They grow bugs bigger, hungrier and smarter here in India! Fighting off the invasions requires a few steps that will help keep your home bug free.
First, when you move into the home I would recommend calling Godrej and having them do a whole home bug treatment. I have seen first hand how effective their product is! They will also come back if after the treatment the bugs have still found a way in!
For me the thing that creeps me out the most are ants. I hate ANTS! I especially hate the little almost invisible ones that show up in the kitchen sometimes. Here are the steps I take to keep them at bay:
- Everything that is open is in a sealed plastic container. This includes all cereals, spices, powders, etc.
- All surfaces are cleaned numerous times during the day.
- No food items are left out – really nothing!
- Eating only takes place at the table (with two kids I don’t want crumbs and ants showing up around the house!) They can also eat in the yard if they like (the kids, not the ants!).
- Anything dropped on the floor is immediately wiped up. One last sweep before sleeping keeps me from having to wake up to an invasion!
What to do if ants have found a way in? I really hate the bug sprays here – I feel dizzy and unwell after spraying so I know they are really toxic. My first choice is vinegar. Apparently ants hate the smell and it interferes with their ability to follow the ants that went before. My house has french doors from the garden directly into the kitchen. We had ants coming in under the door to escape the heat outside. I purchased this pesticide chalk that has done wonders. We marked a line under the doors and no more ants!
Finally, we have a NO ANT policy in the house. I did some research online to understand the enemy. Apparently, ants will send in a scouter ant to see if there is anything good inside. He will then bring in the rest of them if he finds food. So when we see one scouter ant we know he is the most important one to get rid of!
Mosquitoes are really bad here in Bangalore especially between 6-7:00 pm. Not only are they a nuisance but they pose a significant health hazard. Make sure you have good mosquito screens on all windows – check for gaps. If the kids will be at the park in the evening, use a mosquito spray. Try and keep doors closed in the evening. But the most important (and fun) thing you can do is to purchase these electrified rackets. They are the best way to get rid of the mosquitoes that get into the house. No chemicals, no smell and to tell the truth – a kind of sick pleasure. They look like a badmiton racket but the strings are electrified. They make it really easy to catch the mosquito who then send out a small flash when he dies. I don’t think you can understand the pleasure until you have tried it! (Warning – these are not kid friendly. The shock hurts (believe me) and there is no way to make it child-safe. It must be kept out of reach of kids!)
I have seen the biggest spiders in my life in the house here. I don’t have any ideas – I just suggest that one person in your house be brave enough to be responsible for removing them! (Those rackets work on spiders too – we tried!) If your house is under big trees you will definately have more spiders. I have had very few after moving to a house that is not below palm trees.
Lizards (ok – I know they are not bugs but they fall into the same yuck category so here they are!) You should be aware that most Indians will not harm a lizard. You really should not kill them. They creeped us out for the first year but I got so tired of trying to catch and release them that we came up with a new plan. First, we named them. Any lizard in our house is “lizzie.” Then we told ourselves that they are eating the mosquitoes so we are grateful for them. We understand they come inside to escape the heat of the day so we feel we are sheltering them. And now we just live with them. If there is one in the house, we leave it. Yes, if he is near a door or window I will try to get him out but otherwise, we just leave him alone. Welcome home Lizzie!
