Having small creatures crawling around your house is both annoying and disgusting. Of course, you would want to get rid of the insects as soon as possible.
Thankfully there are ways to say goodbye to the pests that don’t necessarily require a lot of preparation. Some ingredients that will help you in the battle are already lying in your pantry. Amazing, right?
To get rid of little black bugs in your house, you can use oils that will repel the insects. Killing the creatures is possible with diatomaceous earth and baking soda. It is also a great opportunity for you to get crafty and come up with a simple DIY insect trap.
We understand that you have no time to spare. You want to leave this nightmare behind and get back to living a normal life that has no room for little black bugs in it. Make sure to follow our 3 easy steps and you’ll get to enjoy the results in no time.
How to Identify Little Black Bugs
First things first, you have to understand what you’re dealing with.
There are quite a few types of little black bugs that might make your house their home. Those include carpet beetles, grain insects, cockroaches, pill bugs, gnats…
Carpet beetles have oval-shaped, tiny bodies. They can be fully black or with white and yellow patterns. The adults fly inside the house and lay eggs on rugs, furniture, and clothing.
Grain insects, in their turn, include the lesser grain borer, the flour beetle, and the rice weevil. These guys are very small and might seem black (even though they are mainly dark-brown). As the name suggests, the insects infest stored grain.
Cockroaches are relatively easy to identify and they are usually quite big. However, a baby German roach (a nymph) is about an eighth of an inch long and it begins as a black-brown color.
Next on our list are pill bugs that are sometimes referred to as ‘rollie pollies’. The insect is up to 5/8 of an inch long, but they can roll up into a tight ball and appear smaller. These creatures prefer to live outside, but can be found in homes and other buildings.
Finally, gnats. It is a common name for a lot of tiny flying insects. At times, you might mistake them for a black bug as they can be sitting on decomposing food debris or soil.
Wow, it looks like your house can become a real playground for all sorts of insects.
Some remedies can work for one type of creature but fail to prove their effectiveness with the others. Thankfully, there are plenty of solutions that you can try, so don’t let this fact discourage you from fighting the battle!
3 Easy Steps to Get Rid of Little Black Bugs
Our mission here is to share three simple tricks that will help you forget about any bug-related problems. The best part is that the majority of the ingredients that we will be talking about might already be present in your house.
So, you can start killing insects as soon as you finish this article.
1. Use diatomaceous earth or baking soda
Of course, there is a wide range of toxic solutions available on the market nowadays. But it is understandable if you are someone who doesn’t gravitate towards such products. After all, they can be dangerous for plants, pets, and even humans.
Fortunately, Mother Nature has a few options to offer as well. For example, diatomaceous earth and baking soda.
Diatomaceous earth (DE)
DE consists of fossilized skeletons of tiny aquatic creatures named ‘diatoms’. The remains are made out of silica that is extremely common on our planet.
You might already have a pack of diatomaceous earth in your house. And if you don’t, we would definitely recommend getting your hands on it, as the natural remedy makes wonders.
You can easily find food grade DE online and use it for different purposes. It’s a natural health supplement, a stain remover, a deodorizer, and, of course, an insect killer.
The little black bugs don’t need to eat the substance in order for it to work. As soon as the insects crawl over the dust, it will start to ruin the creatures’ exoskeleton and, ultimately, kill them.
How to apply diatomaceous earth?
DE usually comes in a loose powder form. You can apply it inside the house, in the garden, and even on your pets.
You can simply use your hands to sprinkle the solution in cabinets, garbage cans, around baseboards, underneath kitchen appliances, and a lot of other areas. A flour sifter might be useful if you want to apply DE on the carpet. You can also go the extra mile and buy a special applicator.
The fact that diatomaceous earth comes in dust form makes it the perfect solution for applying in cracks, crevices, and other hard-to-reach places.
DE works better when dry, but you can mix it with water (four tablespoons per gallon). This trick will help you ‘stick’ the natural solution to the undersides of your plants, for example.
Even though diatomaceous earth is completely natural, there are a few pieces of advice you should take into consideration when handling it. For example, it is better to wear gloves (the dust can make your hands dry) and try to not inhale DE as it will cause discomfort and make you cough (you can wear a face mask and goggles).
Baking soda
Baking soda is also known as ‘sodium bicarbonate’. It is found in nature in a crystalline form and is, later on, grounded to a fine powder.
We bet you have a pack of baking soda in your kitchen cupboard. Especially, if you are a fan of homemade baked goods.
But did you know that this natural solution can be used to kill annoying pests?
Baking soda is effective on its own as the tiny granules can easily cut through the body of the insects. As soon as the bug crawls over the powder, baking soda will start causing dehydration by absorbing the surface fluids.
So, sprinkling the powder under kitchen appliances, in the cupboards, in drawers, and on the carpet might be enough to kill the bugs.
How to apply baking soda?
There are a few other ways to apply sodium bicarbonate that are not that obvious.
You can pile the powder around the legs of your table, couch, or bed. To get rid of the little black bugs that climb the table, for example, you would have to tackle the area that they use to crawl up – and that is the legs.
Once the insects crawl over the powder, baking soda will start killing them.
You may also make a paste. Simply mix baking soda with water until the consistency resembles honey. After that, you can take a regular brush and apply the mixture on walls, doors, or the floor.
Finally, you can use soda to make a DIY trap. Keep on reading to find out what you are going to need.
The best part of sodium bicarbonate is that it’s harmless. So, you can apply as much as you want to achieve the best results.
2. Make a DIY trap
The trick with traps is that you have to do your best to make them appealing to the insects. That’s exactly why a lot of our DIY recipes are going to include a sugary component (the majority of insects adore sweet stuff).
Baking soda trap
As promised, here is a simple recipe that you can try out right now.
Mix baking soda with sugar and water. Apply the bait in the places where you are likely to encounter the little black bugs.
Sugar will make this trap practically irresistible for a lot of insects. But as soon as the insects eat the mixture, baking soda will start to release carbon dioxide gas that will kill the pests.
Sticky paper trap
You will need a piece of cardboard and some ingredients to make a very sticky mixture. For example, you can use sugar, water, and corn syrup.
Heat the ingredients up on your stove and stir until they form a paste. Let the mixture cool down and then apply it on a piece of cardboard.
You can place the trap on the floor, in a cupboard, or even hang it up if you are dealing with gnats.
By the way, you can always use duct tape and simply place something sweet or fatty on it.
Plastic bottle trap
If you have a 2-liter soda bottle lying around, you can give it a second life full of purpose.
Cut off the top (we are going to need it later) and make sure to apply plenty of cooking oil down the insides of the bottle’s wall – just so the insects are not able to crawl back. You can also use double-sided tape, but it will take you a little longer.
Insert the top into the bottle so that it forms a downward cone. Use tape to secure the thing in place. After that, you should pour a few inches of sweet liquid into the bottle trap (it can be berry juice).
Place your trap in the areas where you have seen the insects.
3. Use oils
Essential oils won’t exactly kill the little black bugs. But it’s a natural and nice-smelling way to keep the creatures away from your house.
Peppermint oil
We all know this minty, strong smell. But what you might not have been aware of is that the oil is a great bug repellant.
What you can do is put a few drops of peppermint oil on cotton balls and then leave them around the house.
You can also mix a few drops with white vinegar and wipe down the places where you have seen the bugs.
Orange oil
Not a fan of the peppermint smell? What about oranges?
The majority of insects hate citrus. So, making your home smell like an orange delight will make it both cozier and safer.
Bug spray recipe
The easiest way to use oils is to apply a few drops to a cotton ball. But if you have a few extra minutes to spare, you can make an effective bug spray.
All you have to do is mix 10-20 drops of the oil of your choice with water in a spray bottle. Shake the solution well and use it in the house. Pay extra attention to the areas around windows and doors.
Some other oils that you might want to consider include cedarwood, thyme, cinnamon, and tea tree.
How to get rid of grain insects?
If you have left your cereal, rice, or flour unsealed, weevils might find their way inside the container. Of course, in such a case, you would have to throw away the whole thing, but what can you do to prevent such a situation from happening again?
Oils and DIY traps won’t really help here, as they can’t be placed directly in the container.
What you can do is use a bay leave or cloves. Place a leaf right on top of the food and leave a few around the container to keep the bugs away from your cereal.
How to Prevent Little Black Bugs from Infesting Your House?
Getting rid of insects is half of the problem. You want to ensure that this won’t happen again.
Thankfully, there are a few simple steps that you can follow to make your house unappealing (for bugs, of course).
- Keep the house clean
This might seem like a very general piece of advice, but it’s the kind that actually works.
Take the trash out as often as you can; take away pet food as soon as your fluffy friend had eaten; store your food in sealed containers; wipe down surfaces using a mixture of white vinegar and peppermint oil (as we have already mentioned earlier); dry the dishes and the shower after use as water is another thing that attracts pests.
If you have a garden, clear weeds and debris on a regular basis.
- Get rid of leakage
Insects are always looking for food, shelter, and water. That’s exactly why the creatures are generally found either in the kitchen or the bathroom (moist areas in your garage or basement can also become a favorite).
Dry the dishes as soon as you have washed them and make sure that your bathroom is dry after you have had a shower.
Check the plumbing regularly as any kind of leakage can become a problem. Your aim is to remove any sources of standing water.
- Find and seal the entry points
The little black bugs entered your house somehow. Make sure to not provide them with such an opportunity ever again.
Find any cracks or holes that the insects can use as an entry point. Pay extra attention to window sills, the doors, and the basement of your house. Double-check the piping.
Before sealing the holes, you can use some diatomaceous earth or baking soda to sprinkle in the crack.
If there are any trees close to your house, trim the branches. You might not have realized that before, but bugs can use branches to enter your home through the window or wall cracks.
- Attract birds
This tip is certainly not for everyone. But by making your yard more bird-friendly, you will acquire an ally in the fight against bugs (remember that the insects first enter your house from the outside).
- Look for warning signs
The sooner you spot that something is wrong, the better. Seeing a bug crawling around is a pretty much straightforward sign. But you have to keep an eye on less obvious hints as well.
For example, you might spot droppings or shed skin. Any of these signs should make you act immediately. So, get your spray bottle and traps ready!
Conclusion
Now you know exactly how to get rid of little black bugs in your house.
We would definitely recommend trying out at least a few tricks that you have learned about today. If you want to become a real expert, follow all our 3 easy steps.
For example, you can sprinkle plenty of baking soda around the infested areas and place a few DIY traps. Applying a special spray with oils will, most likely, leave the black bugs no chance of surviving.
However, you shouldn’t underestimate the power of preventative measures. Keeping your house clean and making sure that it’s free of leakage and any cracks and holes is a must.
We tried to make getting rid of these annoying creatures as easy as it can be for you. But not letting the insects enter your house in the first place will save you a wagon of time and nerves.
Always remember that if the infestation goes out of control, it is better to call a professional exterminator as homemade remedies might not be able to eliminate the problem.
We wish you a happy, bug-free life!
See below for more tips on how to identify and eliminate tiny bugs in your home:
What Are These Tiny Crawling Bugs in my House!?
What Are The Tiny Bugs On My Windowsill? Answer & Next Steps
iny Black Bugs In Kitchen? What They Are And What To Do!
References
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