safe, natural repellent. The repellent quality will last for a few days, which would be perfect for your next outdoor party with visiting relatives or friends. A note of caution, do not spray directly on siding, furniture or other outdoor materials, since it may permanently discolor the object.
Deer: When deer come to eat your beautiful flower buds or the bulbs themselves, the best thing to do is get into the spring of things-that's Irish Spring. The bar soap will foil the deer hungry habits.

To hinder the deer, get bar of Irish Spring soap, slice it up in slivers throughout your flower garden. The deer will be unhappy to approach the bed and your flower garden will be spared.

Ants: If you see ants in or around your home, and that makes you think that a picnic is out of the question-think again. Take a shallow container like a cap from a baby food jar and fill it with borax and powdered sugar. Place it in an area where you see the ants coming into the home. The scout ants will go for the sugar and take the sugar and the borax back to the nest, which will kill the entire ant population.

Fleas: If you suspect that you have fleas in and around your yard area, place a pie pan on the ground and fill it with beer. The fleas are attracted to the beer and will drown in the pie pan filled with beer.

Slugs: Slugs sliming their way through your garden? The slugs soft tissue is no match for some ordinary table salt poured onto them. They will immediately die from this application of salt.

The helpful tips above can assist you in making your summer fun and worry free from nature's guests, and are an easy fix to some of these pesky critters. With periodic application of these common household products, you can have an enjoyable summer season with friends and family that you invite to your home, without the unwanted guests encroaching on your fun.

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