NON-VIOLENT MEANS OF PEST CONTROL, AN OVERVIEW ============================================== Note: The names of all plants mentioned in this text are followed by their botanical names as an aid for translation. Some plants have varieties that carry the same name in other languages, but are definitely different. Botanical names are international and consulting a good herbal encyclopedia in case of doubt is therefore the best way out. --------------------------- General vermin repellants --------------------------- * Most undesired insects are repelled by any of the following varieties of Marigolds: Mexican Marigold (Tagetes minuta), French Marigold (Tagetes patula), African Marigold (Tagetes erecta) and Pot Marigold (Calendula officinalis). But be careful with planting them in gardens. They are heavy characters that do not only repel insects, but also simply kill the plants they don't like by poisoning them. In non-commercial and small-scale farming they are therefore used as highly effective means in weed and pest controll, opposed to the ever-popular chemical warfare. The Marigolds mentioned are not all of the same caliber. They produce slightly different aetheric oils and other substances with different characteristics. Some will work better on repelling certain insects than others, so some experimenting is required. Detailed information on their anti-weed properties can be found in some of the books mentioned at the end of this text. * Natural camphor, the colorless and crystalline substance begotten by sublimation from the aetheric oils of the Camphor Tree (Cinnamomum camphora). You would not want to use it in a battle against insects, though, since the price is not worth it. In Sweden, for instance, it costs more than $300 per kg, and I have heard that it is expensive even in India. On top of that it takes some knowledge and a good nose to distinguish Natural Camphor from the hugh variety of chemical Camphor on the market, so one is easily cheated. Better keep the natural Camphor for the Deities and use chemical Camphor or one of the other general repellents instead. Some of them even contain small amounts of Camphor. Another alternative is Naphtalene, the substitute for Camphor modern mothballs are made of. They are easy to get, relatively cheap and actually meant for insect repelling. * Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare). A weed that grows in wild throughout the U.S.A. and most European countries. One can find it in any book on herbs and is very easy to grow yourself. It looks ugly and has a very unpleasant smell, but is one of the best insect repellents around. Besides that it is of medical value since its tea is a good remedy for intestinal worms and parasites. * Sage (Salvia officinalis). A strong smelling, ancient European medical and kitchen herb. Easy to grow yourself with a minimum of maintenance. The smell is actually pleasant, and its medical and digestive properties are such that one really wonders why it is absent from our kitchens. * Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium). Formerly used to spice different types of liquers, specifically the French Absinth, until they found out that it makes you plain nuts. Since then it is forbidden in many countries as an additive. Better not use it medically if there are doubts about the proper dosage. As an insect repellent it works splendid, though, and it even looks quite attractive. * Many insects cannot stand the smell of tar. Heating it up directly or pooring it over with boiling water increases that smell far beyond the tolerance level of most of them. Good if your tolerance level is high too. Best is to use small earthenware pots since they keep the heat for a long time, but tar paper in places where insects are unwanted also helps. * Quite some very aromatic oils are on the black list of many undesired insects. Oils of Cedar (Cedrus species), Coriander (Coriandrum sativum), Anise (Pimpinella anisum), Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulis), Peppermint (Mentha piperita) and Lavender (Lavendula officinalis) are all excellent. Some of these oils are maybe not so easy to get (Coriander oil) or relatively expensive (Anise and Lavender oil), but they are certainly worth it. They contribute to a good atmosphere with their nice and especially refreshing smell and many of them have antiseptic properties. Peppermint oil will even repel most rodents, like mice and rats. Really recommended. * Aromatic hydrocarbons, like Creosote, Denatured Alcohol, Thinner, Turpentine, etc. have an even stronger effect in repelling insects than aromatic oils, but of course, they repel a lot more than only insects. They are more useful in the short and effective commando-like actions used with heavy infestations. Be aware that on contact these substances are down and out killers for any species of insects. Therefore avoid touching them with it. Recommended is the use of shallow dishes, with or without wire screens over them, put at strategic places. Mixing the hydrocarbons with a very little Camphor increases the effects (test if you use Naphtalene or chemical Camphor!). ---------------------------- Specific pests, a close-up ---------------------------- * ANTS - In gardens okay, in houses a real nuisance. Black ants are repelled by Pennyroyal leaves (Mentha pulegium or Hedeoma pulegioides). Avoid Pennyroyal oil, though, since it is highly toxic to animals and humans. Tansy leaves, Red Pepper (Capsicum annuum), Mint and the chemical Borax do a good job too. They also don't like oily surfaces, especially if it concerns Lavender oil or Peppermint oil. These are, however, all stop-gap measures. Ants are very perseverant, and completely getting rid of them in this way is simply illusion. Someone once suggested me to just give the ants what they want: white sugar. White sugar is said to make the queen sterile, and thus at one point the colony more or less ceases to exist. I have tried this out in the ashrama in Korsnas with no more than a table spoon of sugar water. After a few days there were *practically* no ants anymore for the rest of the year. It works, but I've done this method only once, because I wasn't really sure whether it is actually bona fide. Some may object that it is a kind of forced contraception. So that has to be checked out from local authorities first. Red ants can be driven away by Sweet Fern (Comptonia asplenifolia), Tar or little cotton bags with the chemical Sulphur. Any ant hates Marigolds. * FLEAS - Cedar oil, Pennyroyal leaves, dried Tansy leaves, Oxe-eye Daisy (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum), Chamomile (Anthemis nobilis and Matricaria chamomilla) and dried Wormwood are said to repel fleas. Very effective is a mixture of 90 ml Lavender oil and 3 liters of Rock Salt spread under furniture and rugs. Eucalyptus leaves can also be left under furniture and rugs. In gardens you plant Marigolds. * MOSQUITOES - It is said that Castor Bean plants (Ricinus communis) near a door keeps them outside and that Tansy repels them. The same for any plant that eminates a citric aroma. The stronger the better. Quite effective are Citronella (Cymbopogon nardus), Lemon Grass (Cymbopogon citratus), Lemon Plant (Lipia citriodora) and Lemon Herb (Artemisia abrotanum). The last one is sometimes falsly called Geranium, but it really belongs to the Wormwood family. It is a nice plant that grows big and blooms with tiny pink flowers. My parents use to have one in the public staircase of the flat they lived in and when in full bloom, it made the whole place smell like lemons. And no mosquitoes around. Outside in summer time one has to mostly leave it up to predator insects, like the Dragonfly (also called Mosquito Hawk, and in most European countries known as Libelle), and many birds. They eat their own weight in mosquitoes. Also keep small water reservoir covered if you don't want mosquitoes to use them as breeding places. Furthermore you can either be tolerant or try out the zillions of different mosquito repellants available on the market and see whether they have some that do not slowly poison yourself as well. * COCKROACHES - Do not like Camphor, Tansy, Wormwood, Hydrocarbons and Tar. Cleaning the place often with a Chlore solution also does a good job. Best, however, is to prevent them from coming in the first place by keeping the place as clean as possible. Cockroaches mainly thrive in filthy places where there is food available. They are the rats among the insects, and their presence indicates that there is something not okay. The presence of cockroaches is not necessarily due to uncleanliness of the inhabitants, though. Some old buildings have double walls and ceilings and other hollow spaces where rodents live and die. Their excreta and dead bodies supply ample food for roaches. So that is a fight on two fronts. I do not think that the widely sold glue traps, in which roaches get stuck and die from hunger, can be considered non-violent since it involves unnecessary suffering. * MICE - Absolutely don't like the strong smell of any variety of Mint (Mentha species), Sassafras bark (Sassafras albidum), Camphor gum, Spurge (Euphorbia species), Dog Fennel (Anthemis cotula) or cats. Nut tree leaves are said to protect fruits from mice. Catnip (Nepeta cataria) is also said to repel them. Maybe because it attracts cats. A very friendly and highly effective trap, used all over Paris for instance, is a big glass or earthen jug or bottle, bellied out withing and with a narrow mouth, big enough for a mouse to fit through but too small for rats. It is placed on its side with some facility for the mice to crawl up to the opening or sunk in the earth with the opening at ground level. If the mouse gets into the jar, it cannot climb out anymore due to the particular shape. Some legumes with Anise oil make an excellent bait. Prevention consists of keeping the place clean and not facilitating food or nesting material, meaning that you should protect your food storage and try to avoid things like wool, cardboard boxes, paper, wood shavings, etc. laying around where they can get at them. Also close any holes in walls and fill up useless hollow spaces. Outside of cities mice are generally only a nuisance in winter time, when they go in search of easy food. No food means that they will go again. * RATS - A dedicated article in Focus Magazine has proven what everybody already knew: Rats are very intelligent and highly adoptable to changing environments. On top of that they reproduce like anything and are very perseverant. The only way to get rid of rats, besides killing them, is keeping the place cleaner than possible, protecting food supplies above military standard and using non-violent flap traps, or the bottle trap described under MICE with a suitable and large enough bottle. The best bait for rats is Anise oil, which they simply cannot resist. If a rat is cought, cover the trap with cloth and take it at least 3 miles away while turning the trap around now and then to confuse the animal. Besides their good sense of smell, rats have an extremely developed sense of location. Wash the trap thoroughly with water and soap before using it again, otherwise the other rats will detect the traces of physical agony left behind by the previous cought rat and they will not go for the trap anymore. Especially do not underestimate the front teeth of rats. They make your can opener look insignificant. And no, a few centimeters of concrete or solid lead plates are no match at all. It's a question of time only. You might try fresh Mint. Some say it helps as good as against mice. Cats also help a lot, if the rats are ot too big. * HOUSE FLIES - Are repelled by Anise oil, fresh Tansy, Ragworth (Senecio jacobaea) and Marigolds. These are preventive measures. If they are all over already, one of the easiest ways to get rid of them is the wire screen trap. This a box on four little legs (about 5 cm each) with at least an opening in the top and bottem. All openings except for the bottem are covered with a wire screen. There should also be some kind of lid for emptying out the trap. The bottem opening has an inward pointing funnel made of wire screen. A good design can be found in the Monograph "Sanitation without Water" by Uno Winblad and Wen Kilama (available from Health Division of SIDA, Stockholm S-10525 or the World Health Organisation). Under the box one puts a small dish with one of the following baits (let's skip the decaying intestines, etc.): - Stale beer with fermenting apple juice - 1 part molasses, 3 parts water and some milk or fruit juice - The best and easiest: yeast mixed with a little water (allow mixture to stand for about 3 days with a loose lid before using) The flies get attracted, and after filling their bellies always fly upward, ending up in the funnel that leads them into the trap. --------------------------- Garden and farmland pests --------------------------- On this topic many, many volumes have been written, and it would be rediculous to cite even 1% of them. That would still be more Megabytes than your PC can handle. Therefore I have decided to just supply the most practical and useful titels. Some are more specific and some more general. Some deal with pest control directly and some deal with specialized ways of gardening, such as French Biodynamic Intensive Gardening and Companion Planting, that minimize the chance of pest infestation. Of course, the die-hard can try his luck searching out his own choice in available agriculture and nature books. For them the following title may be of some help too: Appropriate Technology Sourcebook by Ken Darrow & Others Volunteers in Asia Production, 1981 ISBN for the set: 0-917704-09-6 (paperback) 0-917704-13-4 (clothbound) The following are my recommendations. Some of them I have read or evaluated myself, and some I know because persons I know recommend them: THE BUG BOOK Harmless Insect Controls by Helen and John Philbrick 1974 Garden Way Publishing Charlotte, Vermont 05445 ISBN 0-88266-027-6 [A very nice book based wholly on experience. No theories or speculations, and although some of these "harmless" methods do involve killing the insects, alternatives can easily be found.] HOW TO GROW MORE VEGETABLES (French Intensive Biodynamic Farming) by John Jeavons Revised and Enlarged 1974, 1979, 1982 Ten Speed Press P.O. Box 7123 Berkely, California 94707 ISBN 0-89815-073-6 (paperback) 0-89815-074-4 (clothbound) [The best book available on French Intensive Biodynamic Farming, which includes companion planting and natural pest control. If you want to get the best out of your land in a natural way, this is the way to do it. Minimum input, maximum output.] SECRETS OF COMPANION PLANTING by Louise Riotte Garden Way Publishing COMPANION PLANTS AND HOW TO USE THEM by Helen and Greg Philbrick Old Greenwich, CT Devin-Adair, 1966 [The above two books are dedicated to all the good facets of companion planting, pest control included. They are similar to the book called CARROTS LOVE TOMATOES, which is up till now the best one I've found on this topic. Unfortunately I can only remember the title and no details.] INSECT PESTS by George S. Fichter Golden Press New York, 1966 GARDENING WITHOUT POISONS Comprehensive Survey of Insect Control Methods by Beatrice Trum Hunter Berkeley Publishing New York, 1971 [These titles speak for themselves. I didn't have a chance to check them out, but they are considered a standard in this field.] ONE STRAW REVOLUTION Permaculture I by Masanobu Fukuoka Rodale, 1978 PERMACULTURE II by Bill Mollison International Tree Crops Institute, 1980 Winters, California 95694 [Both based on the natural and most passive way of farming called Permaculture, developed by Masanobu Fukuoka. Natural pest control from the most natural point of view.]