Most people are aware of the impact commercial farms have on the impact with their use of pesticides. What many do not realize, however, is regular home and garden use of pesticides adds up to 160 million pounds of chemical use every year, which is more than the government and businesses combined.

Want to do something to help the environment while keeping pests away from your home? Green pest control methods can be just as effective as chemicals or even work better without the use of chemicals that can harm the environment, pets, and children. Eco-friendly pest control methods can be effective against all types of pests, including rodents, cockroaches, termites, and more.

What Makes Pest Control "Green?"

Eco-friendly pest control strives to use the least toxic method first to control a pest problem. In general, green pest control solutions are less damaging to the environment and less toxic to living creatures not targeted by the treatment, such as pets, humans, insects, and aquatic life.

This approach to pest control often begins with making your home and garden as inhospitable to unwanted creatures as possible by removing food and water sources and using natural compounds that deter pests. From there, chemicals with reduced toxicity can be used to combat an existing problem. Here's a look at several highly effective green pest control solutions that can help protect your home.

Bora-Care for Termites

Bora-Care is a boric acid system that works as a stomach poison against termites. Bora-Care can be used to protect wood from becoming a food source for termites and its low-toxicity, unlike the chemical sulfuryl fluoride that's used in fumigation. A pest control professional can help you decide if Bora-Care is a good solution for your home.

Eco-Friendly Cockroach Control

You can stop and track down cockroaches in your home without chemical bait. Simply use store-bought sticky traps or make your own by adding banana peel to a Mason jar and lining the rim with petroleum jelly. Place the jars near pipes and sinks then wait for the roaches to get trapped. Once you track down where they're collecting, inject boric acid into crevices and cracks.

Boric acid is a low-toxicity chemical that causes dehydration and death in roaches by affecting their exoskeleton. It's far safer than the alternative, organophosphates, which are the most common types of pesticides to poison people.

When working with a pest control professional like All Seasons Pest Control, ask if they use eco-friendly solutions. You can also request non-chemical solutions whenever possible to help control or prevent an infestation.