We all have some sort of creepy crawling pest! Usually several! I don't care how clean your home is, how well built, or how new your home is, you are going to have those pesky creepy crawlers! Spiders, scorpions, mice, rats, snakes, the list goes on and on and on. Some can hurt you, some just freak you out, some you never even see. But they do need to be dealt with.

Here is a scenario Deron and I hear over and over on elists and talking to people that think they want to move out off grid..."We looked/bought a place that had not been lived in for a few years. We were surprised to see that the (fill in the blank) raccoons/squirrels/rats/mice/bugs/snakes/birds/bats had moved in." These people are not only surprised by this, they are horrified.

Yes it is true, no matter where you move to, even in the city, there are going to be pests. If you move out to the country, the pests are going to be there waiting for you. They were there first, but it does not mean they have rights on the place that you buy.

At one time in our lives we bought several, yes bought, several types of tarantulas. We had collected nine different types....and we were proud of them. We liked to show them off and watch them eat crickets. Now? We live where tarantulas live. When you walk across the prairie you can see them, yes really large (giant if you will) spiders that are very hairy and fast. In the fall, they come into the house. We kill them.

Different areas will have different pests. I have a good friend in TN. She deals with scorpions (something else Deron and I used to buy and keep for fun). When you have scorpions, like big spiders, you shake your clothing and coats and shoes and boots before putting them on, especially when it is warm out. If you have equine you check all of your tack, unfold all blankets and check all cracks in the saddle...you sure do not want a scorpion crawling out during a ride and stinging the rider and or the horse/mule/donkey.

Sometimes however, what one person sees as a pest is really a helper around your place. Take non poisonous snakes. Snakes eat mice. Now me, I have cats, lots of cats. We have Rattlesnakes and rattlesnakes eat mice. My cats eat the mice that the rattlesnakes need, so the rattlesnakes go somewhere else to live. But if you do not have cats, and on a farm you need cats as in plural, leave the nonpoisonous snakes to eat the mice.

Bats will not hurt you. However, they will eat TONS on mosquitoes in one night. If you have a flood light the bats will hunt and eat bugs all night. Some people even put up Bat Houses to encourage the bats to house near them and eat the bugs that are the true pests.

Wild mice and rats will get into your animals food, and probably your food. Their droppings can and often does make other animals sick and can cause death. Mice and or rats will also chew on your structures, and your wiring. Chewing on your wiring can cause fires. Now? Domestic rats and mice, I train them. Yes. Really.

Crows, insects, snakes, coyotes, fox, and many other animals, birds and insects are or can be pests. IF you only have a few, it is usually no problem. The problem comes when they come in herds/swarms/packs and or start eating your domestic animals, chickens or other foul, your garden or even your food in your pantries.

Like life, what a person sees as a pest is relative. Many people see Pigeons as pests, others like them. Deer are another one of those animals that can be a pest or a delight for some. I will guarantee you that if you have a garden and it is not well fenced, very well fenced, you will tire of deer in about two of their visits. Antelope are lovely to look at, but will sure eat your lawns and or gardens.

To get rid of flies and nats: Cut the top off a two liter soda bottle (do not rinse it out first) cut is as if to cut the "funnel" off the top. Turn the top down into the bottle and tape shut with duct tape. Add a little piece of raw meat or such. The flies will go in and not be able to get out. Cheap, works, recycling <grin> and great "craft" for kids (with adult help of course)

Another couple of tips I read on line to keep flies from coming in partially fill a clear plastic bag with water, add a couple of pennies (not sure what their purpose is), fasten the bag closed and hang it outside your door. It is supposed to confuse the flies and they will leave.

This one I have used outdoors and it works pretty well: For the flies already in the house take a plastic jug with a small opening, add a little sour milk and hang or set around the house. The flies should fly in and not be able to remember how to get out.

The contents of this page for Pests is still under construction. Please check back later!