Wednesday, April 21, 2010

EcoSmart Giveaway, Natural Bug Killer, and What Happened to our Wasps

Last year I had several readers write to ask me what I do for bug spray, bug repellent or home insect treatments. I had a few limited ideas (some I emailed, some I posted here), but I have recently discovered a really great solution -- or should I say, it found me. But let me back up to the first of spring...


With the earliest signs of warm days, my children were ready for picnic lunches. My parents gave us patio furniture for a recent Christmas gift, so we were all very eager for outdoor lunch breaks.


However, the earliest signs of warms days also got the wasps buzzing around our patio. Last year they made homes in our siding and around our back door. (You remember the wasp stings?!?) We tried a few non-toxic methods of killing the wasps, but none eliminated them for good. My husband even tried regular old wasp killer, but they came back.

So, when EcoSmart emailed me to ask if I was interested in a review and giveaway of their Natural Bug Spray, I jumped at the opportunity. Like you all, I really wanted to find a good solution to our insect problems.




The kind folks at EcoSmart sent me their Safe Home Value Bundle, which includes Flying Insect Killer, Ant and Roach Killer, Home Pest Control and Insect Repellent. When the box arrived, the first thing I noticed was the delicious smell! Yep, that's right... these products smell good! Instead of toxic ingredients, these products contain organic plant oils such as cinnamon, peppermint, sesame and rosemary.


The next question was, would these yummy smelling products actually work. I took the can of Flying Insect Killer out to my back patio. Armed and ready. And waited for the wasps. I saw one fly out of the siding, so I aimed and shot. He floundered and died. Great! But, what about the rest of them in the nest?


I waited. No more came out. Then I saw one around the roofing. But the spray wouldn't reach all the way up there (one drawback). After waiting for a while longer, I decided I couldn't just keep waiting. So I sprayed all around where we see them come in and out and just hoped for the best. That was three weeks ago. And we haven't seen a wasp there since. Is that just a coincidence? Or are we holding serious natural powers in our hands?


I know many of you are looking for safe pest control for the home. So would you like to win this same Safe Home Value Bundle? If so, leave a comment here and tell me why you want this bundle of non-toxic, kid- and pet-friendly products. Simply by leaving your comment, you'll be entered in the giveaway.

I usually like to keep an even playing-field so that everyone has an equal chance of winning (i.e. not giving extra entries to new followers... when faithful long-time readers don't have that chance). However, I really want EcoSmart to get a lot of good exposure with this giveaway...

So, I will be giving an extra entry to those who tweet the giveaway link or blog about this giveaway. If you do either of those, please come back to leave a separate comment saying so for each. If you leave a comment, tweet the giveaway link and post about the giveaway on your blog, you will have three entries. Make sense? There are three possible chances this time.


This giveaway is open to all US residents (except Alaska and Hawaii) and will remain open until midnight on Friday, April 30th. Once closed, I will randomly select a winner and notify by email.

For your health,

31 comments:

The Year of the Sandwich said...

Just found ants in our foyer - this product would really come in handy!

Kristi said...

Ooooh! This is the perfect giveaway for us! We have the WORST problem with wasps, and carpenter bees in our yard. The wasps make nests in our shudders and sidding, and completely ruin the outdoors for us during the day. The stores are always out of the spray, and it doesn't work very well anyhow. It's a real bummer, and a real problem. We also have problems with spiders, roaches, fire ants...you name it. We live in a very "woodsy" subdivision and with 4 kids, they all are affected by these pests, but I don't like treating with chemicals too much, because of the young kids, and dogs. I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE a safe solution to this HUGE problem of ours!

Molly said...

This is great! I have been looking for a product like this!

Unknown said...

Thanks for all the great giveaways! Hope to win this one.

Milkmaid said...

We have the same wasp situation at our house! I'd love to deal with them in a non-toxic way. Glad Eco-Smart found you! Thanks for the give-away.

Carrie Beth said...

These sound wonderful! We have tried making our own homemade versions of bug killer, but have never attempted anything for wasps- we have problems with them and it makes it difficult for the boys to work in the garden with me- I am glad to learn about these products!

Sara said...

I'm not a huge fan of bugs, and since moving to Texas, I'm finding I either need to find a safe way of killing them or get used to their quantity and size here. :)

amy said...

we would LOVE to have this!! huge bees, ROACHES and more creepy crawlies...
we've been talking about how to get rid of them without introducing more toxins into our home! Thanks for the 411!

Jessica said...

I'd love to try these products, especially if they work like you said! Our property is surrounded by trees, so we get many, many flying critters. Wasps always try to come in our house. I'm pregnant, we have a 3 y/o son, a cat & a new dog. We like things that are safe for them & us!

Anonymous said...

My children get carried away by GA mosquitos and I would love to have safe products to use around the house as well. I would love to find a company that I could buy everything from!
Tiffany

Jessica said...

We don't have any children yet, but we are trying to use more natural cleaning products for our well being. I am also concerned about getting rid of wasps, fire ants and other pests outside because we have a dog and I don't want her to ingest any chemicals. This product sounds great!

Anonymous said...

This sounds great. I really don't want my kids sprayed with regular bugspray because of all of the chemicals in it. We've also had problems with ants in the past. Thanks! Julie

Jennifer said...

This looks great! I am really trying to buy products that are natural and safe for our family. Thanks for the giveaway!

maggie said...

would love to go green and natural with bug sprays. the harsh smells in them burn mine and one of my son's eyes. cinnamon, peppermint, bring it!

Charity said...

I would love to be entered in the drawing. Thanks!

Jay said...

This would be great for us b/c in the summer the roaches, ants, and mosquitoes come to play-yuck!!
rbjj32825[at]lycos[dot]com

Ilse said...

We have so many wasps around our house, this would be just so great!

Anonymous said...

I would love to win. We have wasps right around the area are kids play.

reneecordle at yahoo.com

Tim, Allyson, and kids said...

We have horrible trouble with ants and wasps, this would be great!


a_heart4home[at]yahoo[dot]com

Stacy said...

This would be so wonderful to have on hand. Last year we had a yellow jacket attack (still horrifies me thinking about them bees swarming my son...) and would love something natural to head them off this year. We try to stay away from toxic products as much as possible and have never heard of these products before. We'd love the chance to try them out! Thanks for the opportunity!

Anonymous said...

what a GREAT giveaway...our family would really appreciate these. Thanks for the opportunity!

A Pilgrim said...

Safe repellents - great! Count me in! Thanks,
Becky

Unknown said...

Wow! I didn't know they made natural bug killers that actually work. I would love to try their products and kill the bad bugs without harming the good ones in my garden or my children and pets.

Debbie said...

These sound great. I always seem to have some bug issues but I really don't want to use toxic chemicals. I'd love to give these a try.

A Simple Girl said...

I have been having a war in our house with bugs. I can't get rid of them but don't want my sons to deal with bugs OR chemicals. This would be perfect!

Amanda said...

Wow! What a great giveaway! We have tons of pests around our place. I really hate it when the wasps get inside (not sure how they do it!) We also have problems with scorpions and I would like to try something to keep them away! Would love to have this safe product and keep the chemicals (and bugs!) away from my children!

Amanda S.
missmanda86(at)gmail(dot)com

jen said...

Thanks for all the great giveaways! Hope to win this one.

jenn0325y at yahoo dot com

Anonymous said...

Oh, this would be great! I've been searching for natural bug repellent that ACTUALLY works!

Tim, Allyson, and kids said...

tweet!
http://twitter.com/heart4home/status/13123652393
a_heart4home at yahoo

Tabathia B said...

I would like it because it does it's job by killing bugs but it does it in an eco friendly way that what harm my children and they can actually stay in the house when I spray versus using something more toxic and having them go outside because of the fumes

tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com

No No Nanette said...

I need this for my kitchen ant visitors. thanks!