Insect & Pest Solutions

It's sleek and effective to keep your home pest-free.

It's gratifying to use, according to shoppers.

Here's what to do when you realize that, yep, you’ve got a fruit fly infestation on your hands.

They are the bed bugs of pantries.

Avoid these hues.

Stop them in their tracks with these common hacks.

Fun fact: They’re more common on red-eyes and international flights.

Luckily, there are lots of solutions and prevention methods.

This mess can usually pass for a Halloween decoration, but it's November now.

You can use this handy tool when packing for your next outdoor adventure.

This bait did *not* mess around.

Unlike other repellers and traps, it won’t put a damper on your dinner.

Welcome back to One Good Thing! We’re outdoors again this week with my final insect repellent DIY and this one might just be my very best. We will see. It’s how to get rid of fruit flies, and after years of mucking about and trying a number of different solutions I finally buckled down, did much more research and got it right.

I certainly don't appreciate the messes they leave behind.

Welcome back to One Good Thing STILL AT HOME!!! And also this week outside. Okay, full disclosure, Hands and I are playing around with our format and having fun. I’ve also chosen to go deep on insect repellants, because it’s a personal passion and I’ve been finding a bunch of really interesting new solutions.

Surefire advice from people who battle these pesky insects year-round.

Bonus: It costs a *lot* less than a visit from a pest control company!

It's hard to enjoy springtime when you're swatting at mosquitoes, hopping away from spiders, or fleeing wasps.

“Just set up a few around your patio or picnic table and you’re basically setting up a do-not-disturb sign.”

My relationship to my space was forever changed.

Say goodbye to those uninvited guests for good!

Can't we all just get along?

Instead of bugging out, follow these steps to make sure your home is bug-free and prevent the little pests from spreading.

Not only do these tiny pests tend to hide (and breed) inside of beds, couches, and clothing, they’ll gladly hitch a ride on your clothes and luggage if given the opportunity.

Bed bugs don’t just live in your bed. If you suspect you have a bed bug infestation, you might be unhappy to find that bed bugs can thrive just about anywhere. They have a soft spot for fluffy fabrics with lots of folds and cushy places to hide. But they also party in cracks in grout, under your box spring, and in your dresser drawers. In other words, almost nowhere is safe from these sneaky critters.

We talked to Brittany Campbell, Ph.D., staff entomologist for the National Pest Management Association—and probably one of the few people in the world who seems genuinely excited to talk about bed bugs—to demystify the pests.

As far as the ick factor goes, mealybugs are a 10 out of 10.

The reason behind it is simpler than you might think, but it might make your skin crawl.

Dryer sheets, especially fragranced ones, have gotten a bad rap as of late. But these very same fragrance-laden fabric softeners are excellent at keeping one thing away.

Wildlife management experts say, for the most part, you can evict unwanted tenants (also known as "nuisance animals") fairly easily. But don't try to take care of everything yourself (and don't ignore what's happening). Call on the experts for guidance as soon as possible.

If your apartment is plagued by tiny floating black dots, you might think you’re hallucinating or your eyes are failing. We can’t totally rule those out… but it’s more likely you’ve got a much less alarming but still extremely annoying problem.Gnats.There are a few strategies for getting rid of your pesky new visitors.

It appears that my recent house guest was an elderly member of a rodent community underneath our building. Our friend and neighbor found another rodent brought in by her cat in her adjoining unit, and was notified that some workmen discovered a nest of mice living beneath the building in the foundation. She’s been looking to get rid of it, but humanely, but isn’t too keen on traditional traps.

Inspired by the this Recycled Wine Bottle Torch post and annoyed by mosquitoes this week (how is it that they’re already out and there’s been only a few weeks of spring?), we hit up the hardware store and threw together a $3.48 recycled wine bottle torch filled with citronella. While it’s not as classy as the real thing (nor as safe), it keeps the bugs at bay and looks pretty good. And it was quick and cheap.

A warning before you read further: this post will make your skin itch. A good friend of mine aptly pointed out that bed bugs are like the adult version of head lice. I never had head lice as a child, and I never imagined that I would have bedbugs as an adult, until it happened to me. I had heard about the great bedbug epidemic in New York back in 2010, but my personal nightmare with bedbugs began last fall.

Usually the first sign you have a moth problem is when you pull out a sweater and discover it’s laced with tiny holes. Clothes moths are sneaky little pests. They like to lie low in dark corners, snacking on your best cashmere. They rarely take time out from feasting to flutter about your house, so before you start swatting at each and every moth you see, here is what you need to know. Tineola bisselliella and Tinea pellionella are the two most common types of clothes moths.

Last spring, I celebrated sundress weather with some huge, blotchy bites on my calves. San Francisco is known for its lack of mosquitoes, so I did the sensible thing and panicked: BEDBUGS. Nope — it was spiders! In an effort to save you the same confusion, I’ve put together this list of tips for IDing your household pests. Bite in the night? Get yourself to a doctor.

Although they aren’t actually dangerous unless you’re allergic to their bites, bedbugs are pretty revolting. And, as we all probably know, infestations have been on the rise. Following are some ways to help ensure that these very unwanted guests don’t end up in your home. Here are a few ways you could unintentionally bring bedbugs home — and how to avoid them.

Assassin bugs (or kissing bugs) get their names from their habit of biting humans on the face near the lips. (It’s true people: I can’t make this stuff up.) Here’s what you need to know about this not-so-nice insect. Assassin, a.k.a. kissing bugs, are found all across the bottom two-thirds of the United States, and predominantly in Arizona, California, Texas, and New Mexico.

We’re eager for that moment to throw our windows open to fresh spring breezes — and it seems that the things outside our homes are awaiting the opportunity, too (but for different motives). If it’s not the pollen blowing inside, it’s the bugs that somehow make it through the tiniest nooks and crannies you don’t see (even if you have screens).

Warmer weather means opening up your curtains and windows, and letting in the light and fresh air. But, with all that welcome air and sunshine sometimes comes unwelcome bugs and less privacy. Let’s welcome back a classic that can surprisingly solve both issues: lace! Lace is the perfect medium for letting light in and keeping bugs out. Madelene lives in an old Swedish house and, when it gets hot, loves to open the windows and let the air in.

Here is an entirely true story about my first week in my NYC studio. I was cleaning the kitchen (because I am a certified grown-up), and I got out the vacuum to get the nooks and crannies beneath the dishwasher and cabinets. Before moving in, I had gone a full year without experiencing more than a spider in my living quarters and I was not going to entice any new friends with crumbs from my Cheerio-based dinner. As I moved the vacuum under the stove, it caught something.

Wasps can be helpful little creatures- they’re to thank in part for keeping the pest population in check- but they can also be quite the nuisance. Picnics and other outdoor summer activities are a bit difficult to enjoy when wasps are swarming overhead, so try to keep things under control with a DIY wasp trap. 2-liter soda bottle Honey or sugar water Utility knife Stapler or clothespins 1.

Whether you’re just pulling out your sweaters or putting them away for the season, a moth repellent is key to making your winter wools last. Forget the stinky, toxic moth balls—and who really has the space for a cedar closet? What you need is good smelling, tiny alternative, and we’ve got just the thing!

I’m not typically squeamish when it comes to bugs. Until they get inside my house where they don’t belong, that is. The creepiest are usually those teeny tiny ones—like springtails—that are so hard to see I start getting paranoid that they’re everywhere. Springtails are minuscule wingless bugs found all throughout North America that thrive in dark, damp places.

Nothing strikes terror into the hearts of millions like one simple word: bedbugs. Thankfully, new research published yesterday reveals how to avoid bringing the creatures home with you, and therefore infesting your apartment. Instances of bedbugs have been on the rise, in part because of increased international travel. The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, has found that there are some things you can do to prevent the pests from coming home with you.

I don’t need a Buzzfeed quiz to tell me that the Mean Girls character I most identify with is the “she doesn’t even go here”-girl. I just have a lot of feelings, OK? I talk to my plants like they’re people. They’re named after people, for goodness sake. And I can’t let go of a chair or a car on Craiglist without feeling like I’m abandoning a member of my family. “Is he going to take care of Heidi the Honda?

I live in Florida and I know very well how bugs can ruin both special outdoor events and perfectly ordinary daily moments. Just last week our s’mores summer kickoff was cut short by suuuuuper pesky gnats that insisted on hovering near our eyelashes and noses and we’ve endured more than one car ride with mosquitoes buzzing around in the van while my daughter screams in fear of being eaten alive (they do seem to feast on her especially, poor thing).

I was reading a few sentences of an article recently that said something about September being an extra spider-y month, something about male spiders coming out to flirt with females? I didn’t really read the whole thing because who wants to really know that much about spiders? Here’s what I do know: I don’t love them, particularly when they like to call my bedroom home and dance on my face at night.