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a sample of where I went wrong, for Heather. better version coming! tried to convert it to quicktime, to a custom 640X360 during export, but general error, so I think it's letterboxed for life.

• Step 1: Try diatomaceous earth

  Available at garden centers, diatomaceous earth is an odorless powder that is to many insects what Kryptonite is to Superman. Made of the fossilized shells of the prehistoric sea creature diatom, it causes critters to dehydrate and die.

• Step 2: Use essential oils on skin

  You may like the smell of peppermint, chamomile, cedar wood, and eucalyptus, but mosquitoes don’t—studies show these scents repel up to 93% of them! Sprinkle essential oil onto your skin, or add about 10 drops per ounce to your favorite sunscreen.

• Step 3: Use boric acid

  Sprinkle boric acid in cracks and crevices. It’s safe for humans but deadly to bugs; they walk through it and then digest it when grooming themselves. As long as the powder doesn’t get wet, it keeps working for months.

• Step 4: Make sweet poison

  Are you seeing roaches? Mix baking soda with powdered sugar and put it out on small lids. The sugar acts as bait, while the baking soda poisons them.

• Tip

  Don’t forget to put your poison in hard-to-reach hiding places, such as behind the refrigerator.

• Step 5: Block ants

  Got ants? Find the place where they’re entering your home and circle the area with a line of a something that has a strong natural scent, like cinnamon, mint, cayenne pepper, or coffee grounds. Ants won’t cross the line.

• Step 6: Scent your walls

  Wipe down your walls with lavender oil. The scent causes bugs to scurry away.

• Step 7: Spice things up

  Basil and bay leaves have been used for centuries as natural insect repellents. In fact, in many parts of the world basil is packaged inside bags of grain to protect them. Sprinkle your spices wherever bugs are a problem.

• Fact

  Americans put 300 million pounds of pesticides on their lawns each year.