We have all heard about the harmful effects of commercial pesticides. But if you see cockroaches flying through the walls, their harmful effects don't seem as harmful as the fact that we bombard our homes with them. Then before we knew it, we started getting headaches. It is not necessary that this happens. Mother Nature has alternative solutions that are cleaner, safer, and work better.
This natural alternative is boric acid. It is considered a special nature of pest control. Boric acid is a white powder commonly extracted from the Mojave Desert in California. Although it is also used as a preservative and fire retardant, it has been shown to kill almost all common household annoying pests such as cockroaches, water bugs, ants, silverfish, termites and saw palmetto bugs and keeps them away for a very long time. Keeps away till. For a long time. It also works against fire ants, bedbugs, fleas, beetles, centipedes, millipedes, crickets, grasshoppers and many more. One of the best properties of borates is that, unlike chemical pesticides, insects do not become resistant to them.
Borates were first used as pesticides with the invention of the “roach tablet” by PF Harris in 1922. In 1955, a lumber company in Newfoundland began treating their lumber with borates to combat termites. This showed that all the houses with treated wood were free from termites and wood rot. It worked so well that by 1985 there were over 200 pesticides containing borates. This later transformed into many of the products we see today.
Besides being odorless and stain-free, boric acid and its derivatives are cheap and deadly to all insects. It works by attacking the nervous system of insects and then dehydrating their bodies. Borates, when used with chemical solvents such as propylene glycol, can be applied to wood and concrete providing long-term protection. Boric acid products are very safe to use on infants (it has also been used in some ointments and plasters for diaper rash in infants). Additionally, when properly diluted it also turns into an eyewash. Borate is also used as an effective fire retardant used in blown type cellulose insulation that is common in homes.
When used against ants, one teaspoon of boric acid is mixed with one teaspoon of sugar and four ounces of water in a bowl. Then it is put on a cotton ball and placed on the ants' path. Water frequently when dry. For the shrimp, combine 8 ounces boric acid powder, 1/2 cup flour, 1/8 cup sugar, 1/2 small onion, chopped, and 1/4 cup cooking oil. Mix all these ingredients well, adding more oil if necessary to make a smooth paste. Take the dough and make small balls of marble size. Place the balls in places where cockroaches usually live, such as damp, dark corners. The remaining dough should be placed in an open sandwich bag to maintain softness. When the balls dry and become hard, replace them with new dough. Make sure no pets or children come into contact with the balls as they can be very poisonous.
For termites, use boric acid mixed with propylene glycol, which is a non-toxic version of antifreeze. In this solution, the glycol helps the borates to penetrate into the wood and thus become part of the wood fibers. It has proven very successful against termites and is also an effective treatment for dry rot in wood.
