Is lime good for pest control? Let’s find out what pest lime keeps away.

Every homeowner has at one point dealt with one pest issue or the other. Such pests could range from roaches, rats, mice, bats, raccoons, snakes, termites, ticks, mosquitoes, fleas, whiteflies, bed bugs, flies, and so on.

Whatever the pest issue is, there’s always one goal; to have them repelled or exterminated.

Lime Pest Control

Achieving such a goal can be done in several ways which mostly involve the use of a wide variety of remedies. This article seeks to discuss one of such remedies; the use of lime for pest treatment.

What is this about? Is lime effective against pests? What type of pests can be treated with lime?

These and more questions will be answered right here. You’ll need to stick around to find out details about lime application for pest control.

Lime is a Versatile Mineral

When it comes to lime use, it has a myriad of uses.

Asides from pest control, this is used in many industries such as construction, metallurgical, environmental, and manufacturing just to name a few.

These are broad categories that can be further broken down into several user types.

What we’re most interested in is how this can be used for pest control. You might have heard about its uses but aren’t sure what exact purpose(s) it serves.

This article is meant to make things a lot clearer for you.

Lime as A Pesticide

What pest issues can lime solve?

This question is of vital importance because urgent relief will be needed for all pest issues. Does lime have the capacity to give you lasting relief? It does, but there’s a catch!

Lime only becomes as effective as the application method used.

In other words, the correct application of lime is necessary for lasting relief from pest issues. This and more will be discussed shortly, but before then, let’s take a look at what lime is and how it works.

Hydrated lime is also known as calcium hydroxide.

This dry powder is arrived at by mixing quicklime with water. With such a mixture comes the conversion of oxides to hydroxides which react to kill pests when applied correctly.

What Insects Does Lime Kill?

If your pest problems are mostly insect-related, you may be interested in finding out the insect types killed by lime. Hydrated lime will eliminate squash bugs, aphids, flea beetles, cucumber bugs, Colorado potato beetles, and all sorts of lawn-inhabiting parasites.

There’s a problem though; while lime will readily kill all types of insect pests, the problem arises due to its effect on beneficial insects. With lime, beneficial insects are in danger of getting exterminated.

Lime won’t discriminate and will kill both beneficial and non-beneficial insects.

This calls for a more prudent use or application of lime. If you must use this for pest control, it must be done in such a way that beneficial insects are affected in a limited way.

Consider seeking professional advice on the best times for application. If you can’t seem to figure things out, look for less destructive alternative treatments.

Benefits Of Lime For Pest Control

When using lime to kill pests in a garden or lawn, you get to enjoy two-fold benefits. Of course the first involves eliminating your garden pests.

The second includes correcting the pH imbalance in your soil, thus increasing or enhancing the condition of plants and access to nutrients.

  • Do You Have a Stubborn Flea Problem?

When flea problems are left unattended, they worsen.

In other words, the case of infestation is likely to get more difficult. The good thing about using lime for pest control is that it serves to eliminate these pests from around your yard while balancing your lawn’s pH level.

You need to be careful though as this mineral may adversely affect your plants when not properly applied or used in the right quantity.

Fleas and their eggs are unable to survive this treatment as lime continues to remain active long after application.

The residual effect of hydrated lime ensures that newly hatched fleas are destroyed when they emerge. You’ll have to find other ways of dealing with the problem indoors.

Luckily, there are tons of equally effective, yet non-toxic ways to deal with flea issues.

How Lime Works For Pest Control

How does hydrated lime work on pests?

This mineral has pretty much the same effect on all pests. Whenever lime is applied, it works by dehydrating pests it comes in contact with. This includes their eggs.

This ensures you won’t be dealing with pest issues for a long time to come.

Is it Worth the Try?

For a lot of people, questions will likely be asked about the rationale of using lime for pest control when it’s clear that other beneficial insects are affected.

Beneficial insects do a lot of good as some of them feed or prey on other destructive pests.

This is a difficult position to be in as you rationalize the impact of your actions.

Luckily, there are other reliable methods of pest control. These do not kill beneficial insects but only serve the purpose for which they’re applied.

Also, consider trying the professional approach. This mostly has to do with calling a professional pest management company to handle all your pest issues.

It’s quite comprehensive and is backed by a guarantee of repeating treatment for the pest-infested area when the problem persists after initial treatment.

Lime is Caustic

It’s important to know that lime is quite caustic and may result in burns to the skin and eyes when necessary protective action isn’t taken.

As such, it’s necessary to apply all precautionary safety measures such as wearing gloves as well as eye protection or goggles.

All Necessary Precautionary Action Must be Adhered to

There is a strong need to consider the safety of your kids and pets.

If you have kids around, you’ll have to be more cautious about how the lime treatment is applied for pest control. It’s safer to avoid using it altogether due to its caustic properties.

Kids are known to be very curious and may have direct contact with lime. This isn’t a situation you’ll want to have.

Lime use for pest control is quite popular, especially among gardeners. We’ve discussed what it is, how it kills pests as well as the risks attached to its use.

This gives you an idea of how best to go about its use when you need to.

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