Results 1 to 32 of 32

Thread: More humane way to get rid of household pests?

  1. #1

    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    West Texas
    Posts
    36

    Default More humane way to get rid of household pests?

    I wasn't sure where to put this thread, so hope it's in the right place!

    I've recently moved to Texas where there seems to be no end to the bugs in my apt - everything from spiders (big nasty fat ones, little teeny weeny ones...), roaches, ants, and some I can't even identify! I've let my apt manager know about this and she says she can get someone to spray my apt next week.

    However, I'd like to try and find another way besides poisoning them to get rid of them. My ideal would be some kind of non-lethal, non-painful trap that would lure them in alive and lock them in so that I could lay it out at night and in the morning simply open the door and let them go on their merry way (just not in my house ). Is that way too naive???

    Are there ways to get rid of bugs that aren't poisoning them or having too much close contact with them (i.e., I don't want to have to pick them up and throw them out the window...)

    Tam

  2. #2
    Mahk
    Guest

    Default Re: More humaine way to get rid of household pests?

    Thread "B", meet thread "A".

  3. #3
    Knolishing Pob's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Sittingbourne
    Posts
    1,523

    Default Re: More humane way to get rid of household pests?

    I'm not keen on touching spiders but I have learned to just let them be. Spiders are good, they get rid of more troublesome uninvited guests.

    Maybe find more information about them, watch nature programs about them. Once you know and understand them better, perhaps you will fear them less. Just a thought, but it helped me.

    My biggest animal phobia is houseflys buzzing around me. That's all thanks to an episode of Space 1999 where Maya changed into a fly or bee or something and flew into a robot's ear. I hate when I wake up and a fly is buzzing near my ear. I'm sure they know and do it on purpose. I can't go to sleep if there is a fly in the room.

    Anyway, back on topic, the most humane way would be something that interferes with the reproductive cycle of the bugs, so that eggs aren't viable (is there such a thing), combined with manually removing adult bugs. Fix any damp areas, store food in pest proof containers and clean up any spillages promptly, and block holes where bugs can get in. If there's no food and water for them, they won't keep coming back.
    "Danger" could be my middle name … but it's "John"

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    West Texas
    Posts
    36

    Default Re: More humane way to get rid of household pests?

    Mahk, thanks for the link to the Venus flytrap thread - that was hilarious!

    Pob, I see what you mean. I'm actually least freaked out by spiders but I've been told that in West Texas there are these big black fat ones that you don't want to mess with (poisonous) and the one I saw yesterday definitely fit into that category. I am trying to keep my kitchen as clean as possible. I usually put out a plastic bag on the counter (like a supermarket bag) every morning and use that as my trash for the day and then just tie it up and throw it in the big trash at the end of the day. I find that really helps with not only the smell of garbage in my house but also the insects.

    I'm guessing that there are "holes" under my sink which is what is bringing them in, since most of them seem to come from there. I'm wondering if I could talk to the maintenance people and have them look for holes and plug them with steel wool or something that would keep the bugs away...

    Tam

  5. #5
    Mahk
    Guest

    Default Re: More humane way to get rid of household pests?

    I don't kill house pests myself and actually consider finding a spider in my home a sign of good luck (geckos in Hawaii are considered similarly, I believe), but I draw the line when my family's health and safety are at stake. Lions, tigers, and bears (oh my) are the large kinds not allowed in my house and disease carrying pests, malaria carrying insects, rabid bats, and venomous snakes/insects/spiders are the smaller ones some parts of the world have to worry about. If you don't have the skills to trap them and relocate them safely what should a vegan do? Pack your bags and move out?

    Tammay, a cursory look on the web finds that indeed Texas has two kinds of venomous spiders to look out for: the black widow and the brown recluse. Your own family's safety is of course your first priority and if you can't find any vegan way of stopping them from invading your home...

  6. #6

    Default Re: More humane way to get rid of household pests?

    Quote Mahk View Post
    If you don't have the skills to trap them and relocate them safely what should a vegan do?
    I lived in the forest in New South Wales, Australia for a while and never needed to kill any other being to avoid being killed myself..
    I was pretty careful about the venomous spiders and snakes, but careful is vegan. Killing animals is not. None of them surely consider me to be a 'fatal to me' meal.
    They would only pose a threat by accident and accidents can often be reduced.
    If it's you or them when you meet a tiger then you'd better hope you have a gun and a head start. Debate the why and wherefore later. Or not.
    Obviously here in the UK we only need to worry about our fellow humans and the odd mad cow harming us.

  7. #7
    pat sommer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    hanging around California
    Posts
    723

    Default Re: More humane way to get rid of household pests?

    Peta stocks those nice spider-sucking devices and also live mouse traps.
    the only animal ingredient in my food is cat hair

  8. #8
    Moderator
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    Vegan Forum
    Posts
    89

    Default Re: More humane way to get rid of household pests?

    Saving this thread for the 'More humane way to get rid of household pests?' topic, several posts about the 'vegans are against killing beings who wants to live' topic and those that followed, are now in
    http://veganforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16122 , for the moment at least.

    You may need to join the conflict zone via the user control panel at the top of the page, group memberships, and by joining the group.Thanks.

  9. #9
    Rentaghost Marrers's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    UK Croydon/Brighton
    Posts
    2,857

    Default Re: More humane way to get rid of household pests?

    Any advice on mosquitoes? I do all I can to avoid bugs getting into the house (no open windows when lights are on, try to keep nets on open windows but doors are a problem, no stagnant water around the house, no food or crumbs lying around, leaving spiders alone to do what they do in the house etc) and when they do get in I can usually remove most of them (co-existing with them if not). However I can never catch mosquitoes, they move too quickly and I am not prepared to co-exist with them.

    If they get in they always bite me I have a bad reaction which is itchy, painful, unsightly and - with marks remaining for at least a month - quite longlasting. I know they can't kill me but I do feel a bit like it is them or me.

    What do other people do - offer them a leg and say 'tuck in'?
    Idleness is not doing nothing. Idleness is being free to do anything. - Floyd Dell

  10. #10

    Default Re: More humane way to get rid of household pests?

    Marrers,
    I have to prevent myself from slapping the area when I feel a bite..
    There are good mozzie nets but it's a bit impractical to live inside one.
    Eating raw garlic worked for me (when it sweats out) but won me no friends (what else is new?).

    tammay:
    For trouble with ants, find out where they are getting in and leave very fine cold fire ash there. They mostly will not cross it as it can irritate their spiracles a little.
    For spiders, in my experience, you need to "trap" them yourself. Wear a long glove and try to cover it with a large glass and carefully slide cardboard underneath. This worked well for Black Widows when I was living in Topanga Canyon in LA.
    Good luck.

  11. #11
    Mahk
    Guest

    Default Re: More humane way to get rid of household pests?

    Marrers, depending on where you live, mosquitoes can be most deadly. In fact after man, they are the most deadly animal in Africa killing more than a million people yearly, mostly by spreading malaria. [Interestingly the hippo is the next most lethal] I don't think they carry malaria where I live but I know they can carry West Nile virus where I live. I don't know if that exists where you live.

    Mosquitoes are in a gray area for me. Not as dangerous as a great white shark nibbling on my calf but certainly of more concern than a cockroach or ant.

    As opposed to offering your leg as a tasty treat I suppose you could wear vegan insect repellent (like DEET but I've never looked into that). I hate chemicals though so I can see how that would be a pain.

    Do you call what I call a "window screen" a "net"?

  12. #12

    Default Re: More humane way to get rid of household pests?

    Pesky Hippos!
    By a net I mean the large net like fabrics that are often draped over beds where mosquitoes are prevalent. I don't think walking around in one would be too easy..
    The raw garlic thing really does work as a repellant. Perhaps not all over the world..

  13. #13

    Default Re: More humane way to get rid of household pests?


  14. #14
    DFL Guacamole Gal's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    5 BLOCKS 2 DA SUBWAY
    Posts
    129

    Default Re: More humane way to get rid of household pests?

    As an Aussie, I always remember Christmas being something of a sado-masochistic affair as we would all pile out on the verandah to celebrate on the day, but of course for us Christmas is during the height of Summer - meaning sweltering humidity, mugginess, and much nibbling - from the mozzies that is. There's nothing like the irony of trying to enjoy a meal whilst being eaten alive oneself We used to have these stinky coil things that you lit, a type of incense that turns up the nose of a mozzie, thus sending them elsewhere in search of better smells.

    Maybe a nifty combo of dressing in netted garb, a corked-hat, reeking of garlic, dowsed in vegan mozzie-repellant, and doing a raindance around an incense coil for good measure, would be the best surefire plan?

    Wait, is this why I'm still single?!


    .
    ~ United we stand..Divided we fall ~

  15. #15

    Default Re: More humane way to get rid of household pests?

    Like I always say: Who wouldn't love a woman in corked garlicy netting?

  16. #16
    DFL Guacamole Gal's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    5 BLOCKS 2 DA SUBWAY
    Posts
    129

    Default Re: More humane way to get rid of household pests?

    Quote horselesspaul View Post
    Like I always say: Who wouldn't love a woman in corked garlicy netting?



    Yay! I always dreamt I'd one day meet my garlicky match!

    Care to join me in a slow-dance round the anti-mozzie-coil..erm, I mean entirely delicious-smelling and seductive incense/candlelight?
    ~ United we stand..Divided we fall ~

  17. #17
    DFL Guacamole Gal's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    5 BLOCKS 2 DA SUBWAY
    Posts
    129

    Default Re: More humane way to get rid of household pests?

    Quote lakini View Post
    Yay! I always dreamt I'd one day meet my garlicky match!

    Care to join me in a slow-dance round the anti-mozzie-coil..erm, I mean entirely delicious-smelling and seductive incense/candlelight?

    Okay, so that's the mozzies and a nice vegan, garlicky man sorted (no Paul, you don't get a say in the matter, otherwise you might refuse!)..But can anyone tell me how to deal with giant, flying cockroaches humanely? They scare the absolute bejeezus outta me, but I don't wish to a) hurt them b) go remotely near them.
    ~ United we stand..Divided we fall ~

  18. #18

    Default Re: More humane way to get rid of household pests?

    I always prefer to dance around noxious coiled objects whenever possible so I'm there Lakini.
    To repel giant flying cockroached simply bat them away gently with your hand in a calm and considered manner, perhaps wearing some sort of protective headgear.
    Here's Ricky Ponting taking it to extreme levels, no helmet (showoff) and an actual bat.

    Sorry.

  19. #19
    DFL Guacamole Gal's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    5 BLOCKS 2 DA SUBWAY
    Posts
    129

    Default Re: More humane way to get rid of household pests?



    The position of Lakini's Lover has just reopened!!!


    Oh...and if you wanna get technical, just remind me how many years it'd been before that, that you Poms repeatedly got thrashed by us..in the cricket...and rugby...and....shall I go on?

    Get on your knees and start grovelling mister!
    ~ United we stand..Divided we fall ~

  20. #20

    Default Re: More humane way to get rid of household pests?

    I am a big fan of the Pontmeister as it goes. One of the finest batters ever to pull on a pad.
    England are sh1te at everything.
    Not grovelling, just the truth.
    On topic again... .I just ushered a mosquito out of the window......go on...go on..bzzz...bzzz...

  21. #21
    Vegan Traveler
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Quanzhou, Fujian, China
    Posts
    326

    Default Re: More humane way to get rid of household pests?

    This topic just brought to my memory an incident I had about four or five years ago. I was living in my house then, being that I never use the air (and it was the middle of the summer), I had all the windows in the house open. I had some fruit out on the counter, went out, and didn't come home for a couple of days.

    When I finally did come home, I opened up the back door to literally THOUSANDS of fruit flies flying around my kitchen! I couldn't walk from the door to the counter without running into one.

    Being a good vegan, there was no way I could spray something to kill these, and I wasn't about to go swatting either, so I moved the fruit outside, got a fan out of the attic, and grabbed a big piece of cardboard. I pointed the fan towards the open door and fanned these thousands of gnats out the door! It took me like three hours in which I had a few visitors who all thought I was crazy haha..

    The next day they were back, but not as many, and I did the same thing.. And the next day.. It took about three or four days, but my problem was solved All without hurting any little buggies
    - The Duck
    Let's do something about it!

  22. #22

    Default Re: More humane way to get rid of household pests?

    THAT'S what I'm talkin' about!
    Nice one howdawg.

  23. #23
    Goddess foxytina_69's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    2,716

    Default Re: More humane way to get rid of household pests?

    anyone ever tried the bug vaccum? i really want one. im constantly scooping bugs into glasses with something over the top and putting them outside. steev even does it now lol. id love to have the bug vaccum. it just sucks them in and then you can release them outside so they dont get hurt.
    "you dont have to be tall to see the moon" - african proverb

  24. #24
    cobweb
    Guest

    Default Re: More humane way to get rid of household pests?

    i have one of those, Foxy, as my son is phobic about flying insects, its very good .

  25. #25
    Goddess foxytina_69's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    2,716

    Default Re: More humane way to get rid of household pests?

    good to know cobweb i really want one. i think ill put it on my christmas list
    "you dont have to be tall to see the moon" - african proverb

  26. #26

    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    St. Louis, MO
    Posts
    7

    Default Re: More humane way to get rid of household pests?

    Vacuums are super. Using one is kind of like teleporting bugs to another dimension. When I was single I lived in such an infested apartment the only safe place to prepare food was inside the refrigerator. I can laugh now at the memory of bugs scurrying in every direction when I flicked on the lights at night. However, I'm married with children now and insects in the house are considered pests by my family. My little son opened an outside door at night recently and left it open for quite a while. When the open door and ensuing crowd of hundreds, maybe thousands of insects was discovered, I had to wave a vacuum nozzle around the swarm of bugs before anyone could go to sleep. Eliminating so many small lives is not a proud moment, but it's a concession I made for my family. They're more important to me than the insects which came into our house. I'm interested in a bug vacuum but I'm not sure if one can handle a large volume of bugs like a regular vacuum can. I live in woods near a lake which supports many insects.

  27. #27
    veganprincess83's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Bromsgrove, Worcestershire
    Posts
    5

    Default Re: More humane way to get rid of household pests?

    Hi all

    I have a problem with earwigs at the moment. They are all over my sons nappies (they seem to love the organic cotton and also like to hide in the little pockets on the wraps!) but are also all over our laundry too. I'm off out to purchase some airtight containers for the clean nappies to live in, and to lock his little toys away from visitors too! I'm not the bravest with creepy crawlies, so it must be amusing to watch me check the laundry before putting it away!!

    Our house isn't very old (about 14 years old) and not damp, so I'm at a loss as to why they have moved in with us, unless it's because they have all realised it's a safe house where no squishing occurs!!

    I was thinking of trying some lavender or peppermint oil in with my laundry as I know that these work as other insect deterrents, however I don't want to try this if it will hurt the little blighters!!!



    Does anyone know if oils are harmful to earwigs, and if not, which ones may be best to try please?! At least the laundry will smell lovely!!!

    Thanks guys!

    Kathryn

  28. #28
    baffled harpy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    UK
    Posts
    6,655

    Default Re: More humane way to get rid of household pests?

    This (non-vegan) page tells you how to make an earwig trap - maybe you could trap them overnight and then just put them outside in the morning? http://www.getridofitall.com/earwigs/

  29. #29
    veganprincess83's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Bromsgrove, Worcestershire
    Posts
    5

    Default Re: More humane way to get rid of household pests?

    Thanks harpy, will try that tonight. Although I think I may leave the emptying part to hubby, there's only so much hand flapping and squealing I can get away with without looking like an out and out wimp (which I am, but have managed to hide so far!!)

    The boric acid option (non-vegan) sounds horrendous, similar to pouring salt on slugs!! People can be so mean!!!

    Thanks again, take it easy!!!

  30. #30
    baffled harpy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    UK
    Posts
    6,655

    Default Re: More humane way to get rid of household pests?

    Quote veganprincess83 View Post
    there's only so much hand flapping and squealing I can get away with without looking like an out and out wimp
    I think we need video evidence to decide whether that point has been reached I can't say I find earwigs the most appealing of animals myself, although they are pretty harmlesss, I think.

  31. #31
    veganprincess83's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Bromsgrove, Worcestershire
    Posts
    5

    Default Re: More humane way to get rid of household pests?

    It's terrible timing, but both mine and my husbands camera have mysteriously stopped working??!! How very strange!! Everything I read tells me they're harmless, doesn't stop me cursing when I come across one though. I dread to think what this little mans first words will be....

  32. #32

    Default Re: More humane way to get rid of household pests?

    I wish I knew how to discourage ants

Similar Threads

  1. Looking for a vegan household in Ottawa.
    By vegan steel! in forum Canada
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: Aug 18th, 2009, 10:06 PM
  2. Our household vegan adventure
    By akaredarcher in forum VEGAN HEALTH
    Replies: 39
    Last Post: Jan 7th, 2008, 01:36 AM
  3. Co-op household goods?
    By Smiles in forum VEGAN FOOD
    Replies: 10
    Last Post: Dec 14th, 2007, 04:28 PM
  4. Replies: 15
    Last Post: Jun 25th, 2005, 09:59 AM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •