Creepy Crawlies
April 12, 2009
The apartment I’m living in now has bugs.
Ugh. 
It’s one of the reasons I’m excited about moving.
New place?
No bugs.
But one of the concerns I have is how to avoid “taking” the bugs with me. When I pack up boxes and move furniture, I could very well move the little guys with me. Gross!
So I did some research and found out that there are some things I can do to prevent this from happening.
First of all, I’m going to avoid the use of cardboard boxes if at all possible. Bugs (especially roaches) love cardboard, apparently. They eat the glue on boxes. This is one of the reasons it’s not a good idea to store food you buy in boxes at the store in the box. Pour the rice or cereal or whatever it is into a glass or plastic food storage container to help keep your pantry cleaner and the food fresher, as well as discourage creepy crawlies.
My Mom has a huge supply of large plastic storage containers so I’ll be using those as much as possible to pack my things.
Boric acid is often touted as an effective, non-toxic solution for roaches but it didn’t seem to do a thing for me. The one thing that DID seem to help quite a lot was catnip, of all things.
I bought a ton of catnip in bulk at a local health food co-op super cheap, and sprinkled it in my silverware drawer. After that I NEVER ONCE saw a bug in there. Not even in the middle of the night when they would be scurrying around the kitchen. 
So my plan is to sprinkle catnip inside my boxes before I pack them.
Any other suggestions for me?
photo credit: Migraine Chick
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Congrats on the move! Bugs are the bane of my exsistence. We live on the edge of a lot of woods and are constantly battling the critters which reside there – ever seen a Palmetto bug? Roaches the size of baby kittens! o-O They live in the trees, and come to visit and try to take up roost ever once in a while.
Catnip…I will have to try that one, since I grow it in my garden. Boric acid, I use it the way my mawmaw did. Make a paste with some water and spread it on a leftover biscuit. The biscuit attracts them to the poison. However, it’s not safe to leave out where wee ones and pets can get their hands and paws and mouths on, so I will definately be using the catnip!