Are There Any Common Pests You Can Control With Beer? Here's What We Know

For many people, gardens and lawns are the pride and joy of their yard. Homeowners and gardeners want to keep their gardens in the best shape possible, but what happens when pesky pests threaten to devour everything you have taken precious time and effort to grow? Clear First Pest Control has hailed beer as the better alternative to harmful chemicals for those looking to rid their gardens of slugs, earwigs, moths, fruit flies, and cockroaches, but does this hack actually work? 

When used properly, beer traps can trap the pests doing damage to your plants while protecting your soil from harmful and toxic chemicals and keeping those in your home and garden safe. Flat beer can be used to set up traps in your garden as an effective way to trap and kill cockroaches, slugs, fruit flies and earwigs that are plotting to take over your garden. Setting up beer traps to get rid of pests needs careful planning and consideration if you are going to get rid of those critters for good. It would be a good idea to stop and consider if this solution will work for the types of pest you have in your garden since beer might not work for all pests, you wouldn't want to make a bad situation worse. Beer might not be effective against pests like grub worms that live beneath the soil since they won't be lured into the traps.

You will need to identify spots in your garden where these pests love to gather. Dig holes in strategic spots around your garden that are roughly the same size as the beer cans you want to use. Place ⅓ or half filled beer cans in the holes you have dug and conceal the cans with soil, leaving only the open tops of the beer cans exposed to act as bait. The idea is that the sugar from the beer will attract the pests to the traps with the promise of a highly nutritious substance where they will be trapped and drown. 

Beer can also be used to trap cockroaches that have made their way into your home. Another way to trap cockroaches in your home is with beer and bread traps you can make with items you already have in your home. The beer traps you have set up in your garden will need to be replaced every 3 days to avoid the unwanted smell the beer can leave in your garden, especially in warmer climates. Bread and beer traps placed in the home will also need to be replaced regularly and the areas around the traps need to be kept clean to avoid attracting more pests.

It's also always important to remember the safety of those in your home and the overall health of your garden. Other garden pest solutions may include sticky traps, pit traps, and yellow pan traps which can help get rid of other flying or stubborn pests that just refuse to fall for your beer traps. 

Sticky traps and yellow pan traps require the least effort. These are usually peel-and-stick contraptions you can get from your local store or simple water traps you can make and set up with things you have at home. Create a yellow trap by pouring water with dish soap in any yellow container like a cup and bucket. Insects are attracted to the color yellow and will naturally gravitate towards your trap where the waiting water will trap their wings and drown them. Just be sure to place your traps strategically so you don't accidentally trap useful bugs you want to keep in your garden.

If beer and traps aren't your style, other safe options include netting and natural mild sprays made from dish soap or vinegar. Nets work well to keep bugs out but that can also affect pollinators like bees and butterflies you'd want in your garden. Dish soap can be mixed with water to kill pests by dehydrating them but it should be used sparingly as it can also dehydrate your grass. Vinegar can be mixed 50/50 with water to kill and repel ants, mosquitos, and spiders.